Brady Corbet’s post-war epic The Brutalist leads all nominees for the 18th annual awards from the Houston Film Critics Society with nine, including Best Picture, Director, and Actor (Adrien Brody).
Following closely with eight noms is Conclave, Edward Berger’s tale of palace papal intrigue, which was nominated for Best Picture, Actor (Ralph Fiennes), and Supporting Actress (Isabella Rossellini).
Last month, the HFCS also announced its nominees for the Texas Independent Film Awards which honor films made in Texas:
This year’s nominees explore a complex relationship between a forgotten music star and a delivery driver in Deliveries from Eva; a former YouTube star trying to find her place in an unfriendly world in The Ego Death of Queen Cecilia; a rapper’s journey into himself and his music in Lost Soulz; the magic created by Houston 101 KLOL in Runaway Radio; and the impact of the city’s Black music scene in When Houston Had the Blues.
Three other movies clocked in with six nominations, including Best Picture: Sean Baker’s obnoxiously outrageous Anora, Denis Villeneuve’s vast desert sequel, Dune: Part Two, and the inescapable big screen adaptation of Wicked.
All winners will be announced by the Society on January 14, 2025. For more information about the HFCS and its members, go to houstonfilmcritics.com
2024 Houston Film Critics Society Nominees
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
Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
Hugh Grant, Heretic
Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown
Best Actress – Leading Role
Angelina Jolie, Maria
Cynthia Erivo, Wicked
Demi Moore, The Substance
Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hard Truths
Mikey Madison, Anora
Best Actor – Supporting Role
Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce, The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice
Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
Yura Borisov, Anora
Best Actress – Supporting Role
Ariana Grande, Wicked
Felicity Jones, The Brutalist
Isabella Rossellini, Conclave
Margaret Qualley, The Substance
Zoë Saldaña, Emilia Perez
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
Daughters
No Other Land
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin
Sugarcane
Union
Will & Harper
Best Foreign Language Feature
All We Imagine As Light
Emilia Pérez
The Seed of the Sacred Fig
I’m Still Here
Kneecap
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 Award
Deliveries from Eva
The Ego Death of Queen Cecilia
Lost Soulz
Runaway Radio
When Houston Had the Blues
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2025.
