Critics Choice Awards: Cate Blanchett offers policy criticism of awards shows

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Cate Blanchett wins Critics' Award for her role in »Tár«: »What's the point of the patriarchal pyramid?«

Photo: Mario Anzuoni / REUTERS

With five awards, the science fiction comedy »Everything Everywhere All at Once« has become the big winner at the 28th Critics Choice Awards.

The Critics Choice Association (CCA) honored the US production with awards for best film, best original screenplay and best editing on Sunday evening in Los Angeles.

The duo Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert also received awards for best direction and Ke Huy Quan for best supporting actor.

Brendan Fraser, who in »The Whale« as a very overweight man struggling with the loss of a great love, was voted best actor.

Cate Blanchett won the Best Actress award for her role as the fictional chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic in the drama »Tár«.

Blanchett used her acceptance speech to make some key points about awards shows.

The decision for a best actress is "arbitrary" in view of such outstanding achievements by all nominees.

The 53-year-old criticized “this patriarchal pyramid”, at the top of which one person is allowed to stand on stage.

"Why don't we say there's a whole bunch of female accomplishments that are in agreement and in dialogue with each other?"

She concluded her policy critique with the words, "And end the televised horse race for all of it!" For her, the work of every single woman - whether on television, in films or in tampon advertising - is an inspiration.

"Nothing new in the West" gets nothing

The German anti-war film "Nothing New in the West," on the other hand, went empty-handed, as it did at the Golden Globes.

The drama by director Edward Berger runs on Netflix and is also Germany's Oscar nominee.

Instead, »RRR« from India received the critics' prize for best non-English language film.

Its soundtrack also received an award for the song »Naatu Naatu«.

In the television categories, »Better Call Saul« in particular impressed with a total of three trophies.

The spin-off of the cult series »Breaking Bad« was awarded Best Drama Series.

Actors Bob Odenkirk and Giancarlo Esposito won the Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor awards for their roles as Saul Goodman and Gus Fring.

The trophy for best comedy series went to Abbott Elementary.

The Critics Choice Awards are important critics' film awards.

They are selected by over 500 members of the CCA from the USA and Canada.

This time the US comedian Chelsea Handler was the hostess on the stage.