In 2024 I became a member of the North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA), and as such it was my privilege to vote in their annual Best in Cinema awards. The NCFCA consists of over 60 film critics living and/or working in North Carolina —representing critics, scholars, reporters, and journalists across print, broadcast, and digital media.
Below you can find the recently announced 2024 winners, with links to my writing on the winners and nominees. Leading the honors, Conclave secured Best Narrative Film, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Acting Ensemble. It shares the top tier with Challengers, Dune: Part Two, Nosferatu, and The Substance, each winning three awards.
BEST NARRATIVE FILM
Winner
Nominees
Anora
The Brutalist
Challengers
Civil War
I Saw the TV Glow
Nickel Boys
Nosferatu
The Substance
BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
Winner
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Nominees
Dahomey
No Other Land
Sugarcane
Will & Harper
BEST ANIMATED FILM
Winner
Nominees
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Transformers One
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Winner
All We Imagine As Light
Nominees
Evil Does Not Exist
I’m Still Here
The Seed of the Sacred Fig
BEST DIRECTOR
Winner
Denis Villeneuve, Dune: Part Two
Nominees
Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
Coralie Fargeat, The Substance
Luca Guadagnino, Challengers
RaMell Ross, Nickel Boys
BEST ACTOR
Winner
Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
Nominees
Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown
Daniel Craig, Queer
Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
BEST ACTRESS
Winner
Mikey Madison, Anora
Nominees
Cynthia Erivo, Wicked
Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hard Truths
Demi Moore, The Substance
Zendaya, Challengers
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Winner
Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
Nominees
Yura Borisov, Anora
Chris Hemsworth, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Clarence Maclin, Sing Sing
Denzel Washington, Gladiator II
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Winner
Margaret Qualley, The Substance
Nominees
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Nickel Boys
Ariana Grande, Wicked
Felicity Jones, The Brutalist
Katy O’Brian, Love Lies Bleeding
Isabella Rossellini, Conclave
BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE IN ANIMATION OR MIXED MEDIA
Winner
Lupita Nyong’o, The Wild Robot
Nominees
Kevin Durand, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Maya Hawke, Inside Out 2
Pedro Pascal, The Wild Robot
Sarah Snook, Memoir of a Snail
BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
Winner
Nominees
Wicked
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Winner
The Brutalist
Nominees
A Different Man
Anora
Challengers
The Substance
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Winner
Nominees
Nickel Boys
Nosferatu
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Winner
Nosferatu
Nominees
Challengers
Nickel Boys
The Brutalist
BEST EDITING
Winner
Challengers
Nominees
Anora
Nickel Boys
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Winner
Nosferatu
Nominees
Wicked
HAIR AND MAKEUP
Winner
The Substance
Nominees
A Different Man
Nosferatu
Wicked
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Winner
Nosferatu
Nominees
The Brutalist
Wicked
BEST SCORE
Winner
Challengers
Nominees
The Brutalist
Nosferatu
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Winner
"Compress/Repress," Challengers
Nominees
"El Mal," Emilia Pérez
"Harper and Will Go West," Will & Harper
"Kiss the Sky," The Wild Robot
"Like a Bird," Sing Sing
BEST SOUND DESIGN
Winner
Nominees
Challengers
Civil War
Nosferatu
Wicked
BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS
Winner
Nominees
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Nosferatu
The Substance
BEST STUNT COORDINATION
Winner
Nominees
The Fall Guy
Monkey Man
DIRECTORIAL DEBUT
Winner
Josh Margolin, Thelma
Nominees
Vera Drew, The People's Joker
Francis Galluppi, The Last Stop in Yuma County
Zoë Kravitz, Blink Twice
Sean Wang, Dìdi (弟弟)
Malcolm Washington, The Piano Lesson
BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Winner
Mikey Madison, Anora
Nominees
Carlos Diehz, Conclave
Clarence Maclin, Sing Sing
Katy O'Brian, Love Lies Bleeding
Adam Pearson, A Different Man
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT: Cinematography
Winner
Roger Deakins
Nominees
Christopher Doyle
Greig Fraser
Emmanuel Lubezki
Hoyte van Hoytema
KEN HANKE MEMORIAL TAR HEEL AWARD
Winner
Margaret Qualley, The Substance
Nominees
Stephen McKinley Henderson, Civil War
Jeff Nichols, Director, The Bikeriders
Hunter Schafer, Cuckoo
Drew Starkey, Queer
Multiple Nominations include (not full list of multiple nominated films):
Dune: Part 2 – 10 nominations
Challengers – 9 nominations
Conclave – 9 nominations
Nosferatu – 9 nominations
The Brutalist – 8 nominations
The Substance – 8 nominations
Wicked – 7 nominations
Anora -6 nominations
Nickel Boys – 6 nominations
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – 5 nominations
The Wild Robot – 5 nominations
For a full list of previous award winners, NCFCA members, or general information about the North Carolina Film Critics Association, visit ncfilmcritics.org.