ELIZA HITTMAN

Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland” won best feature at the 36th Independent Spirit Awards in a ceremony that turned the annual beach soiree into a virtual, largely pre-taped event, and, possibly, an Oscar preview.

The film was nominated for seven Independent Film Spirit Awards including one for best feature. The 36th annual Spirit Awards, like most awards shows during the pandemic, are adjusting to the difficult circumstances. Eliza Hittman's “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” a Pennsylvania's teen's odyssey in getting an abortion, racked up nominations for best feature film, best director and best female lead for Sidney Flanigan. Chloe Zhoe's “Nomadland,” starring Frances McDormand, scored five nods, including best feature, best director and best female lead for McDormand. None of the nominees for best feature film were directed by a white male.

In the realm of short films, many wonderful works debuted this year. It's intimate and empathetic in the best way, and Sidney Flanigan's central performance is stunning. First CowKelly Reichardt's films are not for everyone — they're quiet meditations on humanity and our follies — but First Cow might be her most accessible. Kate Lyn Sheil best exemplifies the tragic nature of the film’s premise without ever sacrificing the humor. David Byrne's American UtopiaDavid Byrne's concert tour turned Broadway show turned feature film is one of the best works of art released this year.

The New York Film Critics Circle on Friday, Dec. 18, 2020, voted Kelly Reichardts Western fable First Cow the best film of 2020. (Allyson Riggs/A24 via AP)NEW YORK – The New York Film Critics Circle on Friday voted Kelly Reichardt's Western fable “First Cow” the best film of 2020, while also giving special honors to Spike Lee and the art-house distributor Kino Lorber for their roles in a movie year deeply marred by the pandemic. The film critics, assembling virtually, gave its top award to “First Cow,” a delicate tale of friendship and capitalism in mid-1800s Oregon Territory. The critics pointedly said the honor was for a service “designed to help support movie theaters, not destroy them.”The New York Film Critics Circle Awards are usually part of a wave of critics group honors that can occasionally influence awards season. Other NYFCC picks include: “Time” for best non-fiction film; “Bacurau” for best foreign language film; “The Forty-Year-Old Version” for best first film; “Wolfwalkers" for best animated film; and the five-film anthology “Small Axe” for best cinematography.

This image released by Searchlight Pictures shows Frances McDormand in a scene from the film "Nomadland" by Chloe Zhao. Here are our picks for the best movies of 2020:JAKE COYLE1. “David Byrne’s American Utopia”: Spike Lee’s fiction films make more noise but he’s quietly one of the best documentary filmmakers we have. He may have made the best film of the year in his short film “New York, New York,” a tribute to an undefeatable pandemic-stricken city. It's also, with a glorious rendering of Harlem, one of the best New York movies in years.

This image released by A24 shows Orion Lee, left, and and John Magaro in a scene from "First Cow." Kelly Reichardt's film led all films in nominations for the 30th annual Gotham Awards with four nods, including best film, best screenplay, best actor for Magaro and breakthrough actor for Lee. The Gotham Awards, presented by the Independent Filmmaker Project, put forward five films, all directed by women, for best feature film, and a posthumous acting nod for Chadwick Boseman. Kelly Reichardt's “First Cow” led all films in nominations for the 30th annual Gotham Awards with four nods, including best film, best screenplay, best actor for John Magaro and breakthrough actor for Orion Lee. Alongside Boseman and Magaro, the acting nominees are: Riz Ahmed ("Sound of Metal"), Jude Law ("The Nest") and Jesse Plemons ("I'm Thinking of Ending Things").