This morning, across their social media channels, The Seattle Film Critics Society (counting a couple The SunBreak contributors among its membership) announced nominations for the 2024 SFCS Awards, honoring the year’s best in film. At the top of the nominations heap: Brady Corbet’s VistaVision festival stunner The Brutalist (releasing later this month) and two desert-set blockbusters Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi sequel Dune: Part Two and George Miller’s post-apocalyptic prequel
The winners will be announced on December 16th. Full press release below (with links to our previous coverage).
Among the 10 films nominated for Best Picture:
Anora, Sean Baker’s story of a sex worker’s whirlwind romance with a Russian oligarch’s heir, received nominations for Best Picture, Director, Editing, Screenplay and for the performance of its Ensemble Cast and Lead Actress (Mikey Madison).
The Beast, Bertrand Bonello’s time-hopping triptych was also nominated for Best Picture, Director, International Film, and for the lead performances of Léa Seydoux and George MacKay.
The Brutalist,Brady Corbet’s monumental historical drama of a Hungarian immigrant architect in post-war Pennsylvania,received nominations for Best Picture, Director, Cinematography, Editing, Screenplay, Production Design, and Original Score as well as for Lead and Supporting performances from Adrien Brody and Guy Pearce.
Challengers, Luca Guadagnino’s sweaty tennis triangle of lust and ambition, was also recognized for its pulsating Original Score and Josh O’Connor’s supporting performance.
Conclave, Edward Berger’s twist-filled telling of the election of a new pope,was also nominated for Best Picture, Screenplay, Production Design, Costume Design, and Original Score along with recognition for its Ensemble Cast and individual acting nominations for Ralph Fiennes (Lead) and Isabella Rossellini (Supporting).
Dune: Part Two,Denis Villeneuve’s return to the spicy sands of Arrakis, received nominations for Best Picture, Director, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Costume Design, Action Choreography, Visual Effects, Ensemble Cast as well as for Austin Butler’s portrayal of Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen for Villain of the Year.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, George Miller’s raucous Fury Road prequel, received nominations for Best Picture, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Costume Design, Action Choreography, and Visual Effects. Chris Hemsworth’s performance as Dementus was recognized for both Supporting Actor and Villain of the Year.
I Saw the TV Glow, Jane Schoenbrun’s formally-inventive, piercing glimpse into the transgender experience, received a nomination for Best Picture.
Sing Sing, Greg Kwedar’s tremendously moving true story of the transformative power of a prison theater company, was recognized with nominations for Best Picture as well as for its Ensemble Cast and individual performances of Colman Domingo (Lead) and Clarence Maclin (Supporting).
The Substance, Coralie Fargeat’s body-swapping evisceration of self-loathing beauty standards, was recognized for BestPicture, Director, Editing, Screenplay, Visual Effects as well as for the twinned performances of Demi Moore (Lead) and Margaret Qualley (Supporting).
Other films earning multiple nominations include Wicked (5 nominations) and Nosferatu (3 nominations). Dìdi (弟弟), Evil Does Not Exist, Ghostlight, Flow, A Real Pain, and The Wild Robot earned 2 nominations each.
As previously announced, the Seattle Film Critics Society recognized five films for Achievement in Pacific Northwest Filmmaking. This year’s nominees include All We Carry, Fish War, Gasoline Rainbow, Rainier: A Beer Odyssey, and Strange Darling. Each nominee will screen locally at SIFF Film Center during the weekend of December 6-8.
Winners of the 2024 Seattle Film Critics Society Awards will be announced Monday, December 16th across the Seattle Film Critics Society’s various social media platforms.
