The San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle convened on Sunday to select the best from the film world in 2024. Forty-eight regional film journalists honored quite a few Bay Area-connected filmmakers and actors.
“Anora,” Sean Baker’s raucous rollercoaster ride through a mercurial relationship between a sex worker and a Russian oligarch, and “The Brutalist,” Brady Corbet’s audacious epic anchored around a Brutalist architect, were on top, each winning four awards.
A high-profile acting honor went to former Bay Area stage phenom Colman Domingo, for his perfectly realized performance in the indie favorite “Sing Sing.” His portrayal of John “Divine G” Whitfield, a real-life former member in a theater troupe of men incarcerated at the Ossining Correctional Facility, was cited for its seamlessness and resonance.
In supporting acting honors, San Franciscan Joan Chen was singled out for her nuanced, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, turn as an exasperated, stressed-out Fremont mom of a rebellious 13-year-old skateboarder (and nascent filmmaker) in Fremont native Sean Wang’s terrific debut feature, “Dìdi” 弟弟.”
Former Oakland resident and Minnesota native Julian Brave NoiseCat shares the best documentary award with co-director Emily Kassie for their searing, unforgettable “Sugarcane,” a riveting account of horrific abuses Catholic priests and nuns perpetrated upon young Canadian indigenous students at a boarding school.
The group’s prestigious Marlon Riggs Award—“presented to Bay Area filmmaker(s) or individual(s) who represent courage and innovation in the world of cinema” and named after the late great groundbreaking filmmaker—went to Rahsaan “New York” Thomas, Cori Thomas and the San Quentin Film Festival for creating and holding the first festival of its kind Oct. 10-11.
Here is a rundown of award winners and runners up:
Best Actor
Colman Domingo, “Sing Sing” (Winner)
Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist” (Runner-up)
Best Actress
Marianne Jean-Baptiste, “Hard Truths” (Winner)
Mikey Madison, “Anora” (Runner-up)
Best Supporting Actor
Yura Borisov, “Anora” (Winner)
Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain” (Runner-up)
Best Supporting Actress
Joan Chen, “Dìdi” 弟弟 (Winner)
Zoe Saldana, “Emilia Pérez” (Runner-up)
Best Adapted Screenplay
“Sing Sing,” Clint Bentley, Greg Kewdar, Clarence Maclin, John “Divine G” Whitfield (Winner)
“Conclave,” Peter Straughan (Runner-up)
Best Original Screenplay
“Anora,” Sean Baker (Winner)
“Hard Truths,” Mike Leigh (Runner-up)
Best Cinematography
“The Brutalist,” Lol Crawley (Winner)
“Nosferatu,” Jarin Blaschke (Runner-up)
Best Editing
“Anora,” Sean Baker (Winner)
“Challengers,” Marco Costa (Runner-up)
“The Brutalist,” Dávid Jancsó (Runner-up)
Best Original Score
“The Brutalist,” Daniel Blumberg (Winner)
“Conclave,” Volker Bertelmann (Runner-up)
Best Production Design
“The Brutalist,” Judy Becker (Winner)
“Nosferatu,” Craig Lathrop (Runner-up)
Best Documentary
“Sugarcane” (Winner)
“Will & Harper” (Runner-up)
Best International Feature
“The Seed of the Sacred Fig” (Winner)
“Emilia Pérez” (Runner-up)
Best Animated Feature
“Flow” (Winner)
“The Wild Robot” (Runner-up)
Best Director
“The Brutalist,” Brady Corbet (Winner)
“Anora,” Sean Baker (Runner-up)
Best Film
“Anora” (Winner)
“Sing Sing” (Runner-up)
Special Citation for Independent Cinema
“Femme” (Winner)
“Exhibiting Forgiveness” (Runner-up)
“The Secret Art of Human Flight” (Runner-up)
Marlon Riggs Award
Rahsaan “New York” Thomas, Cori Thomas and the San Quentin Film Festival
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