Christopher Nolan’s chronicle of the Manhattan Project also earned Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Ensemble, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Score
Monday, December 18, 2023 – The Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA) has named Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer as the Best Picture of the Year. SEFCA’s eighty-nine members located across nine Southeastern states also recognized Christopher Nolan for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. Additionally, the film earned Best Actor for Cillian Murphy, Best Supporting Actor for Robert Downey, Jr. and Best Ensemble for its star-studded cast that includes Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Aldren Ehrenreich, Jason Clarke, Tom Conti, Josh Hartnett, Kenneth Branagh and others. Behind the camera Oppenheimer took the top prizes for Best Cinematography (Hoyte Van Hoytema) and Best Score (Ludwig Goransson).
“This fall featured three big films from three grandmasters of cinema,” said SEFCA President Scott Phillips. “Martin Scorsese released Killers of the Flower Moon. Ridley Scott brought Napoleon to the big screen and Michael Mann hits theaters next week with Ferrari. Despite this bumper crop from heavy-hitting auteurs, Christopher Nolan’s film from six months ago is walked away with eight SEFCA awards. Oppenheimer is a stunning cinematic achievement. Our members recognized that in July, and they rewarded it in December.”
When asked about the film year that was 2023, SEFCA Vice President Jim Farmer said, “2023 will be remembered by many as the year that featured the commercial, critical and cultural phenomenon known as Barbenheimer. But it was also a season that offered a stunning amount of high-quality films, with master filmmakers near the top of their games, fresher faces making strong impressions and performers showing new dimensions. It was a pleasure to take in all that 2023 had to offer.”
Those “fresher faces” include writer/director Celine Song whose debut feature, Past Lives, lands at # 4 on SEFCA’s Top 10 of 2023, and writer/director Cord Jefferson with his debut feature, American Fiction, placing seventh in the SEFCA Top 10. The diverse list also includes an animated film (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) and two foreign films (Anatomy of a Fall, The Zone of Interest).
Read SEFCA’s full list of winners below. Visit SEFCA on the web at SEFCA.net to learn more about its members as well as past winners. You can also follow SEFCA on Twitter at @SEFilmCritics.
SEFCA’S TOP 10 FILMS OF 2023 ARE:
BEST FILMS: I. Oppenheimer, 2 Killers of the Flower Moon, 3. The Holdovers, 4. Past Lives, 5. Barbie, 6. Poor Things, 7. American Fiction, 8. Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse, 9. Anatomy of a Fall, 10. The Zone of Interest
BEST ACTOR: Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer; BEST ACTRESS: Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon; BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Robert Downey, Jr., Oppenheimer; BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers; BEST ENSEMBLE CAST: Oppenheimer; BEST DIRECTOR: Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer; BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: David Hemingson, The Holdovers; BEST ADAPETED SCREENPLAY: Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer; BEST DOCUMENTARY: Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie; BEST ANIMATED FILM: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse; BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM: Anatomy of a Fall; BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Hoyte Van Hoytema, Oppenheimer; BEST MUSICAL SCORE: Ludwig Goransson, Oppenheimer
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
