Nominees for HCA Film Awards Announced, Sir Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast” Nabs Nine Nods
The start of the new year represents many things to many people, like new beginnings and a chance for people to start fresh. The movie industry, however, sees it as an opportunity to reflect on the previous year and acknowledge the best of the best in film. Yep, it’s awards season, folks. And it looks like the Hollywood Critics Association is one of the first to kick it off with its list of nominations for the fifth annual HCA Film Awards, which will be held on January 8. Thankfully, some of our favorite Wizarding World alumni received nods for their work last year, the most notable being Sir Kenneth Branagh, known for playing Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, whose semiautobiographical film Belfast managed a total of nine nominations.
Written and directed by Branagh, Belfast is a coming-of-age film about a boy growing up in Northern Ireland in the late ’60s, which Branagh has described as his “most personal film.” Aside from getting a nod for Best Picture, it’s also earned Branagh nods for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay while nabbing a Best Supporting Actor acknowledgment for Potter alumnus Ciarán Hinds (Aberforth Dumbledore).
Written and directed by Sir Kenneth Branagh, “Belfast” was nominated for nine HCA Film awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
Also nominated for Best Supporting Actor is Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy) for his role in Mass as a grieving parent who confronts the parents of a school shooter, a role that he described as “watching an acting master class.” And lastly, Alexandre Desplat, the composer responsible for the scores of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, was nominated for his score for Wes Anderson’s latest film, The French Dispatch.
There are several movies on the list of nominations that feature Wizarding World alumni, such as Spencer, starring Timothy Spall (Peter Pettigrew); Last Night in Soho, featuring James and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George Weasley); Cruella, starring Dame Emma Thompson (Professor Trelawney); and Raya and the Last Dragon, featuring Gemma Chan (Madam Ya Zhou in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them).
A huge congrats to all the nominees for the fifth annual HCA Film Awards. Check out the relevant list of nominations below:
BEST PICTURE
Being the Ricardos
Belfast
CODA
Dune
King Richard
Last Night in Soho
Licorice Pizza
The Power of the Dog
Spencer
tick, tick…Boom!
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Ciarán Hinds, Belfast
Jamie Dornan, Belfast
Jason Isaacs, Mass
Robin de Jesús, tick, tick…BOOM!
Troy Kotsur, CODA
BEST CAST ENSEMBLE
Belfast
CODA
Don’t Look Up
King Richard
The Harder They Fall
BEST DIRECTOR
Denis Villeneuve, Dune
Guillermo del Toro, Nightmare Alley
Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
Kenneth Branagh, Belfast
Lin-Manuel Miranda, tick, tick…BOOM!
Pablo Larraín, Spencer
Rebecca Hall, Passing
Reinaldo Marcus Green, King Richard
Siân Heder, CODA
Steven Spielberg, West Side Story
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Aaron Sorkin, Being the Ricardos
Edgar Wright and Krysty Wilson-Cairns, Last Night in Soho
Fran Kranz, Mass
Kenneth Branagh, Belfast
Zach Baylin, King Richard
BEST ANIMATED FILM
Encanto
Flee
Luca
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Raya and The Last Dragon
BEST HORROR
Fear Street Trilogy
Last Night in Soho
Malignant
The Night House
A Quiet Place Part II
BEST INDIE FILM
CODA
Mass
Pig
Shiva Baby
Spencer
BEST FIRST FEATURE
Rebecca Hall, Passing
Lin-Manuel Miranda, tick, tick…BOOM!
Fran Kranz, Mass
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Lost Daughter
Michael Sarnoski, Pig
BEST SCORE
Alexandre Desplat, The French Dispatch
Hans Zimmer, Dune
Jonny Greenwood, The Power of the Dog
Jonny Greenwood, Spencer
Steven Price, Last Night in Soho
If you’re also interested in the more technical awards like production design and editing, be sure to peruse the full list of HCA Film Awards nominations.
Are you excited for Sir Kenneth Branagh? Which category do you think Belfast has the best chance of winning? Let us know in the comments.
