"Oppenheimer" next with 7 nods; "Past Lives," "Poor Things," "The Zone of Interest" score 6 apiece
Andrew Haigh’s drama All of Us Strangers leads the field at the London Critics’ Circle Film Awards with nine nominations, followed by Christopher Nolan’s epic biopic Oppenheimer with seven and a trio of movies with six: Celine Song’s Past Lives, Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things and Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest. Greta Gerwig’s Barbie received five nominations.
All of these films are in the running for Film of the Year alongside the French courtroom drama Anatomy of a Fall, Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers, Todd Haynes’ May December, and Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon.
Cast members from each of these films are named in the acting categories, including lead actors Andrew Scott (All Of Us Strangers), Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers) and Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer) and lead actresses Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon), Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall), Greta Lee (Past Lives) and Emma Stone (Poor Things).
Nominees for Director of the Year are Gerwig for Barbie, Glazer for The Zone of Interest, Lanthimos for Poor Things, Nolan for Oppenheimer, and Scorsese for Killers of the Flower Moon.
In the new Animated Film category, Spain’s Robot Dreams is contending with two films from Japan, The Boy and the Heron and Suzume, plus inventive genre favorites Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. And in the new Breakthrough Performer award, homegrown newcomers Mia McKenna Bruce (How to Have Sex) and Vivian Oparah (Rye Lane) are nominated alongside Greta Lee (Past Lives), Dominic Sessa (The Holdovers) and Venice winner Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla).
At this year’s ceremony, Jeffrey Wright will be presented with the London Critics’ top honor The Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film, named after the legendary critic. Wright is also nominated this year as lead actor in American Fiction. He began his career on the stage, transitioning to film in 1996 with the title role in Basquiat. Notable films include Syriana (2005), Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch (2021) and Asteroid City (2023), and Rustin (2023). He played Felix Leiter in three James Bond films opposite Daniel Craig, and also appeared in The Hunger Games and The Batman. Among many accolades, Wright has previously won an Emmy, a Tony and a Golden Globe.
“We are thrilled to present such an iconic actor as Jeffrey Wright with the Dilys Powell Award. And we are planning another special award as well, new this year, to be announced soon. As always, our nominees stand out from other awards because our members actually take the time to watch all of the year’s films,” said Rich Cline, chair of the Critics’ Circle Film Section. “So these nominations represent a cross-section of the very best movies we saw in 2023. Instead of being critical, it’s nice to celebrate films, filmmakers and performances that deserve attention.”
The London Critics’ Circle announced its film award nominations at an event today (12/20) hosted by actors Jing Lusi and Enyi Okoronkwo at The May Fair Hotel in London.
This year’s winners in all categories will be announced at The May Fair Hotel on February 4, 2024.
The 44th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards are voted by the 210-member Film Section of the Critics’ Circle, the UK’s longest-standing and most prestigious critics’ organization. Films are automatically eligible if they are released in cinemas or on premiere streaming services between mid-February 2023 and mid-February 2024.
The full list of nominations:
FILM OF THE YEAR
- All of Us Strangers
- Anatomy of a Fall
- Barbie
- The Holdovers
- Killers of the Flower Moon
- May December
- Oppenheimer
- Past Lives
- Poor Things
- The Zone of Interest
FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
- Anatomy of a Fall
- The Boy and the Heron
- Fallen Leaves
- Past Lives
- The Zone of Interest
DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR
- 20 Days in Mariupol
- Beyond Utopia
- The Eternal Memory
- Scala!!!
