In alphabetical order: “The Brutalist” – Grand in scope but sensitive to the smallest moments, it has thoughtful looks at pride, art, trauma, and the places we create for home, worship, and work. “Conclave” – An arresting combination of visual splendor, thrilling performances, the beats of a door-slamming farce, and serious, dramatic engagement with issues of honor, faith, and leadership. “Inside Out 2”– There is so much wisdom about how even our most painful and fearful emotions can help keep us safe, and of course so much charm, with endearing characters and imaginative settings. “Mountains” – This low-budget indie has sensitive performances, nuanced characters, gorgeous cinematography, and an insightful, layered story about gentrification, assimilation, and family. “My Old Ass” – I was not expecting the emotional wallop at the end of a story about a teenager who meets her future self, but by the time it ended, it felt exactly right. “A Real Pain” – Writer/director/star Jesse Eisenberg gave Kieran Culkin the showier role, and he gives one of the best performance of the year. But what stays with me is Eisenberg’s speech about Culkin’s character that is at the heart of a film about individual and generational pain and the connections that help us bear it. “September 5” – Mr. Rogers told us to look for the helpers when tragedy strikes. This tightly scripted, superbly acted and edited story of sports journalists who never anticipated they would be covering a terrorist attack at the 1972 Olympics, is a welcome reminder of how lucky we are to have people of courage and integrity to report the news. “Thelma” – The most lovable underdog story of the year is this heartwarming film about an elderly woman who takes on a scammer. “Touch” – This is the tenderest of love stories, stretching over oceans and half a century, beautifully filmed. “Wicked” – The biggest of Hollywood musical extravaganzas is wildly entertaining but keeps the focus where it belongs, on two characters who remind us that no one is all good or all bad.
Other movies I loved this year: “Deadpool and Wolverine,” “Emilia Perez,” “The Fall Guy,” “Flow,” “Fly Me to the Moon,” “Hard Truths,” “The Piano Lesson,” “Sing Sing,” “The Wild Robot,” “Wolfs”
Washington Area Film Critics Association Awards 2024: Wicked, The Brutalist, Emilia Perez, A Real Pain, and More
Posted on December 9, 2024 at 2:58 pm
I am honored to be a founding member of the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association, and very proud of our nominations and awards this year:
the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) celebrates a year of filmmaking excellence with its 2024 WAFCA Awards winners. This year’s awards recognize a stellar array of films, showcasing the best in mainstream and independent cinema in 21 categories.
Copyright 2024 Universal
“Wicked Proves Too Popular to Lose”
In a surprise turn, “Wicked” swooped in to take the Best Feature and Best Production Design wins. Similarly, “The Brutalist” claimed the prize in two categories: Best Director for Brady Corbet, and Original Score by Daniel Blumberg. Tying with the ambitious and infectious “Challengers” score by Reznor and Finch in the latter. Meanwhile, Colman Domingo took the crown for his leading role in “Sing Sing,” as did Mikey Madison for her performance in “Anora.” Despite facing stiff competition, the art and entertainment of 2024 saw awards spread evenly among several standout films.
Presented by the many outstanding voices of Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia film criticism, this year’s WAFCA Awards include five special recognition categories. Living up to its name, “The Fall Guy” grabbed the first Best Stunts title, highlighting the outstanding achievement of stunt coordinators and their teams. “Civil War” was celebrated for its powerful (hopefully not prescient) depiction of Washington, DC with
The Joe Barber Award—named for the beloved, late WTOP film and entertainment editor.
