3rd Annual Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Awards Nominations Include THE INVISIBLE MAN, SHIRLEY, THE VAST OF NIGHT, WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS

With the first half of 2020 nearly in the books, the Hollywood Critics Association (including Daily Dead Managing Editor Heather Wixson), has announced the nominees for their 3rd Annual Midseason Awards, and the horror and sci-fi genres and their innovative creators are once again well-represented, with The Invisible Man, Shirley, The Vast of Night, What We Do in the Shadows, and Westworld among the nominations.

You can check out the full list of nominees below (including two separate performances by Elisabeth Moss), and to learn more about the Hollywood Critics Association, visit their official website.

Press Release: (Los Angeles, CA – June 29, 2020) –The Hollywood Critics Association has revealed its full list of nominees for the 3rd Annual Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Awards.

Every June, the members of the HCA vote on the best in film, television, and streaming for the first half of the year. “We weren’t 100% certain that we were going to do the Midseason Awards due to the coronavirus, but after seeing that there were hundreds of series and films released in 2020, we knew that we had to push forward and celebrate the work of the actors, filmmakers, and storytellers who released films and series during this incredibly difficult time,” notes HCA co-founder Ashley Menzel.

“After the entire world was forced to shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, it became very apparent as an organization how much streaming platforms such as Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix have impacted and changed the industry. And with the recent launch of streaming services like Apple TV+, Disney Plus, HBO Max, and Quibi, streaming will only continue to change the traditional landscape of how we watch film and television,” adds HCA founder Scott Menzel. For this reason, the Hollywood Critics Association is pleased to announce that it has created two new award categories that will focus exclusively on streaming series.

For the Midseason Awards voting, the members of the Hollywood Critics Association organized a list of all 2020 films that were released theatrically, on VOD, and on various streaming platforms. There were over 195 feature length films in consideration and more than 100 series, between traditional television networks and streaming platforms.

Leading the nominations is Neon’s Shirley with a total of seven nominations including Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actor. Several films tied for second place including Cathy Yan’s Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods, and Autumn de Wilde’s Emma.

Among the nominations for new streaming series, Hulu leads the way with a total of four nominations, followed by Netflix and Amazon with two nominations each.

The winners of the HCA Midseason Awards will be revealed on July 1, 2020.

Best Picture:

Bad Education

Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn

Blow the Man Down

Da 5 Bloods

Emma

Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Onward

Shirley

The Invisible Man

The Vast of Night

Best Actress:

Anya Taylor-Joy, Emma

Elisabeth Moss, The Invisible Man

Elisabeth Moss, Shirley

Margot Robbie, Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn

Sidney Flanigan, Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Best Supporting Actress:

Allison Janney, Bad Education

Marisa Tomei, The King of Staten Island

Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn

Odessa Young, Shirley

Tracee Ellis Ross, The High Note

Best Actor:

Ben Affleck, The Way Back

Delroy Lindo, Da 5 Bloods

Hugh Jackman, Bad Education

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 7500

Pete Davidson, The King of Staten Island

Best Supporting Actor:

Bill Burr, The King of Staten Island

Clarke Peters, Da 5 Bloods

Ewan McGregor, Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn

Jonathan Majors, Da 5 Bloods

Michael Stuhlbarg, Shirley

Best Female Director:

Autumn de Wilde, Emma

Cathy Yan, Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn

Eliza Hittman, Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Josephine Decker, Shirley

Kelly Reichardt, First Cow

Best Male Director:

Andrew Patterson, The Vast of Night

Cory Finley, Bad Education

Judd Apatow, The King of Staten Island

Leigh Whannell, The Invisible Man

Spike Lee, Da 5 Bloods

Best Adapted Screenplay:

Bad Education

Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn

Emma

The Invisible Man

Shirley

Best Original Screenplay:

Da 5 Bloods

Never Rarely Sometimes Always

The King of Staten Island

The Half of It

The Vast of Night

Best Indie Film:

Blow the Man Down

First Cow

Shirley

The Assistant

The Vast of Night

Best Documentary:

Beastie Boys Story

Crip Camp

Dads

Miss Americana

Spaceship Earth

Best New Streaming Series (Drama):

Defending Jacob (Apple TV+)

Hollywood (Netflix)

Hunters (Amazon)

Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu)

Mrs. America (Hulu)

Best New Streaming Series (Comedy):

High Fidelity (Hulu)

Love Life (HBO Max)

Never Have I Ever (Netflix)

The Great (Hulu)

Upload (Amazon)

Best Broadcast Network Series (New or Reoccurring):

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC)

Evil (CBS)

The Good Place (NBC)

This is Us (NBC)

Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (NBC)

Best Cable Network Series (New or Reoccurring):

Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)

The Outsider (HBO)

Schitt's Creek (POP)

Westworld (HBO)

What We Do in the Shadows (FX)