Franglais27 Tales

It always seems surprising just how quickly the autumn film festival season blends into awards season. As the nights grow colder and darker, more and more For Your Consideration (‘FYC’) screenings take their place to start the process of casting votes for eligible films watched over the course of the year, to submit for awards.

This is generally a busy period, but the awards from the Women Film Critics Circle (‘WFCC’) tend to be amongst the earliest critics circles to designate their nominated films and announce their award winning films towards the end of the film year in December.

2023 has differed in relation to the number of films eligible, given the writers and actors strikes and the decision for some film release dates to be delayed. However, this has also provided an opportunity for more exposure for those independent films and films by women that were permitted to continue their filming and release schedule. This will, undoubtedly, be reflected in a diverse selection of films available for this year’s awards and aligns with the principles of WFCC.

I was therefore pleased to be part of this year’s Nominating Committee for the WFCC awards.

The Women Film Critics Circle was founded in 2004 as the first critics group entirely composed of women to advocate recognition of the female lens and representation of women’s perspectives in film.

On Monday 18 December 2023, the winners of the 2023 WFCC Awards have been announced.

This year’s winners have ranged from musical adaptations of fictional novels to celebrating a strong female, platonic relationship. The categories extend beyond the traditional awards as well to recognise those films opposing violence against women with the Adrienne Shelley award. Plus, there are awards for women from under-represented backgrounds with the Josephine Baker award. Activism is also celebrated within the Acting and Activism Award.

The 2023 winners are here:


BEST MOVIE ABOUT WOMEN

WINNER: Barbie
RUNNER-UP: Poor Things
A Thousand and One
The Color Purple
Origin

BEST MOVIE BY A WOMAN

WINNER: Past Lives – Celine Song
RUNNER-UP: Saltburn – Emerald Fennell
Anatomy of a Fall – Justine Triet
Origin – Ava DuVernay

BEST WOMAN STORYTELLER (Screenwriting Award)

WINNER: Past Lives – Celine Song
RUNNER-Up: Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret – Kelly Fremon Craig
Origin – Ava DuVernay
Saltburn – Emerald Fennell

BEST ACTRESS

WINNER: Emma Stone – Poor Things
RUNNER-UP: Annette Bening – Nyad
Aunjanue Ellis – Origin
Helen Mirren – Golda
Teyana Taylor – A Thousand and One

BEST ACTOR

WINNER: Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer
RUNNER-UP: Charles Melton -May December
Colman Domingo – Rustin
Gael Garcia Bernal – Cassandro

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

WINNER: Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers
RUNNER-UP: Julianne Moore – May December
Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple
Jodie Foster – Nyad

BEST FOREIGN FILM BY OR ABOUT WOMEN

WINNER: Anatomy of a Fall
RUNNER-UP: Four Daughters
Other People’s Children
The Teacher’s Lounge

BEST DOCUMENTARY BY OR ABOUT WOMEN

WINNER: To Kill A Tiger
RUNNER-UP: Take Care of Maya
Beyond Utopia
The Deepest Breath

BEST EQUALITY OF THE SEXES

WINNER: Barbie
RUNNER-UP: Golda
Nyad
Rye Lane

BEST ANIMATED FEMALE

WINNER: Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
RUNNER-UP (TIE): Ember Lumen (Leah Lewis) – Elemental
RUNNER UP (TIE): Nimona (Chloe Grace Moretz) – Nimona

BEST SCREEN COUPLE

WINNER: Annette Bening & Jodie Foster – Nyad
RUNNER-UP: Greta Lee & John Magaro – Past Lives
David Jonsson & Vivian Oparah – Rye Lane
Haley Lu Richardson & Ben Hardy -Love at First Sight

BEST TV SERIES

WINNER: Lessons in Chemistry
RUNNER-UP: A Small Light
The Morning Show
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

*ADRIENNE SHELLY AWARD – For a film that most passionately opposes violence against women

WINNER: The Color Purple
RUNNER-UP: The Royal Hotel
Barbie
Shayda

*JOSEPHINE BAKER AWARD – For best expressing the woman of color experience in America

WINNER: Killers of the Flower Moon
RUNNER-UP: The Color Purple
A Thousand and One
Origin

*KAREN MORLEY AWARD – For best exemplifying a woman’s place in history or society, and a courageous search for identity

WINNER: Killers of the Flower Moon
RUNNER-UP: The Color Purple
A Thousand and One
Barbie

ACTING AND ACTIVISM AWARD

Lee Grant

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Dolly Parton