The Awardist

Penélope Cruz, Simon Rex, Drive My Car score top honors at Los Angeles Film Critics Association awards

The LAFCA unveiled its best films and performances of the year as awards season marches on.

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Published on December 18, 2021 08:26PM EST

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association announced its 2021 winners for achievements in film Saturday, revealing top prizes for Simon Rex for Best Actor (for Red Rocket), Penélope Cruz for Best Actress (for Parallel Mothers), Jane Campion for Best Director (for The Power of the Dog), and Ryusuke Hamaguchi's Drive My Car for Best Picture.

Kodi Smit-McPhee's turn in Campion's critically hailed Netflix western drama scored him a Best Supporting Actor award, though he shared the honor with Vincent Lindon for the Palme d'Or–winning French horror film Titane (the New York Film Critics Circle gave Smit-McPhee the same award earlier this month). Meanwhile, Ariana DeBose earned the award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Steven Spielberg's remake of the musical West Side Story.

Milena Smit and Penélope Cruz in 'Parallel Mothers'. El Deseo/Iglesias Más/Sony Pictures Classics

The LAFCA, made up of Los Angeles–area print and digital journalists, will also celebrate Mel Brooks with the 2021 career achievement award. He and the rest of the winners will be honored at a ceremony in 2022.

The New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) also awarded Drive My Car with the prize for Best Film, and Campion also won Best Director for The Power of the Dog. However, its top acting honors went to Lady Gaga for House of Gucci and Benedict Cumberbatch, also for The Power of the Dog.

Ariana DeBose as Anita in 2021's 'West Side Story'. Niko Tavernise/20th Century Studios

Last year, the LAFCA awarded Steve McQueen's Small Axe the award for Best Picture, while Chloé Zhao won Best Director for Nomadland, which later snagged two Oscars, for Best Director and Best Picture. Chadwick Boseman and Carey Mulligan won for Best Actor and Best Actress for their films Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Promising Young Woman, respectively.

See the full list of the 2021 Los Angeles Film Critics Association awards winners below.

Best Picture: Drive My Car
Runner-up: The Power of the Dog

Best Director: Jane Campion — The Power of the Dog
Runner-up: Ryusuke Hamaguchi — Drive My Car

Best Actor: Simon Rex — Red Rocket
Runner-up: Benedict Cumberbatch — The Power of the Dog

Best Actress: Penélope Cruz — Parallel Mothers
Runner-up: Renate Reinsve — The Worst Person in the World

Best Supporting Actor: Vincent Lindon — Titane and Kodi Smit-McPhee — The Power of the Dog (tie)

Best Supporting Actress: Ariana DeBose — West Side Story
Runner-up: Aunjanue Ellis — King Richard

Best Animated Film: Flee
Runner-up: Belle

Best Documentary/Non-Fiction: Summer of Soul
Runner-up: Procession

Best Foreign Language Film: Petite Maman
Runner-up: Quo vadis, Aida?

Best Screenplay: Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe — Drive My Car
Runner-up: Paul Thomas Anderson — Licorice Pizza

Best Cinematography: Ari Wegner — The Power of the Dog
Runner-up: Greig Fraser — Dune

Best Editing: Joshua L. Pearson — Summer of Soul
Runner-up: Andy Jurgensen — Licorice Pizza

Best Music/Score: Alberto Iglesias — Parallel Mothers
Runner-up: Jonny Greenwood — The Power of the Dog and Spencer

Best Production Design: Steve Saklad — Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar
Runner-up: Tamara Deverell — Nightmare Alley

New Generation Prize: Shatara Michelle Ford — Test Pattern and Tatiana Huezo — Prayers for the Stolen (tie)

Douglas Edwards Experimental Film Award: The Works and Days (of Tayoko Shiojiri in the Shiotani Basin)

Career Achievement: Mel Brooks

Check out more from EW's The Awardist, featuring Oscars analysis, exclusive interviews, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year's movies and performances.

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