Here is the complete list of 2024 WAFCA Award Winners:
Best Original Score: “Blitz” – Hans Zimmer WINNERS: “Challengers” – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross “Conclave” – Volker Bertelmann “Nosferatu” – Robin Carolan WINNERS: “The Brutalist” – Daniel Blumberg “The Wild Robot” – Kris Bowers
Best Editing WINNERS: “Anora” – Sean Baker “Conclave” – Nick Emerson WINNERS: “Dune: Part Two” – Joe Walker “The Brutalist” – Dávid Jancsó “Wicked” – Myron Kerstein
Best Cinematography “Conclave” – Stéphane Fontaine “Dune: Part Two” – Greig Fraser “Nickel Boys” – Jomo Fray WINNER: “Nosferatu” – Jarin Blaschke “The Brutalist” – Lol Crawley
Best Production Design “Dune: Part Two” – Patrice Vermette “Gladiator II” – Arthur Max “Nosferatu” – Craig Lathrop “The Brutalist” – Judy Becker WINNER: “Wicked” – Nathan Crowley
Best International Film “Dahomey” – France, Senegal, Benin, Singapore WINNER: “Emilia Pérez” – Mexico (setting), France, Belgium (shot) “Flow” – Latvia, Belgium, France “I’m Still Here” – Brazil, France “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” – France, Iran (shot)
Best Documentary “Dahomey” (MUBI) “Daughters” (Netflix) “Music by John Williams” (Disney+) “No Other Land” (mTuckman Media) WINNER: “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” (Warner Bros. Pictures) “Will & Harper” (Netflix)
Copyright 2024 Dreamworks
Best Animated Feature “Flow” (Sideshow / Janus Films) “Inside Out 2” (Disney/Pixar) “Memoir of a Snail” (IFC Films) WINNER: “The Wild Robot” (Universal Pictures) “Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” (Netflix)
Best Adapted Screenplay WINNER: “Conclave” – written for the screen by Peter Straughan “Dune: Part Two” – written for the screen by Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts “Nickel Boys” – written for the screen by RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes “Sing Sing” – written for the screen by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar “Wicked” – written for the screen by Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox
Best Original Screenplay “Anora” – Sean Baker WINNER: “A Real Pain” – Jesse Eisenberg “Challengers” – Justin Kuritzkes “The Brutalist” – Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold “The Substance” – Coralie Fargeat
Best Youth Performance Alisha Weir – “Abigail” Alyla Browne – “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” WINNER: Elliott Heffernan – “Blitz” Ian Foreman – “Exhibiting Forgiveness” Isabel DeRoy–Olson – “Fancy Dance” Izaac Wang – “Didi” Zoe Ziegler – “Janet Planet”
Best Voice Performance Amy Poehler – “Inside Out 2” Auli’i Cravalho – “Moana 2” Brian Tyree Henry – “Transformers One” WINNER: Lupita Nyong’o – “The Wild Robot” Maya Hawke – “Inside Out 2”
Best Acting Ensemble “Anora” – Sean Baker, Emily Fleischer (casting associate) WINNER: “Conclave” – Barbara Giordani, Nina Gold, Francesco Vedovati, Martin Ware “Dune: Part Two” – Francine Maisler “Sing Sing” – Greg Kwedar, Rita Powers (extras casting) “The Brutalist” – Kristina Erdely, Cassandra Kulukundis “Wicked” – Tiffany Little Canfield, Bernard Telsey
Best Supporting Actress Ariana Grande – “Wicked” Aunjanue Ellis–Taylor – “Nickel Boys” WINNER: Danielle Deadwyler – “The Piano Lesson” Isabella Rossellini – “Conclave” Zoe Saldana – “Emilia Perez”
Copyright 2024 Searchlight
Best Supporting Actor Clarence Maclin – “Sing Sing” Denzel Washington – “Gladiator II” Guy Pearce – “The Brutalist” WINNER: Kieran Culkin – “A Real Pain” Yura Borisov – “Anora”
Best Actress Cynthia Erivo – “Wicked” Demi Moore – “The Substance” Karla Sofia Gascon – “Emilia Perez” Marianne Jean–Baptiste – “Hard Truths” WINNER: Mikey Madison – “Anora”
