Sean Baker’s “Anora” won big with the Atlanta Film Critics Circle (AFCC) this year, taking home the critics’ organization’s Best Film prize for 2024.
“Anora” follows a Brighton Beach stripper named Ani (Mikey Madison) who embarks on a whirlwind romance with the son of a Russian oligarch (Mark Eydelshteyn). In addition to Best Film, “Anora” won Best Lead Actress and Best Breakthrough Performer for Madison, as well as Best Original Screenplay for Baker.
The AFCC’s list of the ten best films of the year included a wide variety of picks, ranging from Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers” to the animated feature film “The Wild Robot” from director Chris Sanders.
“Something that feels distinct across all of our top 10 films is the idea of legacy,” said AFCC member and editor/critic at ComicBook.com Spencer Perry. “Be it Vanya’s parents in ‘Anora’, the rivalry between Patrick Zweig and Art Donaldson in ‘Challengers’, picking a new pope in ‘Conclave’, a galactic empire facing war in ‘Dune: Part Two’, or even a single robot learning to choose its own destiny in ‘The Wild Robot’, all of these films are wrestling with what someone can be or should be, either in their own eyes or in everyone else’s.”
According to AFCC advisory board member Jason Evans, many of this year’s awards were extremely close. For example, Best Lead Actor winner Adrien Brody (“The Brutalist”) only beat Colman Domingo (“Sing Sing”) by one point. Evans called the competitive nature of the vote a “sign of the quality of the films and work this year.”
“The number of places and categories that were decided by only one or maybe two points is stunning,” Evans said.
Keep scrolling for the full list of the AFCC’s award winners.
BEST FILM:
“Anora”
TOP 10 FILMS (ranked):
1. “Anora”
3. “Nickel Boys”
4. “The Brutalist”
5. “Conclave”
7. “Sing Sing”
9. “The Wild Robot”
10. “I Saw the TV Glow”
BEST LEAD ACTOR:
Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist”
BEST LEAD ACTRESS:
Mikey Madison, “Anora”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Ariana Grande, “Wicked: Part One”
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST:
“Sing Sing”
BEST DIRECTOR:
Brady Corbet, “The Brutalist”
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Sean Baker, “Anora”
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes, “Nickel Boys”
BEST DOCUMENTARY:
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE:
BEST ANIMATED FILM:
“The Wild Robot”
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Jomo Fray, “Nickel Boys”
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, “Challengers”
BEST STUNT WORK:
BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMER:
Mikey Madison, “Anora”
BEST FIRST FEATURE FILM:
Josh Margolin, “Thelma”
BEST VOICE PERFORMANCE:
Lupita Nyong’o, “The Wild Robot”
BEST DOG:
Peggy as Dogpool, “Deadpool & Wolverine”
