Anora

Source: Cannes

‘Anora’

Anora was named best film by Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) as the group announced its winners on Sunday (December 8).

Sean Baker’s madcap Palme d’Or-winning romantic comedy, financed by FilmNation and distributed in the US through Neon, is starting to build up a head of steam in the US awards season.

Mikey Madison tied in the gender-neutral best lead performer category with last week’s New York Film Critics Circle best actress winner Marianne Jean-Baptiste from Hard Truths. Mike Leigh’s drama is distributed in the US by Bleecker Street.

Yura Borisov was named joint best supporting performer alongside New York critics’ winner Kieran Culkin for A Real Pain, while Baker finished runner-up in the directing category to Mohammad Rasoulof for Cannes special jury prize winner The Seed Of The Sacred Fig, released in the US through Neon.

Baker was also runner-up runner up in the screenplay category to Jesse Eisenberg for Searchlight Pictures’ A Real Pain, which has stayed the distance since its world premiere 11 months ago at Sundance. Baker was the New York critics’ screenplay winner last week.

Sunday afternoon’s announcement by LAFCA group also saw further recognition for two films that have already stamped their presence on awards season despite being overlooked in some circles.

Best Film Not In The English Language winner All We Imagine As Light – snubbed by India’s Oscar submission selection committee and distributed in the US by Janus Films and Sideshow – and best Documentary/Non-Fiction Film winner No Other Land, which remains without US distribution, both earned Gothams and New York Film Critics Circle awards as well as Spirit Awards nods last week.

The Brutalist, named best film by the New York critics, was runner-up in the best picture category and won production design for Judy Becker. Brady Corbet’s American Dream saga, which A24 distributes in the US, was also runner-up in cinematography. Trent Reznor And Atticus Ross won best score for Amazon MGM Studios’ Challengers.

Full 2024 Los Angeles Film Critics Association winners

Best picture: Anora
Runner-up: The Brutalist

Best director: Mohammad Rasoulof, The Seed Of The Sacred Fig
Runner-up: Sean Baker, Anora

Best Lead Performance: Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hard Truths, & Mikey Madison, Anora
Runners-up: Demi Moore, The Substance, and Fernanda Torres, I’m Still Here

Best Supporting Performance: Yura Borisov, Anora, & Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
Runners-up: Clarence Maclin, Sing Sing, and Adam Pearson, A Different Man

Best screenplay: Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain
Runner-up: Sean Baker, Anora

Best Cinematography: Jomo Fray, Nickel Boys
Runner-up: Lol Crawley, The Brutalist

Best Production Design: Judy Becker, The Brutalist
Runner-up: Adam Stockhausen, Blitz

Best Editing: TIE – Nicholas Monsour, Nickel Boys, & Hansjörg Weissbrich, September 5

Best Music Score: Trent Reznor And Atticus Ross, Challengers
Runner-up: Eiko Ishibashi, Evil Does Not Exist

Best Film Not In The English Language: All We Imagine As Light
Runner-up: The Seed Of The Sacred Fig

Best Documentary/Non-Fiction Film: No Other Land
Runner-up: Dahomey

Best Animation: Flow
Runner-up: Chicken For Linda

New Generation Award: Vera Drew, The People’s Joker

Career Achievement: John Carpenter

Special Citation: Adam Hyman, For decades of curating, programming and administrating the screenings and other events of Los Angeles Filmforum

The Douglas Edwards Experimental Film Award: The Human Surge 3.

 

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