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"I've found our conversation persuasive and intellectually stimulating." Indeed, Mr. Van Buren. It's always exciting to discover intellectually stimulating films. Another year, another Top 10. After watching more than 400 films throughout 2024 (always logging everything on my Letterboxd for anyone curious) it's time to share my final selection of My Top 10 Favorite Films of 2024. I try to watch as much as I can and give myself time to catch up with any extra films at the end of the year, but my favorites can come from anytime in 2024. Rohrwacher's La Chimera already was my #1 of 2023 last year, which is why I'm extra happy it's appearing on so many other Top 10 lists this year. For 2024 - I went for the ones that really impressed me, including The Brutalist, Anora, Nickel Boys, Sing Sing, A Complete Unknown, and Conclave, among others. I'm not really a fan of I Saw the TV Glow, The Beast,...

At the 82nd annual Golden Globes held on January 5, Demi Moore, who has been working steadily in Hollywood for decades, won her first ever competitive acting award thanks to Coralie Fargeat's body-horror hit "The Substance."

Moore beat out some stiff competition to win Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy award, including Cynthia Erivo in "Wicked: Part One" and Mikey Madison in "Anora," and her powerful speech about how women in the entertainment industry are constantly trying to measure up to a truly impossible standard was nothing if not deeply inspiring. Despite apparently being told that she would never be anything more than a "popcorn actress" by some foolish studio executive, Moore proudly stood on stage at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, telling women all over the world, "In those moments when we don't think we're smart enough or pretty enough or skinny enough or successful enough or...

The Oscars have announced updates to its timeline, extending the nomination voting period and rescheduling key events in light of the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles.

The voting period, initially set to end Tuesday, Jan. 14, will now run through Friday, Jan. 17, until 5 p.m. Pt. Nominations for the 97th Oscars will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 23, at 5:30 a.m. Pt. The nominations will be unveiled during a virtual event without in-person media coverage. The 97th Oscars ceremony remains scheduled for Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.

The Academy also announced the cancellation of the annual Oscar Nominees Luncheon, initially scheduled for Monday, Feb. 10. Additionally, the Scientific and Technical Awards, which were set for Tuesday, Feb. 18, will be postponed to a later date yet to be determined.

“We are all devastated by the impact of the fires and the profound losses experienced by so many in our community,...

One week after her Golden Globes triumph for I’m Still Here, Fernanda Torres is now expected to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, according to Gold Derby‘s 2025 Oscars predictions. The Brazilian actress, whose mother, Fernanda Montenegro, earned a Best Actress Oscar bid of her own for Central Station (1998), has climbed into our top five for the first time this awards season. I’m Still Here is a political thriller directed by Walter Salles that serves as Brazil’s entry in the Best International Feature contest.

More newcomers expected to receive Oscar nominations since the last update include Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown) in Best Supporting Actor, A Complete Unknown in Best Adapted Screenplay, Better Man in Best Visual Effects, and Kneecap in Best International Film.

Below, see a snapshot in time of our odds for the 97th Academy Awards in all 23 categories, updated on Jan. 13, 2025. See how the rankings...

"I watched these tapes over and over again. They never got old..." And here we go! It's time for Ehrlich's video. One of the best 2024 recaps is a video countdown made by my colleague David Ehrlich (follow him @davidehrlich). He recaps his 25 best films of the year in a video edited together with footage and music from the films. It's one of the best looks back at the year, including footage from plenty of other movies from last year. Have you seen All of his favorites from last year? David's Top 25 of 2024 is as vibrant and fun as always, and you will likely agree with many of his top picks. I'm happy to see tons of underrated favorites: The Outrun, Between the Temples, Furiosa, The Last Showgirl, Close Your Eyes, Hard Truths, Juror #2, The First Omen, and others. Plus all the usual suspects from 2024: Nosferatu, The Substance, The Brutalist,...

The Oscar race is a marathon, not a sprint. There are dozens of pit stops along the way and trophies to be given out before the 2025 Oscars on Sunday, March 2. Keep track of precursor wins here with our scorecard. This includes honors from major film festivals, critics groups, guilds, and televised shows of the 2024-25 Oscar season. Wins are listed in order of announcement and in accordance with candidates’ FYC campaigns.

Updated: Monday, Jan. 13 with Utah Film Critics Association, Puerto Rico Critics Association, Hawaii Film Critics Society, and North Dakota Film Society winners. Since her victory at the Golden Globes, Demi Moore has earned five consecutive Best Actress prizes, including from the Ufca, Prca, and Hfcs. Her streak ended with the Ndfs, which awarded Mikey Madison. Best Picture honors went to The Wild Robot, The Substance, The Brutalist, and Anora, respectively.

Key:

Aafca: African American Film Critics Association

Afcc:...

