Nominations Announced: The 44th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards
The UK's leading film critics announced their nominations for the 44th annual London Critics’ Circle Film Awards this afternoon during a live ceremony hosted by Rich Cline, chair of the Critics’ Circle Film Section, and actors Jing Lusi and Ényì Okoronkwo. The Critics’ Circle will return to London’s May Fair Hotel on the 4th of February 2024, where the year’s winners will be announced.
“Because our members watch nearly all of the films released in Britain every year, our nominations tend to look unlike all the other awards shows,” shared Cline, “The Critics' Circle Film Awards is an integral part of the annual cinema awards-season conversation and has consistently highlighted film achievements that may be overlooked by other groups. I am also delighted that The May Fair Hotel is partnering with us for a 12th year.”
The awards are given by the 210-member Film Section of the Critics' Circle, the UK's longest-standing and most prestigious critics' organisation. The vast majority of Film Review’s roster of critics are members of the London Film Critics’ Circle, including Executive Editor James Cameron-Wilson, Mansel Stimpson, Michael Darvell, George Savvides and Wendy Lloyd.
Actor-writer-comic Anna Leong Brophy will reprise her role as host of the 44th London Critics' Circle Film Awards. Brophy previously hosted the 2023 event to great acclaim. “I'm thrilled to be asked back to host the Critics Circle Awards for 2024, after being made to feel so welcome as a newbie last year," said Brophy. "It's such a wonderful and considered event. I'm so pleased to be a part of it!”
This year All of Us Strangers leads the pack with 9 nominations, followed by Oppenheimer with 7 nominations. In this year's awards, critics will also be voting in two new categories: Animated Film and Breakthrough Performance. It was announced that Jeffrey Wright will be presented with the London Critics' top honour, The Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film, named after the legendary critic. Last year Michelle Yeoh was bestowed with the honour and this year Wright will become the 33rd recipient of the award. 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.
“We are thrilled to present such an iconic actor as Jeffrey Wright with the Dilys Powell Award,” says Cline. “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 inaugural Derek Malcolm Award for Innovation will also be presented at the 44th ceremony to cinematic trailblazer Colman Domingo. The award is named in memory of the legendary critic Derek Malcolm, who died in August at age 91. Domingo has had distinctly different roles this year; as Mister in the musical film The Color Purple and as civil-rights activist Bayard Rustin in Rustin. His previous screen work includes George C Wolfe's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Barry Jenkins' If Beale Street Could Talk, Ava DuVernay's Selma, and Lee Daniels' The Butler.
"In each of his roles, Colman Domingo adds layers of detail that are revolutionary on-screen. Drawing attention to important themes that need to be discussed and addressed,” said Cline. “Even in a genre movie like Candyman, his character quietly connects the film's horror to historical injustice. We are proud to name him as the very first winner of this new Innovation Award, which is named in honour of our good friend and well-loved disruptor Derek Malcolm."
44th London Critics’ Circle Film Award Nominations:
FILM OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Nyman Libson Paul
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 Sponsored by Reddit
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 Sponsored by Cinemadix
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 (Read our interview with Charlotte)
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
THE DEREK MALCOLM AWARD FOR INNOVATION
Colman Domingo
About The Critics' Circle:
Established in 1913, the Critics' Circle is the oldest organisation of its kind in the world, with more than 400 members who work in the UK media as critics of art and architecture, books, dance, drama, film, and music. Chaired by Rich Cline, the Film Section membership is made up of 210 UK film critics, broadcasters and writers, including the BBC's Mark Kermode, Metro's Larushka Ivan-Zadeh, Guardian critic Peter Bradshaw, and Film Review’s Executive Editor James Cameron-Wilson. The awards have been presented annually since 1980. For further information, please visit: https://criticscircle.org.uk/
