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The Power of the Dog dominates London Critics’ Circle Film Awards

Benedict Cumberbatch and Kodi Smit-McPhee won for their performances.

The Power of the Dog was the big winner at the London Critics’ Circle Film Awards on Sunday night.

The Netflix Western took home four awards, including the coveted Film of the Year prize, Director of the Year for Jane Campion, Actor of the Year for Benedict Cumberbatch and Supporting Actor of the Year for his co-star Kodi Smit-McPhee.

The Power of the Dog marks Campion’s second film to take the organisation’s top honour – 28 years after she scooped the prize for The Piano in 1994.

The other big winners were the Japanese film Drive My Car, which was named Foreign Language Film of the Year, while its director Ryusuke Hamaguchi was awarded the Screenwriter of the Year prize alongside his co-writer Takamasa Oe.

Rebecca Hall was named the Breakthrough British/Irish Filmmaker for her director debut Passing, another of the night’s double winners. The drama also picked up the supporting actress prize for Ruth Negga.

Olivia Colman was honoured with the Actress of the Year accolade for The Lost Daughter, while Tilda Swinton and Andrew Garfield were recognised for their bodies of work in 2021.

Critics presented the awards remotely from the ceremony’s usual home at The May Fair Hotel and the event took place virtually on the organisation’s YouTube channel.

The full list of winners is as follows:

Film of the Year: The Power of the Dog

Foreign Language Film of the Year: Drive My Car

Documentary of the Year: Summer of Soul (…or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

British/Irish Film of the Year: The Souvenir Part II

Director of the Year: Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog

Screenwriter of the Year: Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe – Drive My Car

Actress of the Year: Olivia Colman – The Lost Daughter

Actor of the Year: Benedict Cumberbatch – The Power of the Dog

Supporting Actress of the Year: Ruth Negga – Passing

Supporting Actor of the Year: Kodi Smit-McPhee – The Power of the Dog

British/Irish Actress of the Year: Tilda Swinton – Memoria, The Souvenir Part II and The French Dispatch

British/Irish Actor of the Year: Andrew Garfield – Tick, Tick… Boom!, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Spider-Man: No Way Home

Breakthrough British/Irish Filmmaker: Rebecca Hall – Passing

Young British/Irish Performer: Woody Norman – C’mon C’mon

Technical Achievement Award: Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor and Gerd Nefzer – Dune (visual effects)

British/Irish Short Film: Play It Safe

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