
The 5th Annual Hollywood Critics Association Film Awards took place on February 28th at the Avalon Hollywood in Los Angeles.
It was an important night for many productions, and the venue was packed with stars and performers from the film industry. And Latinos stole the night.
Ariana DeBose, the Puerto Rican-born actress, took home the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Anita in “West Side Story,” less than 24 hours after becoming the first queer Afro-Latina to win a SAG Award for the same role.
And in the Best Director category, Mexico’s Guillermo Del Toro was nominated for “Nightmare Alley,” the award was won in a tie by Denis Villeneuve for “Dune” and Jane Campion for “The Power of The Dog.” This film also earned Guillermo important nominations for other awards, such as the Oscars.
Stephanie Beatriz, an Argentine-American actress of Colombian and Bolivian descent, also shined during the ceremony by winning the Best Animated or VFX Performance award for her role as Mirabel Madrigal in the Disney film “Encanto.”
Actress and director Natalie Morales took home the honorary award for Rising Filmmaker for her work in the comedy “Plan B” and the drama/comedy “Language Lessons.” Best known for her work as an actress, Natalie debuted directing two films in 2021.
And last but not least, Lin-Manuel Miranda took home the award for Best First Feature for “Tick, Tick…Boom!” his feature directorial debut. Lin-Manuel was also nominated for an Oscar this year for Best Original Song for “Dos Oruguitas” from the film “Encanto.”
You can see the entire list of nominees and winners here.