If it weren’t for their heavy support of Green Book, it would almost look like San Diego’s film critics were trying to avoid titles that have been commonplace throughout awards season so far. Few mentions of Roma and A Star Is Born and none for BlacKkKlansman or If Beale Street Could Talk. These nominations are so far out of the norm that you could probably disregard them as outliers even if it’s interesting to see what the competition might be like without the frontrunners.

Nominations Tallies

(9) Green Book
(7) The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
(6) The Favourite
(5) Boy Erased, Eighth Grade, Leave No Trace
(4) Game Night, A Quiet Place
(3) Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Isle of Dogs, Paddington 2, Stan & Ollie, A Star Is Born

The Nominations

Best Picture

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
The Favourite
Green Book
Leave No Trace
A Quiet Place

Best Animated Film

Have a Nice Day
Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Best Director

Eighth Grade – Bo Burnham
The Favourite – Yorgos Lanthimos
Green Book – Peter Farrelly
Leave No Trace – Debra Granik
A Quiet Place – John Krasinski

Best Actor

Christian Bale – Vice
Ethan Hawke – First Reformed
Lucas Hedges – Boy Erased
Viggo Mortensen – Green Book
John C. Reilly – The Sisters Brothers

Best Actress

Glenn Close – The Wife
Elsie Fisher – Eighth Grade
Lady Gaga – A Star Is Born
Melissa McCarthy – Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Carey Mulligan – Wildlife

Best Supporting Actor

Mahershala Ali – Green Book
Timothée Chalamet – Beautiful Boy
Joel Edgerton – Boy Erased
Sam Elliott – A Star Is Born
Richard E. Grant – Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Best Supporting Actress

Nina Arianda – Stan & Ollie
Zoe Kazan – The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Nicole Kidman – Boy Erased
Thomason McKenzie – Leave No Trace
Alia Shawkat – Blaze

Best Original Screenplay

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Eighth Grade
Green Book
Isle of Dogs
A Quiet Place

Best Adapted Screenplay

Boy Erased
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
The Death of Stalin
Leave No Trace
The Old Man & the Gun

Best Use of Music in a Film

Bad Times at the El Royale
Blaze
Bohemian Rhapsody
Green Book
A Star Is Born

Best Editing

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
The Favourite
Game Night
Green Book
A Quiet Place

Best Cinematography

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
First Reformed
Lean on Pete
The Rider
Roma

Best Production Design

Black Panther
The Favourite
Green Book
Ready Player One
Stan & Ollie

Best Costume Design

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Crazy Rich Asians
The Favourite
Paddington 2
Stan & Ollie

Best Visual Effects

Black Panther
Christopher Robin
Isle of Dogs
Paddington 2
Ready Player One

Best Foreign Film

Capernaum
Cold War
The Guilty
Roma
Shoplifters

Best Documentary

Free Solo
Love, Gilda
RBG
Three Identical Strangers
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

Best Ensemble

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Boy Erased
The Favourite
Game Night
Green Book

Best Comedic Performance

Awkwafine – Crazy Rich Asians
Jason Bateman – Game Night
Hugh Grant – Paddington 2
Jesse Plemons – Game Night
Ryan Reynolds – Deadpool 2

Breakthrough Artist

Bo Burnham – Eighth Grade
Elsie Fisher – Eighth Grade
Rami Malek – Bohemian Rhapsody
Thomasin McKenzie – Leave No Trace
Charlie Plummer – Lean on Pete

San Diego Film Critics Society Data

First Awards: 1996 (23)