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‘The Zone of Interest’ Wins Best Picture at Los Angeles Film Critics Awards, Four Women Take Acting Prizes (Full Winners List)

Clayton Davis
·7-min read

Women and international movies dominated the Los Angeles Film Critics Awards.

Jonathan Glazer’s grimly methodical historical drama “The Zone of Interest,” loosely based on the 2014 novel by Martin Amis, took home three prizes including best picture, directing, music for Mica Levi and a shared mention for Sandra Hüller, who shared her leading performance win with her other international film “Anatomy of a Fall.”

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Since 2000, only four of LAFCA’s selections for best picture failed to garner an Oscar nod for best picture — “About Schmidt” (2002), “American Splendor” (2003), “WALL-E” (2008) and “Small Axe” (2020). In the same timeframe, five films have gone on to win the Oscar for best picture: “The Hurt Locker” (2009), “Spotlight” (2015), “Moonlight” (2016), “Parasite” (2019) and last year’s “Everything Everywhere.”

The 49-year-old organization has been a strong bellwether for the Academy Awards. Since 2009, only one LAFCA winner for director has failed to garner an Oscar nom – Debra Granik for “Leave No Trace” (2018). Six of LAFCA’s choices in the same time frame have gone on to win the Oscar for directing – Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker”), Alfonso Cuarón (“Gravity”), Guillermo del Toro (“The Shape of Water”), Bong Joon-ho (“Parasite”), Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”) and Jane Campion (“The Power of the Dog”).

Four undisputed powerhouse performers won the lead and supporting prizes in the acting categories, marking the second year for non-gendered categories. Alongside Hüller was Emma Stone for her work as Bella Baxter, a woman brought back to life by a scientist in Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things.” Lanthimos was also the runner-up in directing.

Hüller’s win for “Anatomy of a Fall” was one of three for Justine Triet’s courtroom drama, which also won foreign language film and a surprising editing statuette.

Zone of Interest
Zone of Interest

In the supporting performance race, that win was shared between the critical sweeper (thus far) Da’Vine Joy Randolph from “The Holdovers” and Rachel McAdams for her work in “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.”

McAdams received the most significant boost to her campaign for her remarkable work as a mother estranged from her Christian parents. Coming off her Gotham nod, this provides momentum leading into a week that will reveal the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards nominations.

Last year’s initial change to gender-neutral resulted in three of the four winners receiving Oscar noms, except for Dolly De Leon for “Triangle of Sadness.” Looking before the gender-neutral change, the LAFCA-Oscar agreement was typically on point. Ten of the last 13 years’ worth of supporting actress picks went on to receive Oscar nominations. In lead actress, only one year less with three winners among them – Jennifer Lawrence (“Silver Linings Playbook”), Cate Blanchett (“Blue Jasmine”) and Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”). Technically, it’s four, with Patricia Arquette winning lead at LAFCA for “Boyhood” but winning supporting for Oscar.

Adding to the surprise-filled afternoon was the runner-up mention for Lily Gladstone in “Killers of the Flower Moon” in the supporting category, despite being campaigned for lead consideration for awards season. Could potential category confusion or a switch by the Academy be in the early stages? The Oscars can vote for an actor in any category of their choice, which has led to shocking category noms such as Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (2008), who went on to win the Oscar for best actress. Gladstone has won lead at the National Board of Review, New York and Boston Society of Film Critics, also announced on Sunday.

L.A. Film Critics showed much love for international titles among its winners. Andrew Haigh’s supernatural drama “All of Us Strangers” landed a clutch win for best screenplay. In the expanded best picture era (after 2009), every LAFCA screenplay selection has been translated to Oscar’s attention. Those include five Oscar winners – “The Social Network” (2010) and “Argo” (2012) in adapted screenplay and “Spotlight” (2015), “Get Out” (2017) and “Promising Young Woman” (2020) in original screenplay. The runner-up mention for star Andrew Scott for best lead performance also helps.

Frederick Wiseman’s “Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros,” a four-hour look inside a three-Michelin star French restaurant, mimicked its New York Film Critics win for best non-fiction film.

Last year, the West Coast organization had two films tied for its top prize. Todd Field’s psychological drama “Tár” and the eventual best picture-winning dramedy “Everything Everywhere All at Once” from the Daniels.

Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories.

This marks the second year for gender-neutral acting categories by the critics’ group. Three out of the four acting winners last year received Oscar noms — Bill Nighy (“Living”), Cate Blanchett (“Tár”) and Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere”) — with Dolly DeLeon’s work in “Triangle of Sadness” failing to make the cut.

