Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, directed by George C. Wolfe and adapted from August Wilson’s stage play, dominated the 2020 Chicago Indie Critics Awards, winning seven of its nine nominations.

Late actor Chadwick Boseman was prominently honored by the CIC, winning 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.

Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland won Best Independent Film, Boys State directed, by Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine won Best Documentary and the horror thriller film His House directed by Remi Weekes won Best Foreign Language Film. 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.

Winners of 2020 Chicago Indie Critics Awards

BEST INDEPENDENT FILM (BUDGETS UNDER $20 MILLION)

NOMADLAND

BEST STUDIO FILM (BUDGETS OVER $20 MILLION)

DA 5 BLOODS (tie)

MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM (tie)

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

HIS HOUSE

BEST DOCUMENTARY

BOYS STATE

BEST ANIMATED FILM

SOUL

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