Best Actor Adrien Brody – “The Brutalist” WINNER: Colman Domingo – “Sing Sing” Daniel Craig – “Queer” Ralph Fiennes – “Conclave” Timothée Chalamet – “A Complete Unknown”
Best Director WINNER: Brady Corbet – “The Brutalist” Denis Villeneuve – “Dune: Part Two” Edward Berger – “Conclave” Jon M. Chu – “Wicked” Sean Baker – “Anora”
Best Feature “Anora” (Neon) “Conclave” (Focus Features) “Sing Sing” (A24) “The Brutalist” (A24) WINNER: “Wicked” (Universal Pictures)
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WAFCA ALSO HONORS:
The Joe Barber Award for Best Portrayal of Washington, DC WINNER: “Civil War” “Daughters” “Shirley” “Stopping the Steal”
Best Motion Capture Eka Darville – “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” Jonno Davies – “Better Man” Kevin Durand – “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” WINNER: Owen Teague – “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” Peter Macon – “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”
Best Stunts “Deadpool and Wolverine” – Colin Follenweider (stunt coordinator), George Cottle (supervising stunt coordinator), Alex Kyshkovych (fight coordinator)
“Dune: Part Two” – Lee Morrison (Supervising Stunt Coordinator), Roger Yuan (Stunt Coordinator/Fight Coordinator), Gyula Toth (Assistant Stunt Coordinator)
“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” – Guy Norris (action designer/supervising stunt coordinator)
“Gladiator II” – Nikki Berwick, Peter White (stunt coordinators), Ray Nicholas, Cali Nelle (fight coordinators)
WINNER: “The Fall Guy” – Chris O’Hara (stunt coordinator/stunt designer)
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About the WAFCA: Founded in 2002, The Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) has grown into a mainstay of film criticism, comprising over 50 dedicated critics from the Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia areas. With members representing a cross-section of media platforms, including broadcast, print, and digital outlets, WAFCA reflects the evolving landscape of film criticism. Providing a diverse and respected voice in the industry, WAFCA annually recognizes outstanding achievements in the film industry through its awards and the journalism of its members.
The Golden Globe nominations are out! Continuing the weirdness of their line between drama and comedy/musical, somehow the body horror film “The Substance” and the not-funny and not-musical “Challengers” ended up in the comedy category this year. “Emilia Perez” and “The Brutalist” are showing up a lot as front-runners on these early awards lists. “Anora,” “Wicked” and “A Real Pain” got a lot of attention as well. We can expect to see these films and the people who made them at the Oscars.
BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
THE BRUTALIST (A24)
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN (Searchlight Pictures)
CONCLAVE (Focus Features)
DUNE: PART TWO (Warner Bros. Pictures)
NICKEL BOYS (Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM Studios)
SEPTEMBER 5 (Paramount Pictures)
BEST MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
ANORA (NEON)
CHALLENGERS (Amazon MGM Studios)
EMILIA PÉREZ (Netflix)
A REAL PAIN (Searchlight Pictures)
THE SUBSTANCE (MUBI)
WICKED (Universal Pictures)
Copyright 2024 Dreamworks
BEST MOTION PICTURE – ANIMATED
FLOW (Sideshow / Janus Films)
INSIDE OUT 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
MEMOIR OF A SNAIL (IFC Films)
MOANA 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
WALLACE & GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOWL (Netflix)