As always, 2024 has been one of the best years for the film industry. Despite the many roadblocks and issues, the audiences got to witness some of the finest films made across different genres and grand performances from new as well as seasoned actors. While films like Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II transported us back to the Roman age, others like Wicked transported us to a fantasy land full of thrill, love, and cheer.

Yet, as is the case every year, this year too is a wonderful time for actors from all corners of the globe to be recognized and praised for their talent and hard work. Each and every actor dreams of getting this prestigious honor, hoping to etch their names into Hollywood history. From seasoned veterans like Ralph Fiennes delivering career-defining roles to rising stars like Timothée Chalamet making their mark with breakout performances, the competition is nothing short of fierce.

For Sean Baker, it’s theatrical or bust.

Paychecks from streamers can be tantalized in front of him, but when it comes to his original work, not only is about making works for the cinema, but shooting on celluloid, too.

“We shouldn’t abandon the medium which created this artform,” Baker tells us on this episode of Crew Call, on why he opted to shoot Anora on film.

“We shot it on film, we shoot it for the cinema and that’s how we want people to see it.”

“Theatrical means everything to me,” Baker tells us, “I consider home entertainment to be an afterthought.”

“Neon allowed me a long theatrical window,” he adds. Anora landed on digital and PVOD after a 60-day window on Dec. 17 following its Oct. 18 theatrical release.

“With each film, I fight for a longer theatrical window and hopefully, the next time I get way over 90 days,...

The Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations were announced on Jan. 8, with Wicked and Shōgun leading their respective movie and TV fields at five bids apiece. More than 1,200 people have already voted for the SAG winners in Gold Derby‘s prediction polls, and some of the contenders with early leads include Wicked for film ensemble, Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown) for film actor, Demi Moore (The Substance) for film actress, Hacks for comedy ensemble, and Shōgun for drama ensemble.

Below, see a snapshot in time of our odds for the 2025 SAG Awards in all 15 categories, updated on Jan. 10, 2025. Our predicted winners are denoted in gold.

This annual event was created in 1995 to reward the acting guild’s members who appear on camera in film and on television. Nominating committees of about 2,500 people selected the nominees, and then the full membership, which consists of about 130,000 SAG-AFTRA union members, will choose the ultimate winners.

“I think Anora is a great film, I really do,” the legendary English filmmaker Mike Leigh told The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast this week while promoting his new film, Hard Truths. “I think it’s massively impressive.”

Leigh, a seven-time Oscar nominee whose films have won the top prizes of the Cannes and Venice film festivals, went on to say of American Sean Baker’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner, which centers on a stripper (Mikey Madison) who gets romantically involved with a wealthy Russian customer with mob ties, “Their performances are solid and there’s no self-indulgent tricks in it,” adding, “At first you think, ‘Okay, right, there’s all this sex going on and these kids and blah, blah, blah.’ Then you think, ‘Well…’ And then the shit hits the fan.”

Summarized Leigh: “Boy, it’s really good.”

Both Anora, which is being distributed by Neon,...

Awards contenders dominate new releases at UK and Ireland cinemas this weekend as Babygirl, Maria and A Real Pain all launch.

Nicole Kidman returns withBabygirl,which Entertainment Film Distributors is opening in 575 locations. Halina Reijn’s 18-ratederotic drama stars Kidmanas a high-powered CEO who becomes embroiled in an affair with a young intern, played by Harris Dickinson. Further cast include Antonio Banderas and Sophie Wilde.

Other awards contenders with 18-ratings include this year’s Anora, which grossed just shy of £2m for Universal and 2023’s Poor Things, with a £1.6m opening and a £7.1m total run for Disney’s Searchlight.

Even though we may have moved on from 2024, it's still worthwhile to look back at the many excellent films from last year. Yet another new video countdown has debuted - this one is created by a young film critic named Will Bjarnar. This video featuring his 25 Best Films of 2024 is inspired by David Ehrlich's usual Top 25 Countdown (which will be out next week) and follows the same kind of editing. Bjarnar counts down his favorites from 2024, featuring tons of our own favorites as well. I'm so glad to see Furiosa, Hit Man, Bird, The Room Next Door, Close Your Eyes, and Challengers showing up on best of the year lists. These are some of the best of last year along with all the usual: Nickel Boys, Anora, The Brutalist, No Other Land, and Dune: Part Two. We've also featured a few other great 2024 video countdowns: Clementine's 2024 in Film,...

There are never enough slots in an Oscar lineup. For performers in films that haven’t been seen by enough voters, breaking through the hustle and bustle of awards season is nearly impossible. Enter a few reminders for voters to watch these six standout performances, each deserving a place in the conversation before ballots are cast.

Michele Austin – “Hard Truths” (Supporting Actress)

In Mike Leigh’s “Hard Truths,” Michele Austin shines as Chantal, a single mother and hairdresser, trying to bridge an emotional chasm between herself and her depressed sister, Pansy (Marianne Jean-Baptiste). Austin brings warmth and empathy to the role, offering a vibrant, hopeful counterpoint to her sister’s unrelenting bitterness. Her nuanced performance captures people’s helplessness when someone they love is in crisis. It’s an unforgettable turn in an intimate character study filled with moments of unexpected joy.

Carrie Coon – “His Three Daughters” (Best Actress)

Emmy...

Adrien Brody got emotional as he accepted the award for best actor at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards on Wednesday amid raging wildfires in Los Angeles.

“I would be remiss to not mention the weight of what’s on all of our minds and in our hearts tonight,” Brody said during his acceptance speech on Wednesday night for his role as László Tóth in The Brutalist. “It’s been a heavy day for me.”

He then paused as he appeared to get emotional.

“I’m sorry,” he said as he resumed slowly. “It’s always hard to accept something like this when there’s so much suffering in the world. And um, you know, my heart goes out to all of the families and the animals and our colleagues.”

Brody, who won the Golden Globe for best actor in a drama film days earlier, said, “most of the homes on the west side,...

Sean Baker’s “Anora” has already won the coveted Palme d’Or and, most recently, the New York Film Critics Circle’s Best Screenplay award, but accepting the prize, he said his own mother tried to sway him away from making the film.

Baker said during the 2025 NYFCC ceremony that his mom disapproved of him writing a film from the perspective of an erotic dancer (Mikey Madison) who weds a Russian billionaire (Mark Eydelshteyn), only to have her dream life ruled as a sham marriage. Yura Borisov, Vache Tovmasyan, and Karren Karagulian star as the fixers who push for an annulment.

Writer/director Baker has focused his career on telling the stories of sex workers, with previous films “Red Rocket” and “Tangerine” destigmatizing the industry. “Anora” is the biggest film of Baker’s career, landing nearly 200 nominations from the Golden Globes, key guilds, and critics’ groups ahead of Oscar nominations being announced.

Has there been a bigger breakout performance in recent memory than Mikey Madison in Sean Baker‘s “Anora“? With the actress currently the most awarded actress this awards season, Madison will have all sorts of directors lining up to work with her. But who does she want to work with the most?

Continue reading Who Would Mikey Madison Like To Work With Next? Luca Guadagnino & Alice Rohrwacher: “I Would Just Pass Out” at The Playlist.

When the actor known as “Russia’s Timothée Chalamet” attended the Gotham Awards last month, he never expected to come face-to-face with the real Timothée Chalamet. “It was such a crazy thing,” says “Anora” star Mark Eydelshteyn of meeting the Gotham Awards’ Visionary Tribute honoree. “I know many amazing actors, but they’re very far from me. I could feel Tim’s vibe up close. I was so lucky to talk with him, just to see that he’s a real, warm and kind person.”

You can expect more moments like this in the near future. Ever since Italian star Ever since Italian star Sophia Loren became the first actor to win an Oscar for a non-English speaking role in 1961 for “Two Women,” few award seasons have boasted as many top acting contenders from outside the U.S. as this one — which is not to say that it’s been an easy road for them.

Adrien Brody, Sean Baker, Brady Corbet, and Jim Jarmusch were among the winners and presenters at Wednesday’s New York Film Critics Circle dinner to offer words of support and sympathy to the thousands of Los Angeles residents impacted by this week’s deadly wildfires.

Brody, who won Best Actor for his acclaimed performance in The Brutalist, was overcome with emotion as he accepted the honor.

“To accept something like this when there’s so much suffering in the world. My heart goes out to all the families and the animals and our colleagues,” Brody said while fighting back emotion.“Most of the homes on the west side, the beach side of the [Pacific Coast Highway], are gone. From the Palisades on, this is our community. So I just want to thank and commend the bravery of the first responders, their sacrifices, and their meaningful work, which deserves our recognition tonight.”

A visibly...

You know it and you love it, right? Emilia Perez is likely the best comedy/musical/drama that has come out over the last year, and thankfully, we get to see it on Netflix. The movie won four Golden Globe awards recently, including Best Comedy or Musical Film. Zoe Saldaña won as well for Best Supporting Actress. But the film is likely not done winning awards, either.

This week, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards were announced and Emilia Perez received several nods. SAG-AFTRA does not really announce a "best film," but they do "best cast," which means that many times a film is nominated at the SAGs, it also has a very good chance of being nominated for Academy Awards.

The Netflix original was given SAG nominations for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role (Karla Sofia Gascón...

Looking for what to see in theaters? Our feature, updated weekly, highlights our top recommendations for films currently in theaters, from new releases to restorations receiving a proper theatrical run.

While we already provide extensive monthly new-release recommendations and weekly streaming recommendations, as distributors’ roll-outs can vary, this is a one-stop list to share the essential films that may be on a screen near you.

