Austin Film Critics Association Calls Killers of the Flower Moon Top Film of 2023
But Oppenheimer dominates in multiple categories
By Richard Whittaker, 2:17PM, Wed. Jan. 10, 2024
The Austin Film Critics Association has announced its awards for best films of 2023, and Martin Scorsese’s historical crime epic Killers of the Flower Moon has taken the top prize.
Based on the “Reign of Terror,” in which more than 60 members of the Osage Nation were murdered for the oil money, the film also took the Best Actress award for Lily Gladstone’s performance as a woman who barely escaped the fate of so many others and instead helped expose the monstrous crimes. Gladstone’s actually a two-time winner, having also been voted by AFCA members as this year’s recipient of the Robert R. “Bobby” McCurdy Memorial Breakthrough Artist Award.
However, while Killers may have taken the top award, it was a bountiful year for Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which performed an almost perfect clean sweep with eight wins, including for Nolan as writer and director and for Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., and the entire ensemble for their performances.
The AFCA, which draws its membership from working film critics with Austin-area publications, including The Austin Chronicle, also presented the latest Austin Film Award (given to movie by a filmmaker residing in Austin during production) to music documentary Milli Vanilli, directed by Luke Korem.
AFCA Top 10 Films of 2023
1) Killers of the Flower Moon
2) Oppenheimer
3) Poor Things
4) Past Lives
5) The Holdovers
6) Godzilla Minus One
7) The Iron Claw
8) Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
9) Barbie
10) American Fiction
Best Film: Killers of the Flower Moon
Best Director: Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Best Actress: Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Best Actor: Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Best Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer
Best Ensemble: Oppenheimer
Best Original Screenplay: Celine Song, Past Lives
Best Adapted Screenplay: Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Best Cinematography: Hoyte van Hoytema, Oppenheimer
Best Editing: Jennifer Lame, Oppenheimer
Best Original Score: Ludwig Göransson, Oppenheimer
Best International Film: Godzilla Minus One
Best Documentary: Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
Best Animated Film: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Best Voice Acting/Animated/Digital Performance: Bradley Cooper, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Best Stunt Coordinator: Stephen Dunlevy & Scott Rogers, John Wick Chapter 4
Best First Film: Celine Song, Past Lives
The Robert R. “Bobby” McCurdy Memorial Breakthrough Artist Award: Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon, The Unknown Country, Fancy Dance, Quantum Cowboys
SPECIAL AWARD: “In memoriam of the life and works of Lee Sun-kyun.” Parasite, Sleep, Project Silence.
2023 Austin Film Award Winner: Milli Vanilli D: Luke Korem
A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.
June 27, 2024
June 28, 2024
Austin Film Critics Association, AFCA, Killers of the Flower Moon, Oppenheimer, Milli Vanilli
