Poor Things has been named the best film of 2023 by the Indiana Film Journalists Association, winning 7 awards, the most ever in the 15 years of the IFJA awards, including Best Lead Performance for Emma Stone, Best Supporting Performance for Mark Ruffalo, Best Director for Yorgos Lanthimos, Best Adapted Screenplay for Tony McNamara, Original Vision and Best Ensemble Acting.
The Zone of Interest was awarded Best Foreign Language Film and Kokomo City was named Best Documentary. Writer/director Celine Song earned the Breakout of the Year Award for her debut film, Past Lives.
The Edward Johnson-Ott Hoosier Award, which goes to a film or filmmaker with Indiana ties, went to Sam Mirpoorian, director of the documentary Greener Pastures.
IFJA members issued this statement for the Edward Johnson-Ott Hoosier Award: “Sam Mirpoorian has shown that an Indiana-based filmmaker can make major waves across the cinematic landscape. His documentary ‘Greener Pastures’ is a powerful look at the lives of independent farmers shot over several years, traveling alongside them before and during Covid, observing their struggles with depression and substance abuse but always demanding we see their intrinsic dignity as those who nourish us. Mirpoorian has rendered those who were largely invisible indelible in our eyes and hearts.”
Winner and runner-up of 2023 Indiana Film Journalists Association Awards
Best Picture
Winner: Poor Things
Runner-up: Oppenheimer
Other Best Film Finalists: (listed alphabetically)
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Barbie
The HoldoversJohn Wick: Chapter 4
Killers of the Flower Moon
May December
Past Lives
Robot Dreams
Best Animated Film
Winner: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Runner-up: Robot Dreams
Best Foreign Language Film
Winner: The Zone of Interest
Runner-up: Godzilla Minus One
Best Documentary Film
Winner: Kokomo City
Runner-up: 20 Days in Mariupol
Best Original Screenplay
Winner: David Hemingson, The Holdovers
Runner-up: Samy Burch (screenplay/story) and Alex Mechanik (story), May December
Best Adapted Screenplay
Winner: Tony McNamara, Poor Things
Runner-up: Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, Barbie
Best Director
Winner: Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things
Runner-up: Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Best Lead Performance
Winner: Emma Stone, Poor Things
Runner-up: Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Best Supporting Performance
Winner: Mark Ruffalo, Poor Things
Runner-up: Robert Downey, Jr., Oppenheimer
Best Vocal/Motion Capture Performance
Winner: Hailee Steinfeld, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Runner-up: Shameik Moore, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Best Ensemble Acting
Winner: Poor Things
Runner-up: Oppenheimer
Best Musical Score
Winner: Ludwig Göransson, Oppenheimer
Runner-up: Robbie Robertson, Killers of the Flower Moon
Breakout of the Year
Winner: Celine Song, Past Lives
Runner-up: Charles Melton, May December
Best Cinematography
Winner: Hoyte van Hoytema, Oppenheimer
Runner-up: Dan Laustsen, John Wick: Chapter 4
Best Editing
Winner: Jennifer Lame, Oppenheimer
Runner-up: Thelma Schoonmaker, Killers of the Flower Moon
Best Stunt/Movement Choreography
Winner: Jeremy Marinas (fight coordinator), Scott Rogers (stunt coordinator) and Stephen Levy (stunt choreographer), John Wick: Chapter 4
Runner-up: Jennifer White (choreographer) and Lisa Welham (associate choreographer), Barbie
Original Vision Award
Winner: Poor Things
Runner-up: Barbie
The Edward Johnson-Ott Hoosier Award*
Winner: Director Sam Mirpoorian, Greener Pastures
*As a special honor, no runner-up is named for the Hoosier Award. It is named after founding IFJA member and longtime NUVO Newsweekly critic Edward Johnson-Ott.