At its 59th annual meeting on Saturday, the National Society of Film Critics named “Nickel Boys” the Best Picture of 2024. The award reflects the wide range of independent films released this year.
RaMell Ross directed “Nickel Boys,” which also won an award for Best Cinematography, given to Jomo Fray. Congratulations to Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor for her outstanding performance as a supporting actor and the film’s director for winning second place.
He got the award for Best Actor for his part in “Sing Sing.” “Hard Truths” also had two important wins: Marianne Jean-Baptiste won Best Actress, and Michele Austin won Best Supporting Actress.
Kieran Culkin’s award season continued with his win for Best Supporting Actor in “A Real Pain.” Jesse Eisenberg, who wrote and directed the movie, also received the award for Best Screenplay.
It was a big deal that Payal Kapadia’s movie “All We Imagine as Light” got both Best Director and Best Film Not in the English Language. The movie also came in second place for Best Picture, behind “Anora.”
The Society, which is made up of more than 60 critics from major U.S. publications, uses a weighted ballot method. Members pick the three best options in each area and rank them. Winners are chosen based on the number of points and the backing of the most people. If needed, there is more than one vote round to ensure a clear winner.
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The Society recognized excellence in documentary and experimental filmmaking and feature pictures. “No Other Land” won the award for Best Nonfiction Film and got an extra mention for being a film that hasn’t been released in the U.S. yet. That year, “The Ballad of Suzanne Césaire” won the award for Best Experimental Film.
The Society also awarded Film Heritage Awards to recognize efforts in film preservation. The winners were the MoMA International Festival of Film Preservation, IndieCollect, and film expert Scott Eyman.
The winners last year were different from these years. “Past Lives” won the top award, and “May December” and “The Zone of Interest” each got two awards. The news comes just one year before the Society’s diamond anniversary party.
