Regina Hall and Regina King have garnered distinction as winners at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards, a prestigious honor that is often an accurate predictor of Oscar contenders.
Hall took home Best Actress for her performance as Lisa Conroy, a general manager at a sports bar in the acclaimed indie comedy “Support the Girls.” With nominations from both the Gotham Independent Film Awards and the Independent Spirit Awards, Hall’s chances of scoring a well-deserved Oscar nomination for Best Actress just rose. It’s also worth noting that Hall is the first Black actress to win the Best Actress award in the New York Film Critics Circle’s 83-year history.
King took home the Best Supporting Actress award for her performance as Sharon Rivers in “If Beale Street Could Talk,” the highly anticipated film from Barry Jenkins.
King is also predicted by many pundits to take home the Best Supporting Actress statue at the 2019 Oscars, which would be a long overdue feat in her 30-plus year career. With Hall and King’s wins, it marks the first time Black actresses won in both acting categories. Other NYFCC Award winners include “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” which won Best Animated Film Feature, and “Minding the Gap,” which won Best Nonfiction Film.