- Still: A Michael J Fox Movie
ANIMATED FILM OF THE YEAR
- The Boy and the Heron
- Robot Dreams
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- Suzume
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
- Greta Gerwig – Barbie
- Jonathan Glazer – The Zone of Interest
- Yorgos Lanthimos – Poor Things
- Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer
- Martin Scorsese – Killers of the Flower Moon
SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR
- Andrew Haigh – All of Us Strangers
- Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer
- Justine Triet & Arthur Harari – Anatomy of a Fall
- Celine Song – Past Lives
- Greta Gerwig & Noah Baumbach – Barbie
ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
- Lily Gladstone – Killers of The Flower Moon
- Sandra Hüller – Anatomy of a Fall
- Greta Lee – Past Lives
- Carey Mulligan – Maestro
- Emma Stone – Poor Things
ACTOR OF THE YEAR
- Bradley Cooper – Maestro
- Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
- Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer
- Andrew Scott – All of Us Strangers
- Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction
SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
- Claire Foy – All of Us Strangers
- Sandra Hüller – The Zone of Interest
- Julianne Moore – May December
- Rosamund Pike – Saltburn
- Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers
SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEAR
- Robert Downey Jr – Oppenheimer
- Ryan Gosling – Barbie
- Charles Melton – May December
- Paul Mescal – All of Us Strangers
- Mark Ruffalo – Poor Things
BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMER OF THE YEAR
- Greta Lee – Past Lives
- Mia McKenna-Bruce – How to Have Sex
- Vivian Oparah – Rye Lane
- Dominic Sessa – The Holdovers
- Cailee Spaeny – Priscilla
THE ATTENBOROUGH AWARD: BRITISH/IRISH FILM OF THE YEAR
- All of Us Strangers
- How to Have Sex
- Poor Things
- Rye Lane
- The Zone of Interest
THE PHILIP FRENCH AWARD: BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH/IRISH FILMMAKER
- Raine Allen Miller – Rye Lane
- Sam H Freeman & Ng Choon Ping – Femme
- Molly Manning Walker – How to Have Sex
- Nida Manzoor – Polite Society
- Charlotte Regan – Scrapper
BRITISH/IRISH PERFORMER OF THE YEAR (for body of work)
- Paul Mescal – All of Us Strangers/God’s Creatures/Foe/Carmen
- Carey Mulligan – Maestro/Saltburn
- Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer
- Andrew Scott – All of Us Strangers
- Tilda Swinton – The Eternal Daughter/The Killer/Asteroid City
YOUNG BRITISH/IRISH PERFORMER OF THE YEAR
- Jaeden Boadilla – Raging Grace
- Le’Shantey Bonsu – Girl
- Samuel Bottomley – How to Have Sex
- Lola Campbell – Scrapper
- Temilola Olatunbosun – Pretty Red Dress
BRITISH/IRISH SHORT FILM OF THE YEAR
- For People in Trouble – Alex Lawther, director
- Muna – Warda Mohammed, director
- Outlets – Duncan Cowles, director
- Predators – Jack King, director
- The Veiled City – Nathalie Cubides-Brady, director
TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
- All of Us Strangers – casting, Kahleen Crawford
- Barbie – production design, Sarah Greenwood
- The First Slam Dunk – sound design, Kôji Kasamatsu
- Full Time – film editing, Mathilde Van De Moortel
- Killers of the Flower Moon – film editing, Thelma Schoonmaker
- Medusa Deluxe – makeup & hair, Eugene Souleiman
- Oppenheimer – visual effects, Andrew Jackson
- Past Lives – cinematography, Shabier Kirchner
- Poor Things – costumes, Holly Waddington
- Saltburn – casting, Kharmel Cochrane
- The Zone of Interest – music & sound, Mica Levi & Johnnie Burn
THE DILYS POWELL AWARD: EXCELLENCE IN FILM
- Jeffrey Wright
“Heretic” and “Maria” Set As Red Carpet Premieres At AFI Fest
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that Heretic, the psychological thriller starring Hugh Grant, and Maria, based on the life of opera singer Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie, will round out the Red Carpet Premieres section at this year’s AFI Fest. The Heretic Gala Screening will take place on Thursday, October 24, and the Maria Gala Screening will be held on Saturday, October 26. The complete Red Carpet Premieres section includes the world premieres of Music By John Williams, Robert Zemeckis’ Here, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2. All Red Carpet Premieres will take place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. The full lineup for AFI Fest 2024 will be unveiled on October 1.
“At the heart of AFI Fest is an unwavering dedication to celebrating the best in global cinema--together,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “We look forward to uniting artists and audiences once again to be inspired by the art form in a powerful sense of community.”
Heretic follows two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (portrayed by Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The film is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and produced by Stacey Sher, Beck, Woods, Julia Glausi and Jeanette Volturno. The film will be released nationwide by A24 on November 8.
Directed by Pablo Larraín, Maria presents a tumultuous and beautiful depiction of one of the world’s most renowned artists and reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days in Paris, as Callas (Jolie)... Read More