Aubrey Plaza, Sidney Flanigan Among Hollywood Critics Association Honorees

The Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) has announced the first wave of honorary awards for the 4th annual HCA Awards ceremony. The honorees include the likes of Aubrey Plaza and Sidney Flanigan.

The organization issued a press release regarding next year’s event and revealed that the ceremony will be taking place in Los Angeles on March 5, 2021.

The Acting Achievement Award will be given to Plaza for her amazing performance in the movie “Black Bear.” Directed by Lawrence Michael Levine, the movie tells the story of a filmmaker named Allison (played by Plaza) who seeks solace from her tumultuous past by traveling to a rural retreat. However, things take a different turn when she finds out that the woods are intensely summoning her inner demons.

Critics as well as audiences praised Plaza’s performance and said that she is one of the most talented actresses in Hollywood right now.

Another actress who will be recognized at next year’s star-studded event is none other than Flanigan, who is already being regarde as the best actress frontrunner at the 2021 Academy Awards. The 21-year-old star will be receiving HCA's Standout Performance by an Actor or Actress 23 or Under Award for her role in the movie “Never Rarely Sometimes Always.”

Flanigan portrays the character of Autumn in the movie who is faced with an unintended pregnancy and a lack of support from the local medical facility. She decides to travel to New York City with her cousin Skyler (played by Talia Ryder) and have an abortion. But things get uncomfortable when it is discovered that Autumn has been a victim of physical and sexual abuse throughout her teenage life.

The movie received universal acclaim and critics hailed Flanigan as the next big thing in Hollywood. It currently holds a score of 99% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Speaking about the upcoming ceremony, Scott Menzel, chairman of HCA, shared that the organization has always been serious about the representation of various ethnicities and will continue to be “inclusive” in the future, too.

“When you hear about the lack of representation in the entertainment industry, that is something that we as an organization take very seriously. This organization has always taken great pride in being inclusive since day one. We believe that natural inclusivity has always been and will continue to be reflective in all of our nominees, winners, and honorees,” Menzel said in a statement.

Other notable honorees at the upcoming event include Dante Spinotti (“Timeless Award”), Paul Raci (Breakthrough Performance Actor Award for “Sound of Metal”), Cristin Milioti (Breakthrough Actress Award for “Palm Springs”), Kiera Allen (Spotlight Award), Jo Ellen Pellman (Star on the Rise Award for “The Prom”), and Nicole Beharie (Game Changer Award).