The 2024 Seattle Film Critics Society Nominations
BEST PICTURE
- Anora – Sean Baker
- The Beast – Bertrand Bonello
- The Brutalist – Brady Corbet
- Challengers – Luca Guadagnino
- Conclave – Edward Berger
- Dune: Part Two – Denis Villeneuve
- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – George Miller
- I Saw the TV Glow – Jane Schoenbrun
- Sing Sing – Greg Kwedar
- The Substance – Coralie Fargeat
DIRECTOR
- Sean Baker – Anora
- Bertrand Bonello – The Beast
- Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
- Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
- Denis Villeneuve – Dune: Part Two
LEAD ACTOR
- Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
- Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
- Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
- Keith Kupferer – Ghostlight
- George MacKay – The Beast
LEAD ACTRESS
- Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
- Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths
- Mikey Madison – Anora
- Demi Moore – The Substance
- Léa Seydoux – The Beast
SUPPORTING ACTOR
- Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
- Chris Hemsworth – Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
- Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
- Josh O’Connor – Challengers
- Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
- Joan Chen – Dìdi (弟弟)
- Danielle Deadwyler – The Piano Lesson
- Ariana Grande – Wicked
- Margaret Qualley – The Substance
- Isabella Rossellini – Conclave
ENSEMBLE
- Anora – Sean Baker
- Conclave – Nina Gold and Martin Ware
- Dune: Part Two – Dixie Chassay and Francine Maisler
- His Three Daughters – Nicole Arbusto
- Sing Sing – Greg Kwedar
PACIFIC NORTHWEST FILM
- All We Carry – Cady Voge
- Fish War – Jeff Ostenson, Charles Atkinson, and Skylar Wagner
- Gasoline Rainbow – Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross
- Rainier: A Beer Odyssey – Isaac Olsen
- Strange Darling – J.T. Mollner
INTERNATIONAL FILM
- The Beast – Bertrand Bonello
- Evil Does Not Exist – Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
- Flow – Gints Zilbalodis
- Red Rooms – Pascal Plante
- The Seed of the Sacred Fig – Mohammad Rasoulof
DOCUMENTARY FILM
- Dahomey – Mati Diop
- No Other Land – Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, and Rachel Szor
- Sugarcane – Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie
- Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story – Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui
- Will & Harper – Josh Greenbaum
ANIMATED FILM
- Flow – Gints Zilbalodis
- Inside Out 2 – Kelsey Mann
- Transformers One – Josh Cooley
- Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl – Merlin Crossingham and Nick Park
- The Wild Robot – Chris Sanders
CINEMATOGRAPHY
- The Brutalist – Lol Crawley
- Dune: Part Two – Greig Fraser
- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – Simon Duggan
- Nickel Boys – Jomo Fray
- Nosferatu – Jarin Blaschke
EDITING
- Anora – Sean Baker
- The Brutalist – Dávid Jancsó
- Dune: Part Two – Joe Walker
- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – Eliot Knapman and Margaret Sixel
- The Substance – Coralie Fargeat, Jérôme Eltabet, and Valentin Feron
SCREENPLAY
- Anora – Sean Baker
- The Brutalist – Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold
- Conclave – Peter Straughan
- A Real Pain – Jesse Eisenberg
- The Substance – Coralie Fargeat
PRODUCTION DESIGN
- The Brutalist – Judy Becker (Production Design)
- Conclave – Suzie Davies (Production Design) | Cynthia Sleiter (Set Decoration)
- Dune: Part Two – Patrice Vermette (Production Design) | Shane Vieau (Set Decoration)
- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – Colin Gibson (Production Design) | Katie Sharrock (Set Decoration)
- Wicked – Nathan Crowley (Production Design) | Lee Sandales (Set Decoration)
COSTUME DESIGN
- Conclave – Lisy Christl
- Dune: Part Two – Jacqueline West
- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – Jenny Beavan
- Nosferatu – Linda Muir
- Wicked – Paul Tazewell
ORIGINAL SCORE
- The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg
- Challengers – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
- Conclave – Volker Bertelmann
- Evil Does Not Exist – Eiko Ishibashi
- The Wild Robot – Kris Bowers
ACTION CHOREOGRAPHY
- Dune: Part Two – Lee Morrison (Stunt Coordinator) | Roger Yuan (Fight Choreographer)
- The Fall Guy – Chris O’Hara and Keir Beck (Stunt Coordinator) | Jonathan Eusebio (Fight Choreographer)
- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – Tim Wong (Stunt Coordinator) | Richard Norton (Fight Choreographer)
- Monkey Man – Udeh Nans (Stunt Coordinator) | Brahim Achabbakhe (Fight Choreographer)
- Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In – Kenji Tanigaki (Stunt Coordinator)
VISUAL EFFECTS
- Dune: Part Two – Paul Lambert, Stephen James, and Rhys Salcombe
- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – Andrew Jackson and Dan Bethell
- Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes – Erik Winquist and Sean Noel Walker
- The Substance – Bryan Jones and Guillaume Le Gouez
- Wicked – Anthony Smith, Jonathan Fawkner, Pablo Helman, and Robert Weaver
YOUTH PERFORMANCE
- Alyla Browne – Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
- Katherine Mallen Kupferer – Ghostlight
- Izaac Wang – Dìdi (弟弟)
- Alisha Weir – Abigail
- Zoe Ziegler – Janet Planet
VILLAIN OF THE YEAR
- Macrinus – Gladiator II (as portrayed by Denzel Washington)
- Count Orlok – Nosferatu (as portrayed by Bill Skarsgård)
- Dementus – Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (as portrayed by Chris Hemsworth)
- Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen – Dune: Part Two (as portrayed by Austin Butler)
- Longlegs – Longlegs (as portrayed by Nicolas Cage)