The latest, acclaimed films from Noah Baumbach and Quentin Tarantino are the big nominees for the Houston Film Critics Society's 13th annual awards, which were announced on Sunday, December 15.

Marriage Story, Baumbach's semi-autobiographical look at the dissolution of a marriage, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Tarantino's epic love letter to '60s-era Tinseltown, are nominated for for six awards, including Best Picture. (Hollywood is also nominated for Best Movie Poster Art.)

1917, The Farewell, The Irishman, and Parasite are nominated for five awards, including Best Picture. Rounding out the Best Picture category are Knives Out, Jojo Rabbit, Joker, and Uncut Gems.

Due to the close voting for nominations, the HFCS has six nominees for Best Actress this year, instead of five: Charlize Theron (Bombshell), Awkwafina (The Farewell), Renee Zellweger (Judy), Scarlett Johansson (Marriage Story), Saoirse Ronan (Little Women), and Lupita Nyong'o (Us).

Nominated for Best Actor are Leonardo DiCaprio (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Adam Driver (Marriage Story), Eddie Murphy (Dolemite is My Name), Joaquin Phoenix (Joker), and Adam Sandler (Uncut Gems). The HFCS will once again honor films made in Texas with the nominees for the Texas Independent Film Awards (TIFA). This year's films are Bull, Building the American Dream, Nothing Stays the Same: The Story of the Saxon Pub, Seadrift and Sleeping in Plastic.

“We’re a passionate, adventurous group,” says HFCS president Doug Harris. “This list of nominees represents the thousands of screening hours our members have devoted to uncovering the year’s most distinctive films so that we can bring the best of cinema from around the world to the audiences we serve.”

Winners in all 18 categories will be presented on Thursday, January 2, 2020, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. B-movie legend Roger Corman will be honored with a lifetime achievement award and Ellyn Needham, wife of the late filmmaker/stuntman Hal Needham, will present the inaugural award for Best Stunt Coordination Team.

An after-party, open to all awards ticket holders at no additional charge, will be staged in the Ultimate Ransom Room at the Hotel ZaZa Houston Museum District. For more information, visit the event site.

Texas Independent Film Award Nominees