INSIDE SCOOPS 2025 FCCA AWARDS HONOURS

Prison drama INSIDE has dominated key categories in this year’s Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards, earning Best Film, Director, Lead Actor and Screenplay trophies.

Producer Marian McGowan and writer/director Charles Williams were on hand to accept their gongs; actor Guy Pearce appeared in a pre-recorded thank you speech.

Other winners include lead actress Susie Porter for THE TRAVELLERS; supporting actress Marta Dusseldorp for WITH OR WITHOUT YOU; DOP Mark Wareham for his cinematography and Kiah Roache-Turner on behalf of his fellow editors for BEAST OF WAR; Fiona Donovan took out the Best Production Design honour for THE CORRESPONDENT; and, composer François Tétaz was feted for his score for THE SURFER.

In one of the emotional highlights of the night, Madison McMahon accepted her late father Julian’s Supporting Actor award for THE SURFER, acknowledging the actor’s love of filmmaking and how proud her family is of both the evening’s honour and his body of work.

Industry figurehead Deanne Weir accepted the Best Documentary trophy for THE WOLVES ALWAYS COME AT NIGHT, with her director Gabrielle Brady contributing via a pre-record; LESBIAN SPACE PRINCESS added to its recent AACTA wins by scoring Best Animated Feature; and, EMILIA PEREZ earned the inaugural David Stratton International Film prize.

Hosted by FCCA member Rod Quinn, the evening proved a strong pull for industry identities with those present including actors Susan Prior, Matt Day, Lynette Curran INSIDE nominee Vincent Miller; KANGAROO composer Josie Mann; Oscar-nominated sound designer Wayne Pashley; KANGAROO ISLAND director Timothy David; THE CORRESPONDENT director Kriv Stenders and his set designer Karla Urizar; and, Piccolