'CODA' actors, writer up for more awards

Dec. 14—The family drama "CODA," based and filmed in Gloucester, is up for more awards.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced its nominees for film and television awards on Monday. Among the nominees is "CODA," a coming-of-age drama about a hearing daughter in a deaf family that runs a Gloucester fishing business.

"CODA" is up for best picture, drama, along with Jane Campion's gothic Western "The Power of the Dog," Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi epic "Dune," Reinaldo Marcus Green's tennis biopic "King Richard" and Kenneth Branagh's autobiographical "Belfast."

Troy Kotsur, the veteran deaf actor who plays the film's fisherman patriarch, is nominated for best supporting actor in a motion picture, competing against Jamie Dornan and Ciarán Hinds, both in "Belfast," Kodi Smit-McPhee in "The Power of the Dog," and Ben Affleck in "The Tender Bar," which was filmed in Beverly.

Also announced Monday were the nominations for the 27th annual Critics Choice Awards

"CODA" is competing for best picture against "Belfast," "Don't Look Up," "Dune," "King Richard," "Licorice Pizza," "Nightmare Alley," "The Power of the Dog," "tick, tick...Boom!," and "West Side Story."

The movie's director and writer, Gloucester resident Sian Heder, is nominated for best adapted screenplay.

Kotsur was again nominated for best supporting actor in a motion picture, and faces some of the same competition, Jamie Dornan and Ciarán Hinds, both in "Belfast," and Kodi Smit-McPhee in "The Power of the Dog," as well as Jared Leto in "House of Gucci" and J.K. Simmons in "Being the Ricardos."

Emilia Jones, who stars as the daughter in "CODA," will face five other thespians for best young actor/actress.

In November, Kotsur won outstanding supporting performance, beating out co-star Marlee Matlin, as the Gotham Awards were presented without gendered acting categories for the first time. And Jones was recognized as breakthrough performer at the Gothams.

At the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, "CODA" won the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award, a directing award for Heder, the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic, and the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award: Best Ensemble.

Andrea Holbrook may be contacted at 978-675-2713 and aholbrook@gloucestertimes.com.