(WASHINGTON, DC – December 10, 2023) — Shocks and surprises abounded as the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) members spread their admiration across many films in their 22nd Annual WAFCA Awards this year. Nineteen awards were given to twelve different films as WAFCA engaged in their annual recognition for achievements in cinema.
After leading nominations with ten, the WAFCA members awarded a grand total of six wins to Christopher Nolan’s industry defying showcase, Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer nabbed awards for Cillian Murphy for Best Actor, Best Director for Christopher Nolan, Best Original Score, Best Ensemble, Best Editing and Best Cinematography. Shockingly, the top nominee, Oppenheimer was edged out in the Best Feature race by Cord Jefferson’s satirical comedy, American Fiction.
Despite only receiving five nominations, American Fiction nabbed two awards, one for Best Picture and the other for Best Adapted Screenplay. These were impressive results for first-time director, Cord Jefferson, and his film.
Oppenheimer’s promotional partner, Barbie garnered the second largest amount of WAFCA nominations with nine. The Barbenheimer companion, the top box-office draw of the year’s lone win was for Best Production Design.
Another surprise occurred in the Best Original Screenplay category. The Holdovers, which had seven WAFCA nominations, was outdone by Celine Song’s romantic musing, Past Lives. It was the only win for Past Lives. The Holdovers overcame though with Da’Vine Joy Randolph taking the award for Best Actress and Dominic Sessa taking the Best Youth Performance.
Outside of Oppenheimer and The Holdovers, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was the only other film to receive more than one win. Spider-Man won for Best Animated Feature and Shameik Moore won the Best Voice Performance award for giving life to the hero, Miles Morales in the movie. Amazingly, Spider-Man received a total of five nominations with three of them being in the Voice Performance category.
Congratulations go out to all the winners, nominees, and their studios for a successful and prestigious year.
The 22nd Annual WAFCA Awards Winners!
Best Original Score
“Kris Bowers — The Color Purple” (Warner Bros.)
Jerskin Fendrix — “Poor Things” (Searchlight Pictures)
Ludwig Göransson — “Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures) – WINNER
Daniel Pemberton — “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (Sony Pictures)
Robbie Robertson— “Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films/Paramount Pictures)
Best Editing
“Barbie” (Warner Bros.) — Nick Houy
“John Wick Chapter 4” (Lionsgate) — Nathan Orloff
“Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films/Paramount Pictures) — Thelma Schoonmaker
“Maestro” (Netflix) — Michelle Tesoro
“Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures) — Jennifer Lame (WINNER)
Best Cinematography
“Barbie” (Warner Bros.) — Rodrigo Prieto
“Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films/Paramount Pictures) — Rodrigo Prieto
“Maestro” (Netflix) — Matthew Libatique
“Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures) — Hoyte van Hoytema (WINNER)
“Poor Things” (Searchlight Pictures) — Robbie Ryan
Best Production Design
“Asteroid City” (Focus Features) — Adam Stockhausen (production designer), Kris Moran (set decorator)
“Barbie” (Warner Bros.) — Sarah Greenwood (production designer), Katie Spencer (set decorator) (WINNER)
“Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films/Paramount Pictures) — Jack Fisk (production designer), Adam Willis (set decorator)
“Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures) — Ruth De Jong (production designer), Claire Kaufman (set decorator)
“Poor Things” (Searchlight Pictures) — Shona Heath, James Price (production designer), Zsuzsa Mihalek (set decorator)
Best International/Foreign Language Film
“Anatomy of a Fall” (France) — dir. Justine Triet (WINNER)
“Fallen Leaves” (Finland) — dir. Aki Kaurismäki
“Perfect Days” (Japan) — dir. Wim Wenders
“The Teachers’ Lounge” (Germany) — dir. İlker Çatak
“Society of the Snow” (Spain) — dir. J.A. Bayona
“The Taste of Things” (France) — dir. Trần Anh Hùng
“The Zone of Interest” (United Kingdom) — dir. Jonathan Glazer
Best Documentary
“20 Days in Mariupol” (PBS) — Mstyslav Chernov (director, producer), Derl McCrudden, Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson-Rath (producers)
“American Symphony” (Netflix) — Matthew Heineman (director, producer), Lauren Domino, Joedan Okun (producers) (WINNER)
“Little Richard: I Am Everything” (Magnolia Pictures) — Lisa Cortes (director, producer), Caryn Capotosto, Robert Friedman, Liz Yale Marsh (producers)
“Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” (Apple Original Films) — Davis Guggenheim (director, producer), Jonathan King, Annetta Marion (producers)
“They Shot the Piano Player” (Sony Pictures Classics) — Javier Mariscal, Fernando Trueba (directors), Cristina Huete (producer)
Best Animated Feature
“Elemental” (Pixar)
“Nimona” (Netflix)
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (Sony Pictures) (WINNER)
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” (Paramount Pictures)
“The Boy and the Heron” (GKids/Toho)
Best Adapted Screenplay
“American Fiction” (MGM) — Cord Jefferson (based on “Erasure” by Percival Everett) (WINNER)
“Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films/Paramount Pictures) — Eric Roth, Martin Scorsese (based on the book by David Grann)
“Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures) — Christopher Nolan (based on the book by Kai Bird, Martin J. Sherwin)
“Origin” (Neon) — Ava DuVernay (based on the book by Isabel Wilkerson
“Poor Things” (Searchlight Pictures) — Tony McNamara (based on the book by Alasdair Gray)
Best Original Screenplay
“Air” (Amazon) – Alex Convery
“Anatomy of a Fall” (Neon) – Justin Triet, Arthur Harari
“Barbie” (Warner Bros.) — Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach
“May December” (Netflix) – Samy Burch, Alex Mechanik
“Past Lives” (A24) – Celine Song (WINNER)
The Holdovers (Miramax) — David Hemingson
Best Voice Performance
Jack Black – “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” (Illumination)
Daniel Kaluuya – “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (Sony Pictures)
Shameik Moore – “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (Sony Pictures) (WINNER)
Hailee Steinfeld – “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (Sony Pictures)
Masaki Suda – “The Boy and the Heron”
Best Youth Performance
Joe Bird – Talk To Me
Abby Ryder Fortson – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
Milo Machado Graner – “Anatomy of a Fall”
Ariana Greenblatt – “Barbie”
Dominic Sessa – “The Holdovers” (WINNER)
Iman Vellani – The Marvels
Best Acting Ensemble
“American Fiction” (MGM)
“Barbie” (Warner Bros.)
“Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films/Paramount Pictures)
“Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures) (WINNER)
“The Holdovers” (Focus Features)
Best Supporting Actress
Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple
Viola Davis, Air
Jodie Foster, Nyad
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers (WINNER)
Best Supporting Actor
Sterling K. Brown, American Fiction
Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling, Barbie
Charles Melton, May December (WINNER)
Dominic Sessa, The Holdovers
Best Actress
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Origin
Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon (WINNER)
Greta Lee, Past Lives
Margot Robbie, Barbie
Emma Stone, Poor Things
Best Actor
Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Colman Domingo, Rustin
Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer (WINNER)
Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction
Best Director
Greta Gerwig, Barbie
Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer (WINNER)
Martin Scorcese, Killers of the Flower Moon
Celine Song, Past Lives
Best Feature
“American Fiction” (MGM) (WINNER)
“Barbie” (Warner Bros.)
“Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Studios)
“Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures)
“Past Lives” (A24)
“The Holdovers” (Focus Features)