Shadows on the Wall | London Film Critics' Circle

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Shadows @ the Critics’ Circle
45th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards Nominations 19.Dec.24 • Awards ceremony 2.Feb.25 at the May Fair Hotel The Critics' Circle is the world's oldest body of critics, established in 1913 and made up of six sections: art, books, film, dance, music and theatre. As chair of the film section, I'm on the overall council. And as chair of the film awards, I'm heavily involved in running our ceremony. Unlike the Oscars or Globes, we have just over 200 members who watch almost all of the movies and vote on what we admire rather than trying to follow the buzz or being lured by over-hyped films. London critics tend to vote just a little against the grain, embracing top-quality films, filmmakers and performances that more mainstream awards often ignore. Also, because Film of the Year is a free vote, the nominations often include docs and foreign-language titles alongside British indies and Hollywood studio films. This year's expected nominees like Anora, The Brutalist and Emilia Perez are accompanied by surprises like Nosferatu and La Chimera, while A Complete Unknown and Wicked are oddly under-represented. Rich Cline joined the Critics' Circle in January 2003, became chair of the awards in 2012 and chair of the Film Section in 2020.
N O M I N E E S . . . 7: ANORA THE BRUTALIST 6: CONCLAVE THE SUBSTANCE 5: EMILIA PEREZ 4: HARD TRUTHS KNEECAP 3: BIRD LA CHIMERA NICKEL BOYS NOSFERATU THE OUTRUN 2: ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT BLITZ A COMPLETE UNKNOWN DUNE: PART TWO A REAL PAIN 1: ABIGAIL • THE APPRENTICE • BABYGIRL • BACK TO BLACK • BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE • THE BOOK OF CLARENCE • BUFFALO KIDS • CHALLENGERS • DAHOMEY • DRIFT • FLOW • GLADIATOR II • GRAND THEFT HAMLET • HOARD • I'M STILL HERE • IN CAMERA • INSIDE OUT 2 • JUROR #2 • KENSUKE'S KINGDOM • LEE • LOVE LIES BLEEDING • MADE IN ENGLAND: THE FILMS OF POWELL AND PRESSBURGER • MEMOIR OF A SNAIL • MONKEY MAN • MY OLD ASS • NO OTHER LAND • THE ORDER • THE PIANO LESSON • QUEER • SING SING • SPEAK NO EVIL • SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY • WALLACE & GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOWL • WICKED LITTLE LETTERS • WICKED: PART I THE WILD ROBOT NB. This list includes films from the British/Irish acting nominees' body of work.	A L L T H E N O M I N E E S
	F I L M All We Imagine as Light Anora The Brutalist La Chimera Conclave Emilia Perez Kneecap Nickel Boys Nosferatu The Substance	D O C U M E N T A R Y Dahomey Grand Theft Hamlet Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger No Other Land Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
		B R I T I S H / I R I S H F I L M Bird Conclave Hard Truths Kneecap Love Lies Bleeding
	F O R E I G N - L A N G U A G E F I L M All We Imagine as Light La Chimera Emilia Perez I'm Still Here Kneecap	A N I M A T E D F I L M Flow Inside Out 2 Memoir of a Snail Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl The Wild Robot
	A C T R E S S Marianne Jean-Baptiste - Hard Truths Nicole Kidman - Babygirl Mikey Madison - Anora Demi Moore - The Substance Saoirse Ronan - The Outrun	A C T O R Adrien Brody - The Brutalist Timothee Chalamet - A Complete Unknown Daniel Craig - Queer Colman Domingo - Sing Sing Ralph Fiennes - Conclave
	S U P P O R T I N G A C T R E S S Michele Austin - Hard Truths Danielle Deadwyler - The Piano Lesson Margaret Qualley - The Substance Isabella Rossellini - Conclave Zoe Saldana - Emilia Perez	S U P P O R T I N G A C T O R Yura Borisov - Anora Kieran Culkin - A Real Pain Guy Pearce - The Brutalist Jeremy Strong - The Apprentice Denzel Washington - Gladiator II
	D I R E C T O R Sean Baker - Anora Brady Corbet - The Brutalist Coralie Fargeat - The Substance RaMell Ross - Nickel Boys Denis Villeneuve - Dune: Part Two	S C R E E N W R I T E R Sean Baker - Anora Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold - The Brutalist Jesse Eisenberg - A Real Pain Coralie Fargeat - The Substance Peter Straughan - Conclave
	B R I T I S H / I R I S H P E R F O R M E R Cynthia Erivo Marianne Jean-Baptiste Nicholas Hoult Josh O'Connor Saoirse Ronan	Y O U N G P E R F O R M E R Nykiya Adams - Bird Elliott Heffernan - Blitz Raffey Cassidy - The Brutalist Dan Hough - Speak No Evil Alisha Weir - Abigail/Wicked Little Letters
	B R E A K T H R U P E R F O R M E R Marisa Abela - Back to Black Nykiya Adams - Bird Karla Sofia Gascon - Emilia Perez Mikey Madison - Anora Maisy Stella - My Old Ass B R E A K T H R U F I L M M A K E R Luna Carmoon - Hoard Naqqash Khalid - In Camera Amy Liptrot - The Outrun Dev Patel - Monkey Man Rich Peppiatt - Kneecap B R I T I S H / I R I S H S H O R T Iranian Yellow Pages Karavidhe Push Wander to Wonder We Beg to Differ	T E C H N I C A L A C H I E V E M E N T Anora - stunts, Manny Siverio, Christopher Colombo & Roberto Lopez Beetlejuice Beetlejuice - visual effects, Angus Bickerton The Brutalist - production design, Judy Becker A Complete Unknown - costumes, Arianne Phillips Conclave - film editing, Nick Emerson Dune: Part Two - visual effects, Paul Lambert Emilia Pérez - music, Clément Ducol & Camille Nickel Boys - cinematography, Jomo Fray Nosferatu - cinematography, Jarin Blaschke The Substance - makeup, Stéphanie Guillon & Pierre-Olivier Persin S P E C I A L A W A R D S DILYS POWELL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN FILM: 2024 Jeffrey Wright DEREK MALCOLM AWARD FOR INNOVATION: 2025 Zoe Saldaña CRITICS' CIRCLE AWARD FOR SERVICES TO ART: 2023 Daniel Barenboim

“With the Critics’ Circle awards, it’s just a bunch of guys hanging out and we have a drink. My bag. I love that award. I appreciate that award so much. That was a good year.” — Billy Bob Thornton, Actor of the Year 2001 “The Critics’ Circle Film Awards are a bit like how the Golden Globes used to be when they were a party and not a pre-Oscar industry occasion.” — Michael Caton Jones
REPORTS/PICS FROM CRITICS' CIRCLE FILM AWARDS: 2004 \| 05 \| 06 \| 07 \| 08 \| 09 \| 10 \| 11 \| 12 \| 13 \| 14 \| 15 \| 16 \| 17 \| 18 \| 19 \| 20
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