The Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), of which many of us here at Punch Drunk Critics are members, has announced the winners of the 2024 WAFCA Awards! This year, DC’s film critics have chosen Jon M. Chu’s magical adaptation of Wicked as the Best Feature of the year! The film also won the award for Best Production Design.
Another big winner was Brady Corbet’s stunning epic The Brutalist which earned him the WAFCA Award for Best Director, and composer Daniel Blumberg for Best Original Score.
After a WAFCA nomination in this category last year, Colman Domingo comes out on top, winning Best Actor for his performance in Sing Sing!
For her incredible breakthrough performance in Sean Baker’s Anora, Mikey Madison has won the WAFCA Award for Best Actress!
A Real Pain was another standout this year, earning Kieran Culkin the award for Best Supporting Actor, and writer/director/star Jesse Eisenberg for Best Original Screenplay.
For her unforgettable performance in The Piano Lesson, Danielle Deadwyler won the WAFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress.
The full list of winners is below. For more on WAFCA, check out the group’s official page here. Or follow them on X by going here.
Here is the complete list of 2024 WAFCA Award Winners:
Best Original Score:
“Blitz” – Hans Zimmer
WINNERS: “Challengers” – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
“Conclave” – Volker Bertelmann
“Nosferatu” – Robin Carolan
WINNERS: “The Brutalist” – Daniel Blumberg
“The Wild Robot” – Kris Bowers
Best Editing
WINNERS: “Anora” – Sean Baker
“Conclave” – Nick Emerson
WINNERS: “Dune: Part Two” – Joe Walker
“The Brutalist” – Dávid Jancsó
“Wicked” – Myron Kerstein
Best Cinematography
“Conclave” – Stéphane Fontaine
“Dune: Part Two” – Greig Fraser
“Nickel Boys” – Jomo Fray
WINNER: “Nosferatu” – Jarin Blaschke
“The Brutalist” – Lol Crawley
Best Production Design
“Dune: Part Two” – Patrice Vermette
“Gladiator II” – Arthur Max
“Nosferatu” – Craig Lathrop
“The Brutalist” – Judy Becker
WINNER: “Wicked” – Nathan Crowley
Best International Film
“Dahomey” – France, Senegal, Benin, Singapore
WINNER: “Emilia Pérez” – Mexico (setting), France, Belgium (shot)
“Flow” – Latvia, Belgium, France
“I’m Still Here” – Brazil, France
“The Seed of the Sacred Fig” – France, Iran (shot)
Best Documentary
“Dahomey” (MUBI)
“Daughters” (Netflix)
“Music by John Williams” (Disney+)
“No Other Land” (mTuckman Media)
WINNER: “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
“Will & Harper” (Netflix)
Best Animated Feature
“Flow” (Sideshow / Janus Films)
“Inside Out 2” (Disney/Pixar)
“Memoir of a Snail” (IFC Films)
WINNER: “The Wild Robot” (Universal Pictures)
“Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” (Netflix)
Best Adapted Screenplay
WINNER: “Conclave” – written for the screen by Peter Straughan
“Dune: Part Two” – written for the screen by Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts
“Nickel Boys” – written for the screen by RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes
“Sing Sing” – written for the screen by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar
“Wicked” – written for the screen by Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox
Best Original Screenplay
“Anora” – Sean Baker
WINNER: “A Real Pain” – Jesse Eisenberg
“Challengers” – Justin Kuritzkes
“The Brutalist” – Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold
“The Substance” – Coralie Fargeat
Best Youth Performance
Alisha Weir – “Abigail”
Alyla Browne – “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”
WINNER: Elliott Heffernan – “Blitz”
Ian Foreman – “Exhibiting Forgiveness”
Isabel DeRoy–Olson – “Fancy Dance”
Izaac Wang – “Didi”
Zoe Ziegler – “Janet Planet”
Best Voice Performance
Amy Poehler – “Inside Out 2”
Auli’i Cravalho – “Moana 2”
Brian Tyree Henry – “Transformers One”
WINNER: Lupita Nyong’o – “The Wild Robot”
Maya Hawke – “Inside Out 2”
Best Acting Ensemble
“Anora” – Sean Baker, Emily Fleischer (casting associate)
WINNER: “Conclave” – Barbara Giordani, Nina Gold, Francesco Vedovati, Martin Ware
“Dune: Part Two” – Francine Maisler
“Sing Sing” – Greg Kwedar, Rita Powers (extras casting)
“The Brutalist” – Kristina Erdely, Cassandra Kulukundis
“Wicked” – Tiffany Little Canfield, Bernard Telsey
Best Supporting Actress
Ariana Grande – “Wicked”
Aunjanue Ellis–Taylor – “Nickel Boys”
WINNER: Danielle Deadwyler – “The Piano Lesson”
Isabella Rossellini – “Conclave”
Zoe Saldana – “Emilia Perez”
Best Supporting Actor
Clarence Maclin – “Sing Sing”
Denzel Washington – “Gladiator II”
Guy Pearce – “The Brutalist”
WINNER: Kieran Culkin – “A Real Pain”
Yura Borisov – “Anora”
Best Actress
Cynthia Erivo – “Wicked”
Demi Moore – “The Substance”
Karla Sofia Gascon – “Emilia Perez”
Marianne Jean–Baptiste – “Hard Truths”
WINNER: Mikey Madison – “Anora”
Best Actor
Adrien Brody – “The Brutalist”
WINNER: Colman Domingo – “Sing Sing”
Daniel Craig – “Queer”
Ralph Fiennes – “Conclave”
Timothée Chalamet – “A Complete Unknown”
Best Director
WINNER: Brady Corbet – “The Brutalist”
Denis Villeneuve – “Dune: Part Two”
Edward Berger – “Conclave”
Jon M. Chu – “Wicked”
Sean Baker – “Anora”
Best Feature
“Anora” (Neon)
“Conclave” (Focus Features)
“Sing Sing” (A24)
“The Brutalist” (A24)
WINNER: “Wicked” (Universal Pictures)
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WAFCA ALSO HONORS:
The Joe Barber Award for Best Portrayal of Washington, DC
WINNER: “Civil War”
“Daughters”
“Shirley”
“Stopping the Steal”
Best Motion Capture
Eka Darville – “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”
Jonno Davies – “Better Man”
Kevin Durand – “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”
WINNER: Owen Teague – “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”
Peter Macon – “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”
Best Stunts
“Deadpool and Wolverine” – Colin Follenweider (stunt coordinator), George Cottle (supervising stunt coordinator), Alex Kyshkovych (fight coordinator)
“Dune: Part Two” – Lee Morrison (Supervising Stunt Coordinator), Roger Yuan (Stunt Coordinator/Fight Coordinator), Gyula Toth (Assistant Stunt Coordinator)
“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” – Guy Norris (action designer/supervising stunt coordinator)
“Gladiator II” – Nikki Berwick, Peter White (stunt coordinators), Ray Nicholas, Cali Nelle (fight coordinators)
WINNER: “The Fall Guy” – Chris O’Hara (stunt coordinator/stunt designer)
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About the WAFCA:
Founded in 2002, The Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) has grown into a mainstay of film criticism, comprising over 50 dedicated critics from the Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia areas. With members representing a cross-section of media platforms, including broadcast, print, and digital outlets, WAFCA reflects the evolving landscape of film criticism. Providing a diverse and respected voice in the industry, WAFCA annually recognizes outstanding achievements in the film industry through its awards and the journalism of its members.
