2025 National Society of Film Critics Winners List

The National Society of Film Critics has named Nickel Boys its best picture of 2024.

The film also received runner-up recognition for Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as the best supporting actress, RaMell Ross as best director and received the award for best cinematography.

Colman Domingo took home the prize for best actor for his role in Sing Sing, while Hard Truths star Marianne Jean-Baptiste won best actress. Fellow Hard Truths star Michele Austin was recognized in the best supporting actress category, and Kieran Culkin received the award for best supporting actor for A Real Pain. The film, written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, also won best screenplay.

The best director prize went to Payal Kapadia for All We Imagine As Light, which was also recognized as the best film not in English.

The NSFC was founded in 1966 and is made up of more than 60 critics from outlets across the country. They vote on their selections for best picture, director, actor, actress, supporting actor and actress, screenplay and cinematography annually. Depending on the year, the critics may also hand out awards to the best film not in English, nonfiction film, production design and film heritage.

According to the organization’s Bluesky posts, voting is conducted via a weighted ballot system. On the first ballot, members vote for their top three choices. The nominee that receives the most points and appears on a majority of the ballots wins, the organization explained. If there is no winner decided from the first ballot, the category goes to a second one without any proxies. Voting continues for as long as needed until a nominee receives the majority.

In 2024, Past Lives received the top prize, with May December and The Zone of Interest each receiving two awards.

See the full list of winners below.

Best picture: Nickel Boys
Runners-up:
Anora
All We Imagine As Light

Best actor: Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
Runners-up:
Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Ralph Fiennes, Conclave

Best actress: Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hard Truths
Runners-up:
Mikey Madison, Anora
Ilinca Manolache, Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World

Best supporting actress: Michele Austin, Hard Truths
Runners-up:
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Nickel Boys
Natasha Lyonne, His Three Daughters

Best supporting actor: Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
Runners-up:
Guy Pearce, The Brutalist
Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown
Adam Pearson, A Different Man

Best director: Payal Kapadia, All We Imagine As Light
Runners-up:
RaMell Ross, Nickel Boys
Sean Baker, Anora

Best screenplay: Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain
Runners-up:
Radu Jude, Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World
Sean Baker, Anora

Best cinematography: Jomo Fray, Nickel Boys
Runners-up:
Lol Crawley, The Brutalist
Jarin Blaschke, Nosferatu

Best nonfiction film: No Other Land
Runners-up:
Dahomey
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat

Best foreign-language film: All We Imagine As Light
Runners-up:
Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World
The Seed of the Sacred Fig

Best experimental film: The Ballad of Suzanne Césaire

Film heritage award: Scott Eyman

Film heritage award: IndieCollect

Film heritage award: To Save and Project: The MoMa International Festival of Film Preservation

Special citation for a film awaiting U.S. distribution: No Other Land