Brady Corbet’s historical epic “The Brutalist” was the big favorite at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards, taking home two major prizes for best film and actor for Adrien Brody.
As the oldest critics’ group in the United States, the NYFCC is seen as a bellwether for awards season, with its best film winner often correlating with an Academy Award nomination for best picture. Since the Oscars expanded to 10 best picture nominees in 2009, only two NYFCC winners — “Carol” (2015) and “First Cow” (2020) — have failed to secure Oscar nominations in the category.
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Brody’s win reignites his Oscar prospects surrounding his performance in Corbet’s historical epic, which has already been described as a towering achievement. The actor, who made history in 2002 as the youngest-ever best actor Oscar winner for “The Pianist” at age 29, could now become the youngest two-time winner at 51. However, he faces stiff competition from a strong field that includes Timothée Chalamet in “A Complete Unknown,” Ralph Fiennes in “Conclave” and Colman Domingo in “Sing Sing,” who beat Brody at the Gothams on Monday.
This year’s NYFCC winners underscore the unpredictability of an awards season that Variety has dubbed “the year without a frontrunner.”
RaMell Ross, who surprised many by winning the Gotham Award for best director, duplicated his success at the NYFCC with another win for the drama “Nickel Boys,” an adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Ross’ work on the Amazon MGM title has critics buzzing, and with the film also earning a cinematography prize for Jomo Fray’s first-person POV work, it appears poised to make waves within the Academy’s Directors and Cinematographers branches. Whether it can continue building momentum remains to be seen, but the double win solidifies its place in the awards conversation.
Independent films were a heavy focus for the East Coast group this year, with Marianne Jean-Baptiste winning best actress for her searing turn in Mike Leigh’s drama “Hard Truths.” Jean-Baptiste joins a list of NYFCC actress winners, which includes Meryl Streep (“The Iron Lady”) and Cate Blanchett (“Blue Jasmine”) who both went on to win Oscars. Her stunning portrayal of a woman on the verge of mental collapse has received raves after debuting in Toronto, and the win provides the critical momentum for the Bleecker Street release, which opens in limited release on Dec. 6. Smaller films often rely on these early awards to boost visibility.
Coming off his Emmy-winning role in “Succession,” Kieran Culkin made a strong case for his Oscar prospects by winning supporting actor in Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain.” In the poignant and darkly humorous drama, Culkin plays a free-spirited man exploring his Jewish heritage on a trip to Poland with his cousin. Meanwhile, Carol Kane delivered the NYFCC’s biggest surprise by taking home supporting actress for her role as a music teacher preparing for her Bat Mitzvah in Nathan Silver’s indie film “Between the Temples.” The Sony Pictures Classics release debuted at Sundance and has quietly become a favorite among critics, which could spotlight the two-time Emmy-winning Kane, 72, who hasn’t been nominated since her work in “Hester Street” (1975).
Two of the four NYFCC acting winners last year went on to be nominated for Oscars: Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”) and eventual winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph (“The Holdovers”).
NYFCC also awarded smaller, unconventional projects that may find traction in other categories. Gints Zilbalodis’ dialogue-free animated fantasy “Flow” won animated feature, continuing the group’s tradition of championing inventive storytelling. The best first film prize went to Annie Baker’s Janet Planet,” while the best non-fiction film went to “No Other Land,” a documentary about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which is still seeking a U.S. distributor.
The NYFCC’s International Feature prize went to Payal Kapadia’s “All We Imagine as Light,” a drama that won the Gotham Award on Monday. Although it cannot compete in the Oscars’ International Feature category due to India’s decision to submit Kiran Rao’s “Laapataa Ladies,” its U.S. distributors, Janus Films and Sideshow, are positioning it as a major contender in other categories, including picture, director and original screenplay. The strategy could mirror the path of last year’s “Anatomy of a Fall,” which overcame its international feature eligibility snub to win the Oscar for screenplay, in addition to being nominated for best picture.
Several notable omissions from the NYFCC winners’ list reflect the awards season’s unpredictability. High-profile films like Netflix’s “Emilia Pérez” and “The Piano Lesson,” Paramount’s “Gladiator II” and Universal’s “Wicked” failed to make an impression on the group. However, many were not expected to resonate with East Coast critics. Studios such as Warner Bros. (“Dune: Part Two”) and Focus Features (“Conclave”) will now turn their attention to the National Board of Review, Golden Globes and the SAG Awards to build momentum for their campaigns.
Celebrating its 90th year, the NYFCC comprises more than 50 journalists from publications, such as Variety‘s chief film critic Owen Gleiberman. David Sims will serve as the NYFCC chair in 2024, and Stephen Garrett will continue as the group’s general manager. The group’s annual awards gala will be held on Jan. 8, 2025, at TAO Downtown in New York.
The complete list of winners is below.
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Variety Awards Circuit: Oscars
Best Film: “The Brutalist” (A24)
Director: RaMell Ross, “Nickel Boys” (Amazon MGM Studios)
Actor: Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist” (A24)
Actress: Marianne Jean-Baptiste, “Hard Truths” (Bleecker Street)
Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain” (Searchlight Pictures)
Supporting Actress: Carol Kane, “Between the Temples” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Screenplay: “Anora” (Neon) — Sean Baker
Animated Film: “Flow” (Janus Films/Sideshow)
Cinematography: “Nickel Boys” (Amazon MGM Studios) — Jomo Fray
First Film: “Janet Planet” (A24) — Annie Baker
International: “All We Imagine as Light” (Janus Films/Sideshow)
Non-Fiction Film: “No Other Land” (ImmerGuteFilme)
Student Prizes: Alexander Swift (Undergraduate, Vassar) and Drew Smith (Graduate, NYU)
Special Award: To Save and Project: The MoMA International Festival of Film Preservation
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