The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA), one of the most respected voices in cinematic recognition, is unveiling its selections for the best in film for 2024. LAFCA’s picks often serve as a strong bellwether for the Oscars.
Since 2000, LAFCA’s choice for best picture has closely aligned with the Academy Awards’ Best Picture nominees, with only four exceptions: “About Schmidt” (2002), “American Splendor” (2003), “WALL-E” (2008) and Steve McQueen’s anthology project “Small Axe” (2020). Of those selected, five films went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture: Kathryn Bigelow’s war drama “The Hurt Locker” (2009), Tom McCarthy’s journalism exposé “Spotlight” (2015), Barry Jenkins’ poignant coming-of-age tale “Moonlight” (2016), Bong Joon-ho’s genre-defying “Parasite” (2019) and the multiverse sensation “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (2022).
LAFCA’s Best Director selections are equally predictive, with a remarkable consistency in aligning with the Academy. Since 2009, only one of their chosen directors has failed to receive an Oscar nomination: Debra Granik for her critically acclaimed indie “Leave No Trace” (2018). In that same period, six LAFCA Best Director winners have gone on to claim the Oscar, including Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker,” Alfonso Cuarón for the visually stunning “Gravity,” Guillermo del Toro for the fantastical “The Shape of Water,” Bong Joon-ho for the genre-bending “Parasite,” Chloé Zhao for the intimate road drama “Nomadland,” and Jane Campion for her psychological Western “The Power of the Dog.”
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This marks the third year for gender-neutral acting categories by the critics’ group.
Founded in 1975, and celebrating its 50th year, LAFCA has built a reputation for championing bold voices in filmmaking, often steering the conversation toward films and artists that challenge conventions. The organization has already announced legendary director John Carpenter will be the recipient of this year’s Career Achievement Award.
The annual banquet to honor all of this year’s winners will take place in January.
The list of winners is below and will be updated as they’re announced. In addition, the Boston Society of Film Critics and Washington D.C. Area Film Critics are also announcing.
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
Best Picture:
Runner-up:
Director:
Runner-up:
Leading Performances:
Runners-up:
Supporting Performances:
Runners-up:
Screenplay:
Runner up:
Cinematography: “Nickel Boys” (Amazon MGM Studios)
Runner-up: “The Brutalist”
Editing:
Runner-up:
Production Design:
Runner-up:
Music Score: “Challengers” (Amazon MGM) — Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Runner-up: Eiko Ishibashi, “Evil Does Not Exist”
Foreign Language:
Runner-up:
Documentary/Non-Fiction Film:
Runner-up:
New Generation Award:
Douglas Edwards Experimental Film Prize:
Career Achievement Award:
Boston Society of Film Critics
Original Screenplay: “Anora”
New Filmmaker: Annie Baker, “Janet Planet”
Documentary: “No Other Land”
Animated Film: “Flow”
Cinematography: “The Brutalist” (Lol Crawley)
Editing: “Challengers” (Marco Costa)
Score: “The Brutalist” (Daniel Blumberg)
Washington DC Area Film Critics Association