Celine Song’s Past Lives Named Best Film of the Year by Dublin Film Critics Circle

Celine Song’s Past Lives was named film of the year by the Dublin Film Critics Circle, representing Ireland’s professional film critics. Song also won best director.

Celine Song, writer and director of Past Lives, said “Thank you so much to The Dublin Film Critics Circle for these incredible honors — it means the world to me for my first feature film to be named Best Film and Best Director of the year. As someone who grew up admiring Irish cinema and literature, I had such a special time introducing Past Lives to the Irish audience at the Galway Film Fleadh this year. It’s been so meaningful to see the way the film has resonated with Irish audiences. I have a piece of my heart in Ireland. Thank you — I’m so incredibly touched and honored.”

Laura McGann’s The Deepest Breath, following the perilous sport of free-diving, was named Best Documentary. Robert Higgins and Patrick McGivney’s Lakelands, starring Éanna Hardwicke as a GAA player coping with a head injury, was the overall winner of best Irish film.

The DFCC acknowledged two outstanding breakthroughs. Orén Kinlan, who plays the errant son to Eve Hewson’s harried mum in John Carney’s Flora and Son, was the Irish winner. Raine Allen-Miller, director of the delightful British romantic comedy Rye Lane, won the international honor.

Complete list of winners of 2023 Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards

BEST FILM

1. Past Lives
2. Anatomy of a Fall
3. Oppenheimer
4. Killers of the Flower Moon
5. May December
6. Tár
7. Barbie
8. Close/EO (Tie)
9. Eight Mountains/Passages (Tie)
10. Priscilla

BEST DIRECTOR

1. Celine Song, Past Lives
2. Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall
3. Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer 
4. Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon
5. Todd Field, Tár
6. Alice Diop, Saint Omer
7. Greta Gerwig, Barbie
8. Lukas Dhont, Close 
9. Jerzy Skolimowski, EO
10. Bradley Cooper, Maestro

BEST ACTOR 

1. Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
2. Franz Rogowski, Passages
3. Bradley Cooper, Maestro
4. Joaquin Phoenix, Beau is Afraid
5. Denis Ménochet, The Beasts
6. Luca Marinelli, The Eight Mountains
7. Barry Keoghan, Saltburn
8. Milo Machado Graner, Anatomy of a Fall
9. Chares Melton, May December
10. Ryan Gosling, Barbie

BEST ACTRESS

1. Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
2. Carey Mulligan, Maestro
3. Cate Blanchett, Tár
4. Sandra Muller, Anatomy of a Fall
5. Julianne Moore, May December
6. Natalie Portman, May December
7. Tilda Swinton, Eternal Daughter
8. Annette Bening, Nyad
9. Adèle Exarchopoulos, Passages
10. Sydney Sweeney, Reality

BEST DOCUMENTARY

1. The Deepest Breath
2. 406 Days
3. Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
4. Kokomo City
5. In the Shadow of Beirut
6. Stolen
7. So This is Christmas
8. Little Richard: I Am Everything
9. I Dream in Photos
10. Smoke Sauna Sisterhood

BEST IRISH FILM

1. Lakelands
2. The Deepest Breath
3. LOLA
4. My Sailor, My Love
5. Ballywalter

BEST SCREENPLAY

1. Justine Triet, Arthur Harari, Anatomy of a Fall
2. Isabel Peña, Rodrigo Sorogoyen, The Beasts
3. Samy Burch, May December
4. Aki Kaurismäki, Fallen Leaves
5. Paul Schrader, Master Gardener

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

1. Rodrigo Prieto, Killers of the Flower Moon
2. Hoyte van Hoytema, Oppenheimer
3. Mark Jenkin, Enys Men
4. Ruben Impens, Eight Mountains
5. Thomas Favel, Return to Seoul

INTERNATIONAL BREAKTHROUGH

Raine Allen-Miller, Rye Lane

IRISH BREAKTHROUGH

Orén Kinlan, Flora and Son