C&I readers also voted Chloé Zhao as Best Director for “Nomadland.”
Cowboys & Indians readers embraced Let Him Go during balloting for the Fourth Annual C&I Movie Awards, selecting the edgy drama as Best Picture of 2020 while voting lead players Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as Best Actor and Actress, and picking director Thomas Bezucha’s adaptation of Larry Watson’s acclaimed novel as Best Screenplay.
Chloé Zhao (The Rider), already a Golden Globe honoree for Nomadland, added a C&I Movie Award prize to her laurels as Best Director of the acclaimed drama about a strong-willed woman (two-time Oscar winner Frances McDormand) who packs her van and begins a nomadic life in the American West.
Princess Punzalan and country music artist Dale Watson were voted Best Supporting Actress and Actor, respectively, for their work in Yellow Rose, Diane Paragas’ well-received contemporary drama — recipient of the 2020 Texas Independent Film Award from the Houston Film Critics Society — about a Filipina teen (Eva Noblezada) in Bastrop, Texas who develops a taste and talent for country music.
Winner of the inaugural C&I Movie Award for Best Documentary: Bud Force and John Langmore’s Cowboys: A Documentary Portrait.
Nomadland currently is available in limited theatrical release, and on Hulu. All other C&I Movie Award winners can be streamed on various platforms, and Let Him Go also can be purchased or rented on DVD or Blu-Ray.
Here is a complete list of nominations for this year’s C&I Movie Awards. Winners (which appear in red) were chosen through online balloting that ended Wednesday, March 3. Nominees were chosen by the Cowboys & Indians magazine staff.
BEST PICTURE
First Cow
Let Him Go
News of the World
Nomadland
BEST DIRECTOR
Thomas Bezucha, Let Him Go
Paul Greengrass, News of the World
Kelly Reichardt, First Cow
Chloé Zhao, Nomadland
BEST ACTOR
Kevin Costner, Let Him Go
Tom Hanks, News of the World
Harrison Ford, The Call of the Wild
John Magaro, First Cow
BEST ACTRESS
Eva Noblezada, Yellow Rose
Diane Lane, Let Him Go
Frances McDormand, Nomadland
Helena Zengel, News of the World
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Gary Farmer, First Cow
Orion Lee, First Cow
David Strathairn, Nomadland
Dale Watson, Yellow Rose
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Kayli Carter, Let Him Go
Leslie Manville, Let Him Go
Linda May, Nomadland
Princess Punzalan, Yellow Rose
BEST SCREENPLAY
Thomas Bezucha, Let Him Go
Paul Greengrass and Luke Davies, News of the World
Kelly Reichardt and Jonathan Raymond, First Cow
Chloé Zhao, Nomadland
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Cowboys: A Documentary Portrait
It All Begins with a Song: The Story of the Nashville Songwriter
Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President
My Darling Vivian
