Sat Feb 08 06:00:00 UTC 2025: **Critics Choice Awards: “Anora” Takes Best Picture, “Shōgun” Dominates TV**

SANTA MONICA, CA – The 30th annual Critics Choice Awards, held Friday night at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, celebrated the best in film and television, with a few surprises and some expected wins. After a double postponement due to the L.A. wildfires, the ceremony, hosted by Chelsea Handler, finally took place, awarding accolades across a range of categories.

“Anora,” despite only winning Best Picture, made a significant showing with seven nominations. The film’s success was a counterpoint to the dominance of other films: “Wicked,” “Emilia Pérez,” and “The Substance” each garnered three awards. Meanwhile, “Wicked” director Jon M. Chu secured the Best Director award, playfully predicting an upcoming Oscar win.

On the acting front, established and rising stars shone, with Adrien Brody (“The Brutalist”) winning Best Actor and Demi Moore (“The Substance”) taking home Best Actress. Supporting Actor went to Kieran Culkin (“A Real Pain”), and Zoe Saldaña (“Emilia Pérez”) won Supporting Actress.

However, the television awards were decidedly less diverse. The FX/Hulu series “Shōgun” swept the drama categories, winning four awards including Best Drama Series, Best Actor (Hiroyuki Sanada), Best Supporting Actor (Tadanobu Asano), and Best Supporting Actress (Moeka Hoshi). The only exception was Best Actress, which went to Kathy Bates for “Matlock.” “Hacks” closely followed with three wins in the comedy category, including Best Comedy Series.

The full list of winners is available online. The Critics Choice Awards, a collaboration between Variety and iHeartRadio, serves as a significant predictor for upcoming award seasons.

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