And the winner is…

On January 17, the Denver Film Critics Society—15 writers and broadcasters working in and around the Mile High City, of which I am one—announced their picks for the best of 2021.

Of the 44 movies nominated, The Power of the Dog led the way with five awards (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Score), while Dune nabbed two (Best Sci-Fi/Horror and Best Visual Effects).

The full list of nominees can be found here. Curious what my ballot looked like? Click here.

Best Movie

The Power of the Dog

Best Director

Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog

**Kristen Stewart as Diane Spencer. Photo by Pablo Larraín. Image courtesy Neon.**

Best Lead Performance by an Actor, Female

Kristen Stewart, Spencer

Best Lead Performance by an Actor, Male

Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog

Ariana DeBose as Anita and David Alvarez as Bernardo in 20th Century Studios’ *West Side Story*. Photo by Niko Tavernise. © 2021 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Best Supporting Performance by an Actor, Female

Ariana DeBose, West Side Story

Best Supporting Performance by an Actor, Male

J.K. Simmons, Being the Ricardos

Best Sci-Fi/Horror Film

Dune

Best Animated Film

Flee

Best Comedy Film

The French Dispatch

Best Visual Effects

Dune

**Nicolas Cage and Alex Wolff in *Pig*. Images courtesy Neon.**

Best Original Screenplay

Michael Sarnoski, Pig

Best Adapted Screenplay

Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog

Best Documentary

Summer of Soul

Best Original Song

“No Time to Die,” Billie Eilish, No Time to Die

Best Score

Jonny Greenwood, The Power of the Dog

Best Foreign Language Film

Drive My Car