Austin Film Critics Association

01/29/2026

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/film-critic-association-president-calls-alamo-drafthouse-mobile-ordering-plan-a-gross-self-inflicted-wound/

The movie theater chain Alamo Drafthouse will soon replace its paper concessions ordering system with a mobile phone interface, a decision that has draw opposition from film critics, staff and cele…

01/26/2026

January 26th, 2026: An Official Statement Regarding the Alamo Drafthouse Change in Policy and Shift to a Mobile-Based Ordering System.

The Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) strongly condemns the Alamo Drafthouse’s plan to implement a mobile-based ordering system during film screenings. “Don’t talk. Don’t text.” has been the D…

12/18/2025

THE AFCA is pleased to announce the recipients of their 2025 Film Awards.

Congratulations to all the nominees and our winners, who reflect a great year of cinema. 🍾🎬

https://austinfilmcritics.org/2025/12/18/2025-austin-film-critics-association-award-winners/

12/10/2025

Wednesday, Dec. 10th – The Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) announced its 2025 awards nominations today.

One Battle After Another and Sinners lead the pack with nominations in 11 categories, including Best Director, Best Picture, Best Score, Best Editing, Best Screenplay (adapted and original respectively), Best Cinematography, and a host of acting categories.

Other films racking up multiple nominations include Marty Supreme (nominations in 8 categories), Weapons (nominations in 4 categories),and The Secret Agent (nominations in 4 categories).

We continue to celebrate new creative talent in our Best First Film category, with nominations for Andrew DeYoung(Friendship), Carson Lund (Eephus), Charlie Polinger, (The Plague), Kristen Stewart, (The Chronology of Water), and Eva Victor (Sorry, Baby). We also celebrate the work of those filmmakers based in our own city of Austin, TX, with this year’s nominees for the Best Austin Film award.

The winners, as voted by our membership, will be unveiled on December 18th.

The AFCA Announces their top picks for the 2025 Awards Season Wednesday, Dec. 10th – The Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) announced its 2025 awards nominations today. One Battl…

08/11/2025

(AUSTIN) - The Austin Film Critics Association is pleased to welcome six new members this year: Sean Boelman, Jacob Ethington, Nathan Flynn, Alix Mammina, Roberto Tyler Ortiz, and Rocco Thompson.

Full Announcement at the Link:

Our roster expands with six new additions AUSTIN, TX — The Austin Film Critics Association is pleased to welcome three new members to our roster in 2025. A committee of current members was convened…

07/01/2025

The AFCA is now welcoming applications for membership through July 31st. We look forward to adding new and distinct voices to our org.
Requirements and submission details at the link below.

The next period for applying to become a member of the Austin Film Critics Association runs from July 1st to July 31st, 2025. Our requirements are as follows: You must reside in Austin, Texas. — Yo…

01/16/2025

Join the AFCA in celebration of our Best Austin Film Award winner SING SING, this sunday at 12:30pm with a special screening with video introduction by director .

Thanks to the fine folk at the AFS Cinema for hosting and A24 for support.

Join us at noon on January 19th at the AFS Cinema, Austin, TX Last week the Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) announced the winners of our 2024 Film Awards. Among their number was a special aw…

01/06/2025

Mon, Jan. 6th - The Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) announces its 2024 awards.

Anora leads the way, winning 5 awards from its 7 nominations - including Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress (Mikey Madison), and Best Supporting Actor (Yura Borisov). Madison was also one of five recipients of this year's Robert R. “Bobby” McCurdy Memorial Breakthrough Award.

Other acting award winners include Colman Domingo as Best Actor for Sing Sing, which also won Best Ensemble, and Margaret Qualley as Best Supporting Actress for The Substance.

The Brutalist, which garnered a standout 10 nominations, secured wins for Best Cinematography and Best Original Score. Other major awards include The Substance for Best Editing, and The Wild Robot winning Best Animated Feature. Will & Harper was awarded Best Documentary, while The Seed of a Sacred Fig won Best International Film. Arkasha Stevenson was the recipient of our Best First Film Award for The First Omen.

Our Best Austin Film Award winner was Sing Sing (dir. Grew Kwedar) which, in addition to the aforementioned acting wins, also picked up an award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

For the full list of winners, including the AFCA Best Austin Film and AFCA Top Ten Films of 2024, follow the link below.

The best of film 2024, as selected by our membership Mon, Jan. 6th – The Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) announces its 2024 awards.  Anora leads the way, winni…

12/27/2024

Fri, Dec. 27th - The Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) announced its 2024 awards nominations today.

https://austinfilmcritics.org/2024/12/27/2024-austin-film-critics-association-award-nominations/

The Brutalist leads the pack with nominations in 10 categories, including Best Director, Best Picture, Best Score, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and a host of acting categories.
Other films racking up multiple nominations include Anora (nominations in 7 categories), Dune: Part Two (nominations in 8 categories), and The Substance (nominations in 7 categories).

We continue to celebrate new creative talent in our Best First Film category, with nominations for Vera Drew (The People's Joker), Zoe Kravitz (Blink Twice), Josh Margolin (Thelma), Arkasha Stevenson (The First Omen), and Sean Wang (Didi). We also celebrate the work of those filmmakers based in our own city of Austin, TX, with this year’s nominees for the Best Austin Film award.

The winners, as voted by our membership, will be unveiled on January 6th.

List of Nominees (all in alphabetical order)

Best Picture:
Anora
The Brutalist
Dune: Part Two
Conclave
Love Lies Bleeding
Nosferatu
Nickel Boys
The Substance
Sing Sing
Wicked

Best Director:
Sean Baker, Anora
Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
Coralie Fargeat, The Substance
Rose Glass, Love Lies Bleeding
Denis Villeneuve, Dune: Part Two

Best Actress:
Pamela Anderson, The Last Showgirl
Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hard Truths
Nicole Kidman, Babygirl
Mikey Madison, Anora
Demi Moore, The Substance

Best Actor:
Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Daniel Craig, Q***r
Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
Hugh Grant, Heretic

Best Supporting Actress:
Danielle Deadwyler, The Piano Lesson
Ariana Grande, Wicked
Felicity Jones, The Brutalist
Katy O'Brian, Love Lies Bleeding
Margaret Qualley, The Substance

Best Supporting Actor:
Yura Borisov, Anora
Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
Clarence Maclin, Sing Sing
Guy Pearce, The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice

Best Ensemble:
Anora
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Sing Sing

Best Original Screenplay:
Sean Baker, Anora
Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold, The Brutalist
Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain
Coralie Fargeat, The Substance
Justin Kuritzkes, Challengers

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Winnie Holzman & Dana Fox, Wicked
Greg Kwedar & Clint Bentley, Sing Sing
RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes, Nickel Boys
Peter Straughan, Conclave
Denis Villeneuve & Jon Spaihts, Dune: Part Two

Best Cinematography:
Jarin Blaschke, Nosferatu
Lol Crawley, The Brutalist
Jomo Fray, Nickel Boys
Greig Frasier, Dune: Part Two
Benjamin Kracun, The Substance

Best Editing:
Sean Baker, Anora
Coralie Fargeat Jérôme Eltabet, & Valentin Féron, The Substance
Dávid Jancsó, The Brutalist
Joe Walker, Dune: Part 2
Hansjörg Weißbrich, September 5

Best Original Score:
Daniel Blumberg, The Brutalist
Kris Bowers, The Wild Robot
Robin Carolan, Nosferatu
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Challengers
Hans Zimmer, Dune: Part 2

Best International Film:
Emilia Perez
Flow
I'm Still Here
Kneecap
The Seed of the Sacred Fig

Best Documentary:
Dahomey
No Other Land
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Will & Harper

Best Animated Film:
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot

Best Voice Acting/Animated/Digital Performance:
Kevin Durand, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Lupita Nyong'o, The Wild Robot
Amy Poehler, Inside Out 2
Sarah Snook, Memoir of a Snail
Robbie Williams/Jonno Davies, Better Man

Best Stunt Work:
Dune: Part Two
The Fall Guy
Furiosa
Kill
Monkey Man

Best First Film:
Vera Drew, The People's Joker
Zoe Kravitz, Blink Twice
Josh Margolin, Thelma
Arkasha Stevenson, The First Omen
Sean Wang, Didi

The Robert R. “Bobby” McCurdy Memorial Breakthrough Artist Award:
In a change to this category, all 5 of our top nominees will be honored with the award, and will be announced on January 6th.

As part of the organization’s annual voting, the Austin Film Critics Association acknowledges standout titles with local ties — works made by directors who live in Austin. This award is distinct to our group of critics, recognizing the talent of Austin filmmakers as we celebrate the best films of the year.

In alphabetical order, the five nominees for Best Austin Film 2024 are:

The Bikeriders (dir. Jeff Nichols)
Fugitive Dreams (dir. Jason Neulander)
Hit Man (dir. Richard Linklater)
Sasquatch Sunset (dir. Nathan and David Zellner)
Sing Sing (dir. Greg Kwedar)

07/03/2024

01/12/2024

Thanks to Austin Film Society, we get to properly celebrate our 2023 Film Awards with a special (free!) screening of MILLI VANILLI, with director Luke Korem, and other crew members in attendance for a Q&A. Join us on Jan 20th, 1:45pm. Grab a tkt at the link.

Winner of the Austin Film Critics Association Award for Best Austin Film 2023. Director Luke Korem and other members of the film’s crew will join us for a live Q&A. From their meteoric rise to public downfall, this captivating documentary chronicles the untold circumstances surrounding the infamou...