Anora Named Best Picture by Houston Film Critics Society

Sean Baker’s Anora has been named Best Picture by the Houston Film Critics Society. The film also picked up wins for Best Actress for Mikey Madison and Best Screenplay.

“Small, intimate, character-driven stories seemed to be the soup du jour favored by many of our members this year,” says Travis Leamons, President of the organization. “2024 may not have been a great cinema year overall, but if you string together the films enjoyed most by the Houston critics you’ll see a year defined by obstacles in one’s pursuit of happiness, virtue, and prosperity. All of which mirror this particular moment in time.”

Winners in bold below.

Best Picture

• Anora
• The Brutalist
• A Complete Unknown
• Conclave
• Dune: Part Two
• Nickel Boys
• A Real Pain
• Sing Sing
• The Substance
• Wicked
  
  Best Director

• Anora – Sean Baker
• The Brutalist – Brady Corbet
• Conclave – Edward Berger
• Dune: Part Two – Denis Villeneuve
• The Substance – Coralie Fargeat
• Wicked – Jon M. Chu

Best Actor – Leading Role

• The Brutalist – Adrien Brody
• A Complete Unknown – Timothée Chalamet
• Conclave – Ralph Fiennes
• Heretic – Hugh Grant
• Sing Sing – Colman Domingo
  
  Best Actress – Leading Role

• Anora – Mikey Madison
• Hard Truths – Marianne Jean-Baptiste
• Maria – Angelina Jolie
• The Substance – Demi Moore
• Wicked – Cynthia Erivo

Best Actor – Supporting Role

• Anora – Yura Borisov
• The Apprentice – Jeremy Strong
• The Brutalist – Guy Pearce
• A Complete Unknown – Edward Norton
• A Real Pain – Kieran Culkin

Best Actress – Supporting Role

• The Brutalist – Felicity Jones
• Conclave – Isabella Rossellini
• Emilia Pérez – Zoë Saldaña
• The Substance – Margaret Qualley
• Wicked – Ariana Grand

Best Screenplay

• Anora – Sean Baker
• The Brutalist – Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold
• Conclave – Peter Straughan
• Nickel Boys – RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes
• A Real Pain – Jesse Eisenberg
• Sing Sing – Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar
  
  Best Animated Feature

• Flow
• Inside Out 2
• Memoir of a Snail
• Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
• The Wild Robot
  
  Best Cinematography

• The Brutalist – Lol Crawley
• Conclave – Stéphane Fontaine
• Dune: Part Two – Greig Fraser
• Nickel Boys – Jomo Fray
• Nosferatu – Jarin Blaschke

Best Documentary Feature

• Daughters
• No Other Land
• The Remarkable Life of Ibelin
• Sugarcane
• Union
• Will & Harper

Best Foreign Language Feature

• All We Imagine As Light
• Emilia Pérez
• I’m Still Here
• Kneecap
• The Seed of the Sacred Fig

Best Original Score

• The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg
• Challengers – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
• Conclave – Volker Bertelmann
• Dune: Part Two – Hans Zimmer
• Emilia Pérez – Clément Ducol
• The Wild Robot – Kris Bowers

Best Original Song

• Challengers – “Compress/Repress”
• Emilia Pérez – “El Mal”
• Sing Sing – “Like a Bird”
• The Wild Robot – “Kiss the Sky”
• Will & Harper – “Harper and Will Go West”

Best Visual Effects

• Alien: Romulus
• Dune: Part Two
• Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
• Nosferatu
• Twisters
• Wicked

Best Stunt Coordination Team

• Deadpool & Wolverine
• Dune: Part Two
• The Fall Guy
• Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
• Gladiator II

Best Ensemble Cast

• Anora
• The Brutalist
• Conclave
• Saturday Night
• Sing Sing
• Wicked

Texas Independent Film of the Year
Deliveries from Eva
The Ego Death of Queen Cecilia
Lost Soulz
Runaway Radio
When Houston Had the Blues