The 2026 awards season has officially begun, and already Critics' Choice Awards sparked controversy over the “incredibly disrespectful” way some of the night's biggest awards were presented.
From the Oscars to the Grammys, some awards are usually given out before the show begins. This ensures that the live broadcast does not last too long. However, many viewers noted the downright strange way the award for best foreign language film was presented ahead of this year's Critics' Choice ceremony.
In case you haven't been keeping track, there was some stiff competition in the Best Foreign Language Film category this year. The films competing for the award were It was just an accident, Left-handed girl, There's no other choice, Secret agent, SiratAnd Belemmost of which were quite a buzz leading up to awards season, especially Secret agentwho won.
Despite the hype around Secret Agent – A Latin American film predominantly in Portuguese – the film's director, Kleber Mendonça Filho, failed to properly celebrate the victory. He was suddenly given the award in the middle of an interview on the red carpet.
You can look clip herebut I think we can all agree that it all happened very awkwardly. Kleber looked completely stunned and barely had time to process what was happening before the reporter suddenly cut to commercial.
Reaction to X was intense, with people suggesting that the chaotic manner in which the award was presented was “offensive” to the filmmakers, especially considering how important this category is in the broader context of the awards race.
To make matters worse, this wasn't the only award to be handed out on the red carpet, meaning plenty of other winners were deprived of a proper moment to celebrate the occasion in the spotlight, including Ryan CooglerWhose win for Best Original Screenplay? Sinners was not broadcast on television.
So what do you think about it? LMK in the comments.