THE WILD ROBOT (Universal Pictures)
CINEMATIC AND BOX OFFICE ACHIEVEMENT
ALIEN: ROMULUS (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE (Warner Bros. Pictures)
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
GLADIATOR II (Paramount Pictures)
INSIDE OUT 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
TWISTERS (Universal Pictures)
WICKED (Universal Pictures)
THE WILD ROBOT (Universal Pictures)
BEST MOTION PICTURE – NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE
ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT (Sideshow / Janus Films) – USA / FRANCE / INDIA
EMILIA PÉREZ (Netflix) – FRANCE
THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE (MUBI) – POLAND / SWEDEN / DENMARK
I’M STILL HERE (Sony Pictures Classics) – BRAZIL
THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG (NEON) – USA / GERMANY
VERMIGLIO (Sideshow / Janus Films) – ITALY
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
PAMELA ANDERSON (THE LAST SHOWGIRL)
ANGELINA JOLIE (MARIA)
NICOLE KIDMAN (BABYGIRL)
TILDA SWINTON (THE ROOM NEXT DOOR)
FERNANDA TORRES (I’M STILL HERE)
KATE WINSLET (LEE)
Copyright 2024 A24
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
ADRIEN BRODY (THE BRUTALIST)
TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET (A COMPLETE UNKNOWN)
DANIEL CRAIG (QUEER)
COLMAN DOMINGO (SING SING)
RALPH FIENNES (CONCLAVE)
SEBASTIAN STAN (THE APPRENTICE)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
AMY ADAMS (NIGHTBITCH)
CYNTHIA ERIVO (WICKED)
KARLA SOFÍA GASCÓN (EMILIA PÉREZ)
MIKEY MADISON (ANORA)
DEMI MOORE (THE SUBSTANCE)
ZENDAYA (CHALLENGERS)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
JESSE EISENBERG (A REAL PAIN)
HUGH GRANT (HERETIC)
GABRIEL LABELLE (SATURDAY NIGHT)
JESSE PLEMONS (KINDS OF KINDNESS)
GLEN POWELL (HIT MAN)
SEBASTIAN STAN (A DIFFERENT MAN)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ANY MOTION PICTURE
SELENA GOMEZ (EMILIA PÉREZ)
ARIANA GRANDE (WICKED)
FELICITY JONES (THE BRUTALIST)
MARGARET QUALLEY (THE SUBSTANCE)
ISABELLA ROSSELLINI (CONCLAVE)
ZOE SALDAÑA (EMILIA PÉREZ)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ANY MOTION PICTURE
YURA BORISOV (ANORA)
KIERAN CULKIN (A REAL PAIN)
EDWARD NORTON (A COMPLETE UNKNOWN)
GUY PEARCE (THE BRUTALIST)
JEREMY STRONG (THE APPRENTICE)
DENZEL WASHINGTON (GLADIATOR II)
BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE
JACQUES AUDIARD (EMILIA PÉREZ)
SEAN BAKER (ANORA)
EDWARD BERGER (CONCLAVE)
BRADY CORBET (THE BRUTALIST)
CORALIE FARGEAT (THE SUBSTANCE)
PAYAL KAPADIA (ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT)
BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE
JACQUES AUDIARD (EMILIA PÉREZ)
SEAN BAKER (ANORA)
BRADY CORBET, MONA FASTVOLD (THE BRUTALIST)
JESSE EISENBERG (A REAL PAIN)
CORALIE FARGEAT (THE SUBSTANCE)
PETER STRAUGHAN (CONCLAVE)
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE
VOLKER BERTELMANN (CONCLAVE)
DANIEL BLUMBERG (THE BRUTALIST)
KRIS BOWERS (THE WILD ROBOT)
CLÉMENT DUCOL, CAMILLE (EMILIA PÉREZ)
TRENT REZNOR, ATTICUS ROSS (CHALLENGERS)
HANS ZIMMER (DUNE: PART TWO)
BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE
“BEAUTIFUL THAT WAY” –– THE LAST SHOWGIRL
Music & Lyrics by: Andrew Wyatt, Miley Cyrus, Lykke Zachrisson
“COMPRESS / REPRESS” –– CHALLENGERS
Music & Lyrics by: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Luca Guadagnino
“EL MAL” –– EMILIA PÉREZ
Music & Lyrics by: Clément Ducol, Camille, Jacques Audiard
“FORBIDDEN ROAD” –– BETTER MAN
Music & Lyrics by: Robbie Williams, Freddy Wexler, Sacha Skarbek
“KISS THE SKY” –– THE WILD ROBOT
Music & Lyrics by: Delacey, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael
