‘The Substance’ Named Best Picture by Seattle Film Critics Society

Seattle, WA – Seattle Film Critics Society (“SFCS”) announced the winners in 21 categories for the 2024 Seattle Film Critics Society Awards on Monday, December 16, 2024.

The Substance was named the Best Picture of 2024. Written and directed by Coralie Fargeat, the satirical body-swapping evisceration of self-loathing and beauty standards premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this spring where it was picked up by MUBI. With fearless performances from Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley (who won Best Supporting Actress), and Dennis Quaid, the film’s potent body horror message lodged itself firmly into the imaginations of Seattle audiences and critics.

“For the second year in a row, we chose a film directed by a woman, the visually audacious, yet heartbreaking Cannes sensation The Substance, as Best Picture,” noted SFCS President Kathy Fennessy. “It’s also the first time body horror has taken the top spot, while the rest of our winners spanned genres and cultures, from a blockbuster American musical to a devastating Palestinian-Israeli documentary.”

For its third year honoring exceptional filmmaking from the region, SFCS honored Rainier: A Beer Odyssey with Best Pacific Northwest Film. Written and directed by Isaac Olsen, the documentary boasts mountains of archival footage of beloved ads to chronicle the creativity that arose in Seattle during Boeing’s retreat from the city in the 1970s. In partnership with SIFF, SFCS held public screenings of all five Pacific Northwest Award nominees, most with filmmakers in attendance, at Seattle’s SIFF Film Center.

Additionally, SFCS recognized two local filmmakers for their outstanding work. For over a decade, Megan Leonard and Carlos A.F. Lopez have amassed numerous credits as directors, producers, and programmers, most associated with short films and music videos, culminating in this year’s terrifying Dream Creep, the Leonard-produced, Lopez-directed, Oscar-qualifying horror short now streaming exclusively on MUBI. SFCS’s Special Citation pays tribute to their invaluable efforts.  In November, SFCS presented their annual John Hartl PNW Spotlight Award to Kyle MacLachlan at SIFF Cinema Downtown before a screening of the cult classic The Hidden. The actor paid tribute to Hartl and took part in a post-screening Q&A with SFCS Vice President Chase Hutchinson about his career.

Anora, Sean Baker’s story of a sex worker’s whirlwind romance with a Russian oligarch’s heir, was honored with the most awards: Sean Baker for Best Director and Best Screenplay, Mikey Madison as Best Lead Actress for her outstanding performance in the title role, as well as recognition for the film’s Ensemble Cast.

George Miller’s Fury Road prequel, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, received three awards: Best Editing, Best Action Choreography, and Villain of the Year for Chris Hemsworth’s raucous turn as Wasteland warlord and Biker Horde founder Dementus.

Other acting honors went to Colman Domingo (Lead Actor) and Clarence Maclin (Supporting Actor) for their portrayal of inmates participating in the transformative Rehabilitation Through the Arts theater program in Sing Sing. Additionally, Izaac Wang was awarded Best Youth Performance for his role as an adolescent exploring his identity through emerging social media and skate filmmaking during one tumultuous 2008 summer in Dìdi (弟弟).

Nickel Boys, RaMell Ross’s daring interpretation of Colson Whitehead’s 2019 novel inspired by real-life atrocities at the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Florida was honored for Jomo Fray’s immersive Cinematography. Elsewhere, The Brutalist’s expansive examination of post-war America through the lens of a Hungarian immigrant architect was recognized for Best Production Design.

Box-office standouts Dune: Part Two and Wicked did not go home empty-handed. Denis Villeneuve’s return to the revolutionary sands of Arrakis was awarded Best Visual Effects and John M. Chu’s adaptation of the hit Broadway musical was recognized for Best Costume Design. Finally, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s pulsating club soundtrack to Challengers, Luca Guadagnino’s torrid tennis love triangle, was named best Original Score.

No Other Land, the harrowing account by a collective of Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers providing a ground’s-eye view of decades of military incursions into one village in the West Bank, was named Best Documentary. Evil Does Not Exist, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s experimental portrait of a quiet village’s response to a proposed glamping project was awarded Best International Feature. The Wild Robot, a heart-swelling young adult adaptation of an unlikely cross-species friendship, was chosen as Best Animated Film.