The honorees will be celebrated at the annual banquet on Jan. 13, 2024.

The full list of winners is below, along with the selections from the Boston (who awarded “The Holdovers”) and Washington D.C. Film Critics (loving “American Fiction”).

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Winners

Best Picture: “The Zone of Interest” (A24)

Runner-up: “Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures)

Best Director: Jonathan Glazer — “The Zone of Interest” (A24)

Runner-up: Yorgos Lanthimos — “Poor Things” (Searchlight Pictures)

Leading Performances: Sandra Hüller, “Anatomy of a Fall” (Neon) and “The Zone of Interest” (A24); Emma Stone, “Poor Things” (Searchlight Pictures)

Runners-up: Andrew Scott, “All of Us Strangers” (Searchlight Pictures); Jeffrey Wright, “American Fiction” (MGM)

Supporting Performances: Rachel McAdams, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” (Lionsgate); Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers” (Focus Features)

Runners-up: Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films/Paramount Pictures); Ryan Gosling, “Barbie” (Warner Bros.)

Best Screenplay: “All of Us Strangers” (Searchlight Pictures) — Andrew Haigh

Runner-up: “May December” (Netflix) — Samy Burch

Best Cinematography: “Poor Things” (Searchlight Pictures) — Robbie Ryan

Runner-up: “Barbie” (Warner Bros.) and “Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films/Paramount Pictures) — Rodrigo Prieto

Best Editing: “Anatomy of a Fall” (Neon) — Laurent Sénéchal

Runner-up: “All of Us Strangers” (Searchlight Pictures) — Jonathan Alberts

Best Production Design: “Barbie” (Warner Bros.) — Sarah Greenwood

Runner-up: “Poor Things” (Searchlight Pictures) — Shona Heath, James Price

Best Music Score: “The Zone of Interest” (A24) — Mica Levi (with special recognition of the contribution of sound designer Johnnie Burn)

Runner-up: “Barbie” (Warner Bros.) — Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt

Best Foreign Language: “Anatomy of a Fall” (Neon)

Runner-up: “Tótem”

Best Documentary/Non-Fiction Film: “Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros” (Zipporah Films) — dir. Frederick Wiseman

Runner-up: “The Eternal Memory” (MTV Documentary Films)

Best Animation: “The Boy and the Heron” (GKids)

Runner-up: “Robot Dreams” (Neon)

New Generation Award: Celine Song for “Past Lives” (A24)

Douglas Edwards Experimental Film Prize: “Youth (Spring)” — Wang Bing

Career Achievement Award: Agnieszka Holland

Boston Society of Film Critics Winners

  • Best Picture: “The Holdovers” (Focus Features)

  • Director: Jonathan Glazer – “The Zone of Interest” (A24)

  • Actor: Paul Giamatti – “The Holdovers” (Focus Features)

  • Actress: Lily Gladstone – “Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films/Paramount Pictures)

  • Supporting Actor: Ryan Gosling – “Barbie” (Warner Bros.)

  • Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph – “The Holdovers” (Focus Features)

  • Original Screenplay: “The Holdovers” (Focus Features) – David Hemingson

  • Adapted Screenplay: “The Zone of Interest” (A24) – Jonathan Glazer

  • Animated Film: “The Boy and the Heron” (GKids)

  • Cinematography: “The Taste of Things” (IFC Films/Sapan Studios) – Jonathan Ricquebourg

  • Editing: “Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films/Paramount Pictures) – Thelma Schoonmaker

  • Original Score: “Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films/Paramount Pictures) – Robbie Robertson

  • Documentary: “Geographies of Solitude”

  • New Filmmaker: Celine Song – “Past Lives” (A24)

Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Winners

  • Best Picture: “American Fiction” (MGM)

  • Director: Christopher Nolan – “Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures)

  • Actor: Cillian Murphy – “Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures)

  • Actress: Lily Gladstone – “Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films/Paramount Pictures)

  • Supporting Actor: Charles Melton – “May December” (Netflix)

  • Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph – “The Holdovers” (Focus Features)

  • Original Screenplay: “Past Lives” (A24) – Celine Song

  • Adapted Screenplay: “American Fiction” (MGM) – Cord Jefferson

  • Animated Feature: “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (Sony Pictures)

  • Production Design: “Barbie” (Warner Bros.)

  • Cinematography: “Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures)

  • Editing: “Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures)

  • Original Score: “Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures)

  • Acting Ensemble: “Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures)

  • Youth Performance: Dominic Sessa – “The Holdovers” (Focus Features)

  • Voice Performance: Shameik Moore – “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (Sony Pictures)

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