The 2024 film awards season is arriving with significant excitement as various film critics' circles and associations have begun announcing their annual winners. This year's list of honorees reflects the diverse talents and impactful storytelling present across the film industry, celebrating cinematic artistry through significant narratives and powerful performances.
The Kansas City Film Critics Circle (KCFCC) stood out at the forefront with its 59th Annual James Loutzenhiser Awards, which recognized excellence across 16 categories. Taking home the biggest accolades, The Substance notched six victories out of the seven categories it was nominated for. The film's sweep included prestigious awards such as Best Picture, Best Director—going to Coralie Fargeat—and recognitions for Best Actress (Demi Moore) and Best Supporting Actress (Margaret Qualley). Despite finishing as the most nominated film, Dune: Part II could not secure any wins, coming up as the runner-up across multiple categories.
Mikey Madison tied with Moore for Best Actress with her performance in Anora, and David Dastmalchian, who grew up in the Kansas City metropolitan area, won the Best Actor award for his role in Late Night with the Devil. The inaugural Buster Keaton Award for Best Stunt Ensemble Film went to The Fall Guy, affirming the growing recognition of stunt performances within the industry.
Other notable mention includes Flow, which secured Best Animated Feature after being recognized for its foreign language prowess. A complete list of the KCFCC winners reveals how competitive the field was this year:
- Best Film: The Substance (runner-up: Dune: Part Two)
- Robert Altman Award for Best Director: Coralie Fargeat, The Substance (runner-up: Sean Baker, Anora)
- Best Actor: David Dastmalchian, Late Night with the Devil (runner-up: Ralph Fiennes, Conclave)
- Best Actress (tie): Mikey Madison, Anora and Demi Moore, The Substance
- Best Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain (runner-up: Yura Borisov, Anora)
- Best Supporting Actress: Margaret Qualley, The Substance (runner-up: Danielle Deadwyler, The Piano Lesson)
- Best Original Screenplay: Coralie Fargeat, The Substance (runner-up: Sean Baker, Anora)
- Best Adapted Screenplay: Peter Straughan, Conclave (runner-up: RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes, Nickel Boys)
- Best Animated Feature: The Wild Robot (runner-up: Flow)
- Best Documentary: Will & Harper (runner-up: Seeking Mavis Beacon)
- Best Foreign Language Film: Flow (runner-up: Emilia Pérez)
- Best Cinematography: Lol Crawley, The Brutalist (runner-up: Rob Hardy, Civil War)
- Best Original Score: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Challengers (runner-up: Volker Bertelmann, Conclave)
- Vince Koehler Award for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror Film: The Substance (runner-up: Dune: Part Two)
- Tom Poe Award for Best LGBTQ Film: I Saw the TV Glow (runner-up: Emilia Pérez)
- Buster Keaton Award for Best Stunt Ensemble Film: The Fall Guy (runner-up: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga)
This shine of recognition extends beyond Kansas City, as the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association also marked January 5, 2025, with its announcement. Their Best Film recognition went to Challengers, continuing the momentum of the accolades.
Another significant winner this season is the National Society of Film Critics (NSFC), which named Nickel Boys its Best Picture of 2024. The film not only took home the top honor but also received strong recognition for its lead performances, with Colman Domingo winning Best Actor for his role in Sing Sing, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste taking home Best Actress for her work in Hard Truths. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Kieran Culkin garnered recognition as runners-up for supporting roles.
NSFC's voting system is noteworthy as it employs a weighted ballot process. Members vote for their top three choices, and the nominee accumulating the most points across ballots is declared the winner. This ensures thorough deliberation among critics, facilitating fair recognition of outstanding films.
The collective announcements signify more than just accolades; they reflect the diverse stories and the exceptional execution of narratives being treasured within the film sphere. Observers look forward to seeing which of these standout films and performances will gain traction as the awards season continues to heat up, setting the stage for the grand ceremony presentations.
Overall, the early 2024 film awards encapsulate the rich artistry and spirited competition thriving within the cinema, encouraging audiences to identify and engage with the remarkable portrayals and stories selected for recognition, promising a memorable film-going experience across the board.