All We Imagine as Light (Payal Kapadia)

Following up her enigmatic, beautiful debut A Night of Knowing Nothing, Payal Kapadia shows an entirely different register with her dazzling Cannes Film Festival Grand Prize winner All We Imagine as Light. While India foolishly didn’t select it to compete in the international feature category at this year’s Academy Awards, hopefully it’ll take an Anatomy of a Fall-esque path this season. Luke Hicks said in his review, “Writer-director Payal Kapadia isn’t interested in the...

Letterboxd released its list of the most-watched actors and highest-rated films of 2024, based on ratings from its 17 million users. Zendaya was the most-watched female actor again, thanks to her roles in ‘Dune: Part 2’ and ‘Challengers.’ Dune: Part 2 was the top-rated movie of the year, with a 4.4-star rating, and its director, Denis Villeneuve, was the most-watched director.

Zendaya’s ‘Dune’ co-star, Timothée Chalamet, was replaced by Willem Dafoe as the most-watched actor. Dafoe appeared in four big films last year: ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,’ ‘Saturday Night,’ ‘Kinds of Kindness,’ and recently released, ‘Nosferatu.’

You can check out the top picks below:

The most-watched actors of 2024 on Letterboxd are led by Willem Dafoe, followed by Timothée Chalamet and Stellan Skarsgård. Other top actors include J.K. Simmons, Josh Brolin, Samuel L. Jackson, Dave Bautista, Javier Bardem, and Mark Ruffalo.

1. Willem Dafoe 2. Timothée Chalamet 3. Stellan Skarsgård 4. J.K. Simmons 5. Josh Brolin 6. Samuel L.

The wildfires in Los Angeles cast a dark shadow over the New York Film Critics Circle Awards, where film industry leaders worried about their West Coast peers.

Academy Award winner Adrien Brody fought back tears as he accepted the award for Best Actor for “The Brutalist.” “My heart goes out to all the families,” he said in honor of the first rescuers. This is our neighborhood. I want to praise the first rescuers for being brave and making sacrifices.

Director Jim Jarmusch was more direct when he gave out the Best Screenplay award. He used his fame to call out people who don’t believe in the climate problem, saying, “We are all worried about our friends in LA…” There is a climate problem because some people don’t believe in it. Some people say that being woke is a bad thing. “It’s time to wake up!”

Tens of...

Adrien Brody was momentarily overcome with emotion at the destruction underway in a Los Angeles deluged by fire. Jim Jarmusch was angry. Others taking the stage tonight at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards sent love from across the country.

“We are all worried about our friends in LA,” said Jarmusch at the gala. “Climate crisis is brought to you by climate deniers … They are telling us that woke is a negative thing, and I would just like to say it’s time we wake the f-ck up!”

He was presenting NYFCC’s Best Screenplay award to Sean Baker’s Cannes Palme d’Or-winning Anora. Accepting, Baker said “all our are our hearts and prayers” are with those affected.

Ditto Brady Corbett, who received the nod for Best Film for The Brutalist. He said he understands, that his house burned down eight years ago and took years to rebuild.

The Screen Actors Guild Awards, one of the most anticipated events in the entertainment industry, has officially announced its nominees for 2025. Recognizing the finest performances in film and television, this year’s nominations reflect a diverse and dynamic array of talent. From compelling dramas to musical extravaganzas, the SAG Awards continue to honor excellence across genres. Below is the complete list of nominees for the SAG Awards 2025, showcasing outstanding performances that defined the year in cinema and television.

Leading the pack this year is Wicked with an impressive six nominations, followed by A Complete Unknown and Anora with five nominations each. Other notable films like Emilia Pérez and Conclave also earned multiple nods, showcasing the year’s rich storytelling and outstanding performances across categories.

Film Nominees Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Adrien Brody / László Tóth – “The Brutalist” Timothée Chalamet / Bob Dylan – “A Complete Unknown” Daniel Craig...

Adrien Brody and Marianne Jean-Baptiste were among the big winners at the 2025 New York Film Critics Circle Awards!

Adrien won Best Actor for his role in The Brutalist while Marianne won Best Actress for her role in Hard Truths at the awards event on Wednesday evening (January 8) held at Tao Downtown in New York City.

A Real Pain‘s Kieran Culkin ended up winning Best Supporting Actor and Between the Temples‘ Carol Kane won Best Supporting Actress.

Head inside to check out the full list of winners…

Adrien‘s girlfriend Georgina Chapman was in attendance at the event along with his The Brutalist co-star Guy Pearce, director Brady Corbet and his wife Mona Fastvold, who co-wrote the screenplay together.

Other celebs at the event included Anora stars Mikey Madison and Karren Karagulian along with director Sean Baker as well as Claire Danes, The Room Next Door actor John Tuturro and his son Diego,...

Adrien Brody cried for the victims of the L.A. fires while accepting the best actor prize at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards Wednesday night at Tao Downtown in New York City.

