Razzies: Singer Sia named worst director for controversial film Music

Singer Sia has been named "worst director" for her controversial debut film at the Razzies, the pre-Oscars prizes for the year's worst movies.

Titled Music, her film won three Golden Raspberry Awards in total, including worst actress for Kate Hudson and worst supporting actress for Maddie Ziegler.

The movie has been criticised for casting Ziegler in the autistic lead role and for its portrayal of autism.

It was described as an "insensitive" and "ill-conceived" "autism musical".

The film follows Zu, a drug dealer, who is a recovering alcoholic, played by Hudson, who becomes the guardian of her young autistic half-sister, played by Sia's protégé Ziegler.

Sia has had pop hits including Titanium, Chandelier and Cheap Thrills

The Australian pop star has previously apologised for casting a neurotypical actor as a nonverbal autistic girl, and for scenes depicting the use of restraints on autistic people.

"I plan to remove the restraint scenes from all future printings," she tweeted in February, shortly before deleting her account. "I listened to the wrong people and that is my responsibility, my research was clearly not thorough enough, not wide enough."

'Fake news snooze-fest'

Now in their 40th year, the Razzies have previously honoured titles such as Cats and Showgirls. This year's winners were announced in a video on YouTube.

The award for worst film to the "fake news snooze-fest" Absolute Proof, which claimed there had been fraud in the 2020 US presidential election. Its star and director Mike Lindell also won worst actor.

• The Razzies at 40: The worst films ever made

Donald Trump's former lawyer Rudy Giuliani's cameo in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, saw him win worst supporting actor. Mr Giuliani dismissed as a "complete fabrication" a clip from the film which appeared to show him with his hands down his trousers on a bed in a hotel room.

Meanwhile, Robert Downey Jr's critically-panned remake of Dr Dolittle picked up the award for "worst remake, rip-off or sequel".

A special prize went to 2020 itself for being "the worst calendar year ever".

Golden Raspberry Award winners in full:

• Worst picture - Absolute Proof

• Worst actor - Mike Lindell, Absolute Proof

• Worst actress - Kate Hudson, Music

• Worst supporting actress - Maddie Ziegler, Music

• Worst supporting actor - Rudy Giuliani, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

• Worst screen combo - Rudy Giuliani & His Pants Zipper, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

• Worst director - Sia, Music

• Worst remake, rip-off or sequel - Dolittle

• Worst screenplay - 365 Days

• Special governors' award - 2020 as the worst calendar year ever