The 17 dedicated and talented members of Chicago Indie Critics cast their final ballots this week to declare the winners of 23 categories for their fifth annual film awards. Recorded for video presentation on the group’s YouTube channel, the CIC film critics came together to celebrate the year and recognize the best in film for 2020. 

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, directed by George C. Wolfe and adapted from August Wilson’s stage play, dominated this year’s CIC Awards, winning seven of its nine nominations. Topmost, the Netflix original film was named the Best Studio Film in a tie with another offering from the streaming leader, Best Director winner Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom also won awards for adapted screenplay, lead actor, lead actress, ensemble cast, costume design, and makeup. 

Starring in both of those victorious films, beloved late actor Chadwick Boseman was prominently honored by the CIC. Boseman won posthumous awards for Best Actor (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), Best Supporting Actor (Da 5 Bloods), and special recognition as the recipient of the group’s Impact Award celebrating a person whose work during the past year or beyond made a positive influence on society. Also of note, Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland won Best Independent Film and Small Axe anthology filmmaker Steve McQueen won the CIC’s Trailblazer Award honoring the work of an artist who truly pushed the boundaries of the medium in terms of form and content.

THE COMPLETE LIST OF THE WINNERS OF THE 2020 CIC AWARDS:

BEST INDEPENDENT FILM (BUDGETS UNDER $20 MILLION)

NOMADLAND

Producers: Frances McDorman, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey, and Chloe Zhao

BEST STUDIO FILM (BUDGETS OVER $20 MILLION)

DA 5 BLOODS (tie)

Producers: John Kilik, Spike Lee, Beatriz Levin, and Lloyd Levin

MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM (tie)

Producers: Denzel Washington, Todd Black, and Dany Wolf

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

HIS HOUSE

Producers: Aidan Elliott, Martin Gentles, Arnon Milchan, Ed King, and Roy Lee

BEST DOCUMENTARY

BOYS STATE

Producers: Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss

BEST ANIMATED FILM

SOUL

Producers: Dana Murray

BEST DIRECTOR

Spike Lee, DA 5 BLOODS

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN – Emerald Fennell (tie)

THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 – Aaron Sorkin (tie)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM – Ruben Santiago-Hudso

BEST ACTOR

Chadwick Boseman, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM

BEST ACTRESS

Viola Davis, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Chadwick Boseman, DA 5 BLOODS

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Maria Bakalova, BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST

MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Donald Graham Burt, MANK

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Joshua James Richards, NOMADLAND

BEST EDITING

Alan Baumgarten, THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7

BEST MUSICAL SCORE

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, SOUL

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“Speak Now” – ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI

Written by Leslie Odom Jr. and Sam Ashworth, Performed by Leslie Odom Jr

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Jonathan Dearing and Dan Oliver, THE INVISIBLE MAN

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Ann Roth, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM

BEST MAKEUP

Matiki Anoff, Sergio Lopez-Rivera, and Mia Neal, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM

SPECIAL AWARDS

TRAILBLAZER AWARD 

Honors the work of an artist who truly pushes the boundaries of the medium in terms of form and content

Steve McQueen

IMPACT AWARD

Given to a person whose work has had a positive impact on society

Chadwick Boseman