The Brutalist Wins Best Picture In The Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards

Here are the winners as selected by my fellow members and I.

“The Brutalist” Captures Best Picture, “Conclave” racks up 5 wins in Phoenix Film Critics Society 2024 Awards

Brady Corbet’s drama about architect Laszlo Toth, “The Brutalist,” was awarded Best Picture, while “Conclave” dominated Phoenix Film Critics Society’s 2024 awards numerically, with five wins. The members of the Phoenix, Arizona-based critics group emerged from their own annual conclave to award the papal drama Best Director (Edward Berger), Best Actor (Ralph Fiennes), Best Ensemble Acting, Best Screenplay Adapted from Other Material (Peter Straughan, from the novel by Robert Harris) and Best Original Score (Volker Bertelmann).

“It’s clear our critics saw just how good ‘Conclave’ is,” said PFCS President Gayle Bass. “It’s a triumph of both acting and filmmaking.”

Best Actress honors went to Mikey Madison for the title role in “Anora”; the film also won for Best Original Screenplay. Kieran Culkin took the award for Actor in a Supporting Role in “A Real Pain” and Ariana Grande for Actress in a Supporting Role in “Wicked.” Madison was also given the award for Breakthrough Performance; Best Performance by a Youth went to Alisha Weir for “Abigail.”

“The Wild Robot” won for Best Animated Film; the musical “Emilia Perez” took the award for Best Foreign Language Film, and the number “El Mal” from that film won for Best Original Song. “Best Documentary” went to “Will & Harper.” “Dune: Part Two” took three awards, for Best Production Design, Best Editing and Best Visual Effects, while “Nosferatu” won for Best Cinematography and “Wicked” won for Best Costume Design.

Every year PFCS honors a film thought to have gotten insufficient attention from critics and audiences with the Overlooked Film of the Year award. This year it went to “Strange Darling.”

A complete list of winners is provided below.

The Phoenix Film Critics Society presents an entire slate of awards each year. Only critic members of the Society may vote. To qualify for the 2024 awards, films had to be screened for members by Friday, December 13, 2024. The films must open prior to the end of the year to be eligible for awards consideration.

The Phoenix Film Critics Society is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit, self-funded, independent organization consisting of professional film critics and film journalists in Arizona.

For more information, visit: https://www.phoenixfilmcriticssociety.org

Follow the Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards on Facebook @Phoenix Film Critics Society and Twitter @PhxFilmCritics

PFCS TOP TEN (alphabetical order)
A Real Pain
Anora
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nosferatu
Sing Sing
The Brutalist
The Substance
The Wild Robot
Wicked

BEST PICTURE
The Brutalist

BEST DIRECTOR
Edward Berger – Conclave

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Mikey Madison – Anora

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Ariana Grande – Wicked

BEST ENSEMBLE ACTING
Conclave

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Anora

BEST SCREENPLAY ADAPTED FROM OTHER MATERIAL
Conclave

THE OVERLOOKED FILM OF THE YEAR
Strange Darling

BEST ANIMATED FILM
The Wild Robot

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Emilia Pérez

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Will & Harper

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
El Mal – Emilia Pérez

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Conclave

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Nosferatu

BEST FILM EDITING
Dune: Part Two

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Dune: Part Two

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Wicked

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Dune: Part Two

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Mikey Madison – Anora

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A YOUTH
Alisha Weir – Abigail

FILMS with MORE THAN ONE AWARD:

Conclave (5)
BEST DIRECTOR (Edward Berger)
BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE (Ralph Fiennes)
BEST ENSEMBLE ACTING
BEST SCREENPLAY ADAPTED FROM OTHER MATERIAL
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
(included in PFCS TOP TEN)

Anora (3)
BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE (Mikey Madison)
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE (Mikey Madison)
(included in PFCS TOP TEN)

Dune: Part Two (3)
BEST FILM EDITING
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
(included in PFCS TOP TEN)

Wicked (2)
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE (Ariana Grande)
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
(included in PFCS TOP TEN)

Emilia Pérez (2)
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
BEST ORIGINAL SONG (El Mal)