N.Y. Film Critics Circle Winners: ‘The Brutalist’ Best Film, Adrien Brody and Marianne Jean-Baptiste Top Acting Awards
Brady Corbet’s epic The Brutalist was the big favorite at the N.Y. Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) Awards, earning two major prizes for best film and actor for Adrien Brody.
As the oldest critics’ group in the United States, the NYFCC is seen as a bellwether for awards season, with its best film winner often correlating with Oscar nomination for best picture.
My Oscar Book:
Since the Oscars expanded to 10 best picture nominees in 2009, only 2 NYFCC winners — “Carol” (2015) and “First Cow” (2020) — have failed to get Oscar nominations in the category.
Adrien Brody
Brody’s win for his performance in Corbet’s historical epic has already been acclaimed by reviewers all over the country.
The actor, who made history in 2002 as the youngest-ever best actor Oscar winner for “The Pianist” at age 29, could now become the youngest two-time winner at 51.
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Adrien Brody
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Brody in 2023
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However, he faces stiff competition from strong field that includes Timothée Chalamet in “A Complete Unknown,” Ralph Fiennes in “Conclave” and Colman Domingo in “Sing Sing,” who earned the Gotham on Monday.
RaMell Ross, who surprised many by winning the Gotham Award for best director, duplicated his success at the NYFCC with another win for the drama “Nickel Boys,” an adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Ross’ work on the Amazon MGM title has critics buzzing, and with the film also earning a cinematography prize for Jomo Fray’s first-person POV work, it appears poised to make waves within the Academy’s Directors and Cinematographers branches. The double win solidifies its place in the awards conversation.
Carol Kane was the NYFCC’s biggest surprise by earning supporting actress nod for her role as music teacher preparing for her Bat Mitzvah in Nathan Silver’s indie film “Between the Temples.” Sony Pictures Classics release debuted at Sundance and has become a favorite among critics, which could spotlight the two-time Emmy-winning Kane, 72, who had been nominated almost half a century ago for “Hester Street” (1975).
My Oscar Book:
NYFCC also awarded smaller, unconventional projects that may find traction in other categories. Gints Zilbalodis’ dialogue-free animated fantasy “Flow” won animated feature, continuing the group’s tradition of championing inventive storytelling. The best first film prize went to Annie Baker’s Janet Planet,” while the best non-fiction film went to “No Other Land,” a documentary about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which is still seeking a U.S. distributor.
Celebrating its 90th year, the NYFCC comprises more than 50 journalists from publications. David Sims will serve as the NYFCC chair in 2024, and Stephen Garrett will continue as the group’s general manager.
The group’s annual awards gala will be held on January 8, 2025, at TAO Downtown in New York.
