Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance won Best Picture at the 2024 Seattle Film Critics Society Awards. The film stars Demi Moore along with Margaret Qualley who won for Best Supporting Actress.
“For the second year in a row, we chose a film directed by a woman, the visually audacious, yet heartbreaking Cannes sensation The Substance, as Best Picture,” noted SFCS President Kathy Fennessy. “It’s also the first time body horror has taken the top spot, while the rest of our winners spanned genres and cultures, from a blockbuster American musical to a devastating Palestinian-Israeli documentary.”
Anora received the most awards with Sean Baker winning for Best Director and Best Screenplay, Mikey Madison won for Best Lead Actress, as well as recognition for the film’s Ensemble Cast.
Other acting honors went to Colman Domingo for Lead Actor and Clarence Maclin for Supporting Actor for their performances in Sing Sing. Additionally, Izaac Wang was awarded Best Youth Performance for his role in Dìdi (弟弟).
No Other Land directed by a collective of Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers was named Best Documentary and Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist won Best International Feature.
For its third year honoring exceptional filmmaking from the region, SFCS honored Rainier: A Beer Odyssey with Best Pacific Northwest Film. Written and directed by Isaac Olsen, the documentary boasts mountains of archival footage of beloved ads to chronicle the creativity that arose in Seattle during Boeing’s retreat from the city in the 1970s.
Additionally, SFCS recognized two local filmmakers for their outstanding work. For over a decade, Megan Leonard and Carlos A.F. Lopez have amassed numerous credits as directors, producers, and programmers, most associated with short films and music videos, culminating in this year’s terrifying Dream Creep, the Leonard-produced, Lopez-directed, Oscar-qualifying horror short now streaming exclusively on MUBI. SFCS’s Special Citation pays tribute to their invaluable efforts. In November, SFCS presented their annual John Hartl PNW Spotlight Award to Kyle MacLachlan at SIFF Cinema Downtown before a screening of the cult classic The Hidden.
Complete List of Winners of 2024 Seattle Film Critics Society Awards
Picture
The Substance – Coralie Fargeat
Director
Sean Baker – Anora
Lead Actor
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Lead Actress
Mikey Madison – Anora
Supporting Actor
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Supporting Actress
Margaret Qualley – The Substance
Ensemble
Anora – Sean Baker (Casting Director)
Pacific Northwest Film
Rainier: A Beer Odyssey – Isaac Olsen
International Film
Evil Does Not Exist – Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
Documentary Film
No Other Land – Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, and Rachel Szor
Animated Film
The Wild Robot – Chris Sanders
Cinematography
Nickel Boys – Jomo Fray
Editing
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – Eliot Knapman and Margaret Sixel
Screenplay
Anora – Sean Baker
Production Design
The Brutalist – Judy Becker (Production Designer), Patricia Cuccia (Set Decorator)
Costume Design
Wicked – Paul Tazewell
Original Score
Challengers – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Action Choreography
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – Tim Wong (Stunt Coordinator) | Richard Norton (Fight Choreographer)
Visual Effects
Dune: Part Two – Paul Lambert, Stephen James, and Rhys Salcombe
Youth Performance
Izaac Wang – Dìdi (弟弟)
Villain of the Year
Dementus – Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (as portrayed by Chris Hemsworth)