Cynthia Erivo to Receive Innovation Award at 46th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards

Actor Cynthia Erivo will be honoured in February with the Derek Malcolm Award for Innovation at the 46th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards.

The star of Wicked: For Good will become the third recipient of the annual award, which is named in memory of the legendary critic Derek Malcolm. Trailblazing actor and filmmaker Colman Domingo was the inaugural recipient in 2024, while Avatar star Zoe Saldaña was honoured earlier this year.

“I am so deeply honoured to accept the Derek Malcolm Award for Innovation and to be recognised in this capacity by the London Film Critics’ Circle, a group I greatly admire and one who has championed me throughout my career,” said Erivo. “This has been an incredible year for film, and having the opportunity to bring Elphaba, the embodiment of a trailblazer, to the screen has been one of my greatest privileges.”

Jane Crowther, Chair of the London Film Critics’ Circle also added: “We’re so thrilled to give Cynthia this honour in recognition of her innovative work telling stories that illuminate, inspire and challenge audiences. She defies expectations across music, film and the stage.”

Related Post: One Battle After Another Tops The London Critics’ Circle Film Awards Nominations

Erivo has found success not just on the screen as an actor, but also as a producer, as well as a singer and musician. With a slew of awards and nominations including an Emmy, a Grammy and a Tony Award-winner, she has also received three Oscar nominations. On both stage and screen, she has embraced complex and challenging roles, from her Broadway debut in The Color Purple, her Oscar-nominated role as Harriet Tubman in Harriet to embodying Elphaba in the two Wicked films. She has been nominated by the London Critics’ Circle Film Awards for her performances in Harriet, Wicked, the neo-noir thriller Bad Times at the El Royale and the indie character study Drift.

Erivo also released her second studio album, I Forgive You,  back in June, earning a Grammy nomination for the single “Be Okay.” In November, she released a bestselling book, Simply More: A Book for Anyone Who Has Been Told They’re Too Much. Wicked: For Good, also opened in the same month . She also became the first Black actress to be nominated twice for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globe Awards for the role.

In February, she will make her West End return in the one-woman show Dracula, playing 23 characters in the highly-anticipated production.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another topped the nominations for the 46th annual London Critics’ Circle Film Awards, which were announced last week. The film secured nine nods overall, closely followed by Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet, with eight. Ryan Coogler’s deep-South horror Sinners was nominated in seven categories, Josh Safdie’s sports comedy Marty Supreme earned six nominations, while the dark comedy-drama Sorry, Baby landed five.

The winners in all categories will be announced  on 1st February 2026 during a ceremony hosted by acclaimed critic Mark Kermode.