“My heart goes out to all the families and the animals and our colleagues,” Brody said, who took home the award for his performance as László Tóth in director Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist.” “Most of the homes on the west side, the beach side of the [Pacific Coast Highway] are gone. From the Palisades on, this is our community. So I just want to thank and commend the bravery of the first responders, and their sacrifices and their meaningful work that deserves our recognition tonight.”

Although Brody had the most emotional response to the fires, host David Sims and Sean Baker, who took home the best screenplay award for “Anora,” also acknowledged their thoughts were with the people of Los Angeles.

The Writers Guild of America Awards nominations have been postponed to Monday, Jan. 13, due to the ongoing Southern California wildfires.

In a joint statement provided to Variety, WGA West and WGA East announced: “With Los Angeles under a state of emergency due to multiple wildfires, we will be delaying the announcement of nominees until Monday, Jan. 13, 2025.”

This decision follows the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ extension of its Oscar nomination voting period by two days. The Oscars also shifted the announcement of the 97th nominations from Jan. 17 to Jan. 19.

The wildfires have caused significant disruptions across Hollywood. Premieres for Amazon MGM’s “Unstoppable” and Universal’s “Wolf Man” were called off. Wednesday morning’s Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations, which were set to be announced by Joey King and Cooper Koch, were also canceled, with a press release instead provided to the media.

Additionally, other major industry events have been postponed.

Coming into a new year usually brings clarity. But when it comes to the Oscar race — to quote novelist William Goldman — nobody knows anything. Academy Award nominations will be announced Jan. 17 and voting is currently underway. Judging by the Golden Globe Awards Sunday, a number of winners have brought their possible Oscar nominations into focus. But at the end of the day, how reliable are precursors anyway? After all, we all know the Oscars do their own thing. So, without being influenced by other voting parties, here’s a guess at where the race seems to stand.

• Best Picture

Unlike the awards show, we’re not going to make you wait until the end to get to the big one. The general feeling is that the best picture race has come down to a couple of strong contenders — both musicals, although they couldn’t be more different. In one corner is “Emilia Pérez,...

Isabella Rossellini and Mikey Madison have two of the most complicated roles of the year in “Conclave” and “Anora,” respectively. In Edward Berger’s Vatican-set thriller “Conclave,” Rossellini had to perform largely without speaking, as her nun character is silent through much of the film. And in “Anora,” Madison had to infuse her title character with an outward bite that fell apart in the movie’s final scene, an emotional breakdown that the actress worked hard to nail.

But immediately upon sitting down for TheWrap’s longform video series Visionaries, Rossellini and Madison made clear they were big fans of each other’s work – Madison even revealed that her mother showed her “Death Becomes Her” when she decided she wanted to be an actress.

“There was something that sort of struck inside me that made me really yearn for what these people were doing on screen, or how to become...

The Screen Actors Guild has announced the nominees for the 2025 SAG Awards ahead of one of the most star-studded nights of the year. Actors from the most-watched, most talked-about films and series of the year will gather in February to honor the work of their cohort, including the previously announced recipient of the SAG Life Achievement Award, Jane Fonda. Read on to find the full list of nominees and tune in for the ceremony, hosted by Nobody Wants This actor Kristen Bell, live on Netflix on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 8 p.m. Et / 5 p.m. Pt.

A Complete Unknown

Anora

Conclave

Emilia Pérez

Wicked

Adrien Brody, The Brutalist  

Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown

Daniel Craig, Queer

Colman Domingo, Sing Sing

Ralph Fiennes, Conclave

Pamela Anderson, The Last Showgirl

Cynthia Erivo, Wicked

Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez

Mikey Madison, Anora

Demi Moore, The Substance

Jonathan Bailey, Wicked Yura Borisov,...

The Directors Guild Awards, which includes assistant directors and production managers in its voting body, tends to go more mainstream and American than the Oscars’ more tony and international-leaning Directors Branch. Thus, the international DGA nominees Jacques Audiard (Netflix’s European Film Awards and Golden Globes Musical winner “Emilia Pérez“) and Edward Berger (Focus’ “Conclave”) are likely repeats at the Oscars, along with SAG acting nominees Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, and Ralph Fiennes.

Among the international directors, French-Canadian Denis Villeneuve was expected to land a DGA spot for desert epic “Dune: Part Two.” Why didn’t he, after landing a DGA nomination for “Part One”? It’s possibly because “Part Two” is perceived as a sequel, and even though it winds up a two-part story, because a third “Dune” film is in the offing, voters may wait for the finale.

Oscar perennial Mike Leigh may wind up a local...

It’ll be non fisticuffs round between Jacques Audiard, Sean Baker and Brady Corbet. and it’s worth mentioning the Oscars aren’t too far behind. The Directors Guild of America (DGA) nominations are out and among the group of five we also find Edward Berger and James Mangold in competition for the Best Director award. While Anora didn’t pick up any awards at the Golden Globes it’s widely understood that he might have a chance at grabbing this award. In the First-Time filmmaker category we find Payal Kapadia — which means the winners of Palme d’Or (Anora), Grand Prix (All We Imagine as Light) and Jury Prize (Emilia Pérez) are all present here.…...

The 2025 Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations sent a shockwave through the Oscars race, boosting top contenders like Anora, A Complete Unknown, Emilia Pérez, and Wicked while dealing potentially trajectory-altering blows to Sing Sing, Angelina Jolie, and Denzel Washington.

Here’s what the SAG Awards nominations mean for the Oscars.

Anora is back – but maybe it never left

After the Golden Globes blanked Anora on Sunday, it felt like Sean Baker’s madcap comedy might not pay off its status as an early Best Picture frontrunner. But the actors’ guild gave the Neon film a jolt, scoring nominations for ensemble, Film Actress for Mikey Madison, and Film Supporting Actor for Yura Borisov. Madison was long considered a lock in the Gold Derby odds, and Anora hung on to the fifth position before the nomination announcement. But the Borisov nomination was a surprise (he had been in seventh place in the odds). The Russian star,...

The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has revealed its nominees for the upcoming 2025 awards, and it’s a high-stakes Oscar season, proven by the notable snubs and surprises. The five filmmakers contending for the prestigious DGA Award for Directorial Achievement in Feature Film are the following:

Jacques Audiard for “Emilia Pérez” Sean Baker for “Anora” Edward Berger for “Conclave” Brady Corbet for “The Brutalist” James Mangold for “A Complete Unknown”

It’s a category entirely of first-time DGA nominees. Most notably, this is significant for Mangold, who nabbed the first of his career for the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” which continues to pick up momentum coming after its haul at the SAG Awards noms. After helming films like “Walk the Line” (2005), “Logan” (2017) and “Ford v Ferrari” (2019), this piece of notoriety seemed long overdue.

This is also huge for German auteur Berger, who missed out on a director nom...

Jacques Audiard, Sean Baker, Edward Berger, Brady Corbet and James Mangold have been nominated as the best feature film directors of 2024 by the Directors Guild of America, which announced its movie nominations on Wednesday.

Audiard was nominated for “Emilia Pérez,” Baker for “Anora,” Berger for “Conclave,” Corbet for “The Brutalist” and Mangold for “A Complete Unknown.”

The nominations make “Anora,” “A Complete Unknown,” “Conclave” and “Emilia Pérez” the only films to be nominated in the top category by both of the major guilds that announced on Wednesday, the Directors Guild and the Screen Actors Guild. “The Brutalist” was not nominated in SAG’s ensemble category, while “Wicked” was nominated for SAG’s cast award but not for director Jon M. Chu.

Other directors who didn’t make the DGA list include Coralie Fargeat for “The Substance” and Denis Villeneuve for “Dune: Part Two.”

In the category for first-time feature directors,...

The SAG Awards’ 2025 nominations have not made an already up-in-the-air Oscar race much clearer.

While there was much anticipation that “Wicked” would fare well with the voting body composed of Screen Actors Guild members, star Jonathan Bailey being nominated for Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture is not something that was on too many people’s radars.

Even more of a curveball are the nominations for “The Last Showgirl” stars Pamela Anderson and Jamie Lee Curtis, even if hindsight being 20/20, it has been evident how well liked the pair are by their peers. Remember, the SAG Awards are what teed up Curtis to win her Oscar for “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” in what was a close race between her, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” star Angela Bassett, and “The Banshees of Inisherin” breakout Kerry Condon.

All of this is to say, while the rest of the...

The National Board of Review Awards gala, held Tuesday night at Manhattan’s Cipriani 42nd St., gathered the talents behind some of the most talked-about films of 2024.

Ryan Reynolds stepped out to present the best film award to “Wicked” at the star-studded gala, marking his first public outing since his wife, Blake Lively, filed a formal complaint against her “It Ends With Us” co-star and director, Justin Baldoni.

“‘Wicked’ is indeed wicked. It dares to center two powerful women. It examines a nuanced, complex relationship which has resonated with people for over two decades on stage,” Reynolds said on stage. “Stories about women seem to be held to a different set of standards, and that is to say that they’re often held to the standard women are held to in life. You must be perfect. You must hide your strength. You must shape-shift or placate. But Donna Langley and Universal,...

The Oscar nomination voting began Wednesday morning, and almost 10,000 Academy members must choose nominees from a large and competitive pool. This awards season is very uncertain because there isn’t a clear favorite like there has been in the past.

The voting started at the same time that the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) nominations were made public, making the race even more complicated. ” Wicked got five SAG nominations, which put it in first place. In recent years, films like Oppenheimer and Everything, Everywhere, All at Once were early favorites, but this year’s competition is still very close.

“Emilia Pérez,” “Conclave,” “Anora,” “Wicked,” and “The Brutalist” are some of the films that have emerged as major contenders. Despite receiving positive reviews and a SAG Best Actor nomination for Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist” notably did not receive SAG ensemble nominations. Some people point out that movies like “Nomadland” and “The Shape of Water...

In a year full of bold cinematic achievements, many of the stories attracting awards attention are driven by their filmmakers’ consuming passion not just to direct but write them as well. Their identification of projects demanding to be brought to life in a very specific aesthetic key — from page to screen — imbues the resulting work with unique personality and hopefully deeper emotional connections from audiences.

Among a wide spectrum of visions drawn from deep personal investment, Mohammad Rasoulof’s drama “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” revolves around a family man and judge in Tehran’s Revolutionary Court contending with personal and societal unrest during a period of nationwide political protests. To amplify the story’s intensity, Rasoulof blended images of real Iranian protests into his fictional narrative, prompting anger from Iranian authorities who sentenced him to an eight-year prison sentence, forcing the filmmaker into exile.

Rasoulof says that storytellers...

Daniel Craig will be honoured with the Dilys Powell award for excellence in film at the 45th London Critics’ Circle film awards on February 2.

The actor is also nominated at the awards for his role in Luca Guadagnino’s Queer where he plays a heroin-addicted American expat who falls in love with a young man recently discharged from the Navy. The film premiered at last year’s Venice Film Festival.

Craig has previously been honoured by the group for The Mother (2003) and Enduring Love (2024).

Rich Cline, chair of the Critics’ Circle film section, said: “Over the decades, [Craig] has consistently made...

Actors are finally ready to take center stage in awards season.

The SAG Awards are routinely viewed as a key precursor in the Oscars race because the acting branch is the largest group in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. Recent Best Picture winners that took first steps toward history at the SAG Awards with ensemble cast wins include Parasite, Coda, and Everything Everywhere All at Once.

This year, the SAG Awards nominated several top Oscar contenders, including Wicked (five nominations), A Complete Unknown (four nominations), Anora (three nominations), and Emilia Perez (three nominations). Read on for the full list of SAG Awards nominee and everything to know about the 2025 ceremony.

When are the SAG Awards?

The 2025 SAG Awards occur on Sunday, Feb. 23, beginning at 8 p.m. Et/5 p.m. Pt. The ceremony streams live on Netflix for the second consecutive year. This year’s host is Kristen Bell,...

When cinematographer Drew Daniels reunited with “Red Rocket” director Sean Baker for “Anora,” he wanted to create a blend between formalism and neorealism, in which the visual language would be precise yet allow plenty of room for the actors to explore and find the kinds of truthful moments for which Baker’s films are known.

“When someone says, ‘I didn’t notice the camera’ or ‘It looks like you didn’t even light anything,’ that’s the ultimate compliment,” Daniels told IndieWire. “I really like hearing that because it means that it just felt real.”

Daniels says the goal all along was to make “Anora” look “natural and effortless,” but a lot of work went into creating the illusion that the action was caught on the fly. One of the film’s key set pieces, a lengthy home invasion sequence shot on location in a real house, is a case in point.

Letterboxd, the cinephile social platform that’s become perhaps the most effective tool for independent film in a landscape where moviegoers are hard to reach, hit 17 million members in 2024.

That’s a big jump from 11.4 million at the end of 2023 and 1.8 million in 2020, according to the New Zealand-based platform’s 2024 Year In Review published today.

A new member joins Letterboxd every five seconds, it said of the hub for film fans to discover, discuss and share favorites. In 2024, those members wrote 96.4 million reviews, marked 701 million films watched, and made 6.8 million lists, a popular feature.

Perhaps most importantly, it’s a now a key driver of the indie box office with distributors frequently citing Letterboxd when opening a film theatrically. A24 gave a shout-out to the platform for the strong limited debut of Brady Corbet’s Golden Globe winning The Brutalist in December.

Letterboxd, launched in 2012 by Auckland tech entrepreneurs Matthew Buchanan and Karl von Randow,...

Update: The Academy has extended the nomination voting period by two days to Tuesday, Jan. 14, at 5 p.m. Pt. As a result, this year’s nominations for the 97th Oscars will be revealed on Sunday, Jan. 19.

Oscar nomination voting is now officially open.

As of 9 a.m. Pt, members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences can officially cast their ballots for the 2024 Oscar nominations. With voting open for the next five days, every twist, turn, and headline in the awards race will be magnified in what’s shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable seasons in recent memory.

The nearly 10,000 eligible Academy members now face the daunting task of sifting through a year brimming with cinematic achievements. From box office blockbusters to festival darlings, the race offers no shortage of contenders—and no single film has emerged as the definitive frontrunner.

Adding to the excitement,...

As much of Los Angeles burns, it’s hard to think of anything else. But this morning, as Oscar nominations voting opened, SAG-AFTRA announced its nominees for the 31st SAG Awards, so we might as well take a look at what and who the acting guild’s nominating committee — made up of 2,500 members selected from the overall membership of some 160,000 — chose to highlight and ignore.

Not surprisingly, the guild, which leans more populist than most other awards groups, wholeheartedly embraced two acclaimed blockbusters: Universal’s Broadway adaptation Wicked, with a field-leading five noms (including one for stunts!), and Searchlight’s Bob Dylan drama A Complete Unknown, with four. Both films’ tallies included multiple individual acting noms — including far-from-assured noms for supporting actor Jonathan Bailey for the former, and supporting actor Edward Norton and supporting actress Monica Barbaro for the latter — as well as noms for best ensemble, which many treat...

For 17 million film fans on Letterboxd, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two was the spice of 2024.

The popular movie-reviewing app has published its annual year in review, a ranking of the most popular and beloved films of the past 12 months, as determined by user ratings. Villeneuve’s sci-fi blockbuster topped the charts as the highest-rated, most popular, and most obsessively rewatched film of 2024. Unsurprisingly, the Canadian helmer was also Letterboxd’s most-watched director of the year. The site’s users ranked the sequel to Villeneuve’s 2021 Dune: Part One even higher than the original, giving Dune: Part 2 a 4.4 out of 5 average rating, compared to 3.9 for the first movie.

“I’m gonna sleep well tonight,” said director Denis Villeneuve in response to the news. “The idea that there’s a community, the Letterboxd community of film lovers, cinephiles, that are sharing film lists and their love and their passion, it...

Demi Moore and Adrien Brody, as well as Ralph Fiennes and Karla Sofía Gascón are among lead acting nominees announced by SAG Awards on Wednesday morning.

Lead female acting nominees include Cynthia Erivo, a lead in Wicked which leads the way on five nominations, Pamela Anderson for The Last Showgirl, and Mikey Madison for Anora.

Brazil’s Fernanda Torres, a Globe winner last Sunday for I’m Not Here, did not make the cut. Other omissions include Nicole Kidman for Babygirl, Denzel Washington for Gladiator II, Angelina Jolie for Maria,and Golden Globe winner Sebastian Stan for A Different Man.

The...

“Wicked,” Universal’s Broadway musical adaptation, and FX/Hulu’s “Shogun,” a drama series set in feudal Japan, dominated the 2025 Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations, collecting five nods apiece to lead the film and TV races. The announcement comes three days after the Golden Globes and on the day Oscar nomination voting opens, and it delivered its share of jaw-dropping surprises and well-deserved recognition for some of the awards season’s top contenders.

“Wicked” soared to historic heights, tying for the most nominations in SAG history with five mentions. This achievement places the Jon M. Chu-directed adaptation of the Broadway sensation in an elite company alongside previous five-time nominees like “Shakespeare in Love” (1998), “Chicago” (2002), “Doubt” (2008), “The Banshees of Inisherin” (2022), and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (2022). Of those, “Shakespeare,” “Chicago,” and “Everything Everywhere” went on to win the SAG Award for best cast ensemble before clinching the Academy Award for best picture.

Wicked and Shogun dominated the 2025 Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations on Wednesday, each landing five nominations — including unexpected acting bids for supporting actors Jonathan Bailey (Wicked) and Tadanobu Asano (Shogun). The full list of nominations can be found below.

Wicked ruled the film side, tying a SAG Awards record for film nominations. The Universal musical received recognition for its acting and stunt ensembles and individual nominations for stars Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, and Bailey.

Just behind with four nominations is the Bob Dylan film A Complete Unknown, which landed an ensemble nomination and individual citations for star Timothee Chalamet and supporting actors Edward Norton and Monica Barbaro.

Netflix’s top contender, Emilia Perez, received three nominations: ensemble, Film Actress for Karla Sofia Gascon, and Film Supporting Actress for Zoe Saldana.

Neon’s Anora also received three nominations: ensemble, Film Actress for Mikey Madison, and Film Supporting Actor for Yura Borisov.

The London Film Critics’ Circle will hand Daniel Craig the Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film, the organization’s top honor, at this year’s London Critics’ Circle Film Awards.

“This is such an immense honor and I’m incredibly grateful to the London Film Critics’ Circle,” Craig said of the award.

Last year, the London critics presented the Dilys Powell Award to Jeffrey Wright. Recent recipients have included Michelle Yeoh, Sandy Powell, Sally Potter, Pedro Almodovar, and Kate Winslet.

At the 2024 ceremony, Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest and Andrew Haigh’s All of Us Strangers won three awards each. Colman Domingo received the inaugural Derek Malcolm Award for Innovation, which will be presented to Zoe Saldaña at this year’s ceremony. Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist and Sean Baker’s Anora lead the Critics’ Circle nominees.

Craig is this year on the awards circuit with Queer by Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino.