Los Angeles, Nov 12 (IANS): Stars Simu Liu, Greig Fraser, Jude Hill, Natalie Morales and the cast of 'CODA' will be honored at the fifth annual Hollywood Critics Association Film Awards on January 8, 2022.

Liu is being honoured with this year's game-changer award for his history-making role in Marvel's 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings', reports variety.com.

"In previous years, the Game Changer award has been presented to an actor or actress whose most recent work showcased something so noteworthy that we believed it could only lead to bigger and better projects," HCA president Nestor Bentancor said in a statement.

The newcomer award will go to Hill for his role as Buddy in Kenneth Branagh's buzz-worthy 'Belfast'.

"Jude Hill's performance is one that exudes joy, curiosity, and innocence. Hill instantly captured my heart and I believe he will capture the hearts of all those who see 'Belfast'," HCA co-chair Ashley Menzel said.

'Dune' cinematographer Greig Fraser will be the recipient of this year's Artisans Achievement Award. Fraser, whose career includes working on such iconic films as 'Zero Dark Thirty', 'Lion', and 'Rogue One'. He has received nothing but critical acclaim for his most recent work on Denis Villeneuve's 'Dune'.

The cinematographer has recently finished filming 'The Batman' and will reunite with Villeneuve to shoot 'Dune Part 2' next summer.

Morales is receiving the filmmaker on the rise award for her work helming 'Language Lessons' and 'Plan B'.

The two films, Morales' feature directorial debut and sophomore film, were released only weeks apart and received critical acclaim. In addition, the cast of Sian Heder's film 'CODA' is being honoured with the HCA Spotlight award, which was created to bring awareness to underrepresented voices in entertainment.

"When I first saw 'CODA' at the Sundance Film Festival, I instantly fell in love with the story and cast," said HCA founder Scott Menzel.

"As an organisation, the HCA prides itself on being inclusive and a film like 'CODA' shines a light on a community that is often overlooked in Hollywood.

"Filmmaker Sian Heder gave deaf actors an opportunity to take center stage and be part of something that is funny, heartfelt, and poignant. Films like Apple TV+'s 'CODA' are rare to see and we, as an organisation, believe what this film does for representation should be embraced and celebrated," he added.