‘Anora’ wins big at 50th Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) kicked off its 50th awards season on Sunday, unveiling the year’s standout cinematic achievements. The awards ceremony is scheduled for 11 January, 2025, at the historic Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.

This year’s top honor, Best Picture, went to Sean Baker’s Anora. The film also earned runner-up recognition for Baker in the Best Director and Best Screenplay categories. Leading the acting accolades, Mikey Madison (Anora) and Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths) shared the award for Best Leading Performance. In supporting roles, Yura Borisov (Hard Truths) and Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain) took home the honors.

John Carpenter, known for his iconic contributions to cinema, was celebrated with the prestigious Career Achievement Award, cementing his enduring legacy in film.

Reflecting on their purpose, LAFCA stated, “Since our founding in 1975, we have aimed to honor excellence in cinema, recognizing talent on both sides of the camera.”

Anora’s triumph follows last year’s pattern, where The Zone of Interest won Best Picture, and the runner-up, Oppenheimer, later claimed Best Picture at the 96th Academy Awards.

Here’s a complete list of this year’s winners:

Best Picture
Anora
Runner-up: The Brutalist

Best Director
Mohammad Rasoulof, The Seed of the Sacred Fig
Runner-up: Sean Baker, Anora

Best Leading Performances
Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hard Truths; and Mikey Madison, Anora
Runners-up: Demi Moore, The Substance; and Fernanda Torres, I’m Still Here

Best Supporting Performances
Yura Borisov, Anora; and Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
Runners-up: Clarence Maclin, Sing Sing; and Adam Pearson, A Different Man

Best Screenplay
Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain
Runner-up: Sean Baker, Anora

Best Cinematography
Jomo Fray, Nickel Boys
Runner-up: Lol Crawley, The Brutalist

Best Editing
Tie: Nicholas Monsour, Nickel Boys; and Hansjörg Weißbrich, September 5

Best Production Design
Judy Becker, The Brutalist
Runner-up: Adam Stockhausen, Blitz

Best Music Score
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Challengers
Runner-up: Eiko Ishibashi, Evil Does Not Exist

Best Animation
Flow
Runner-up: Chicken for Linda

Best Film Not in English Language
All We Imagine as Light
Runner-up: The Seed of the Sacred Fig

Best Documentary/Non-Fiction Film
No Other Land
Runner-up: Dahomey

New Generation Award
Vera Drew, The People’s Joker

Douglas Edwards Experimental Film Prize
Eduardo Williams’ The Human Surge 3

Career Achievement Award
John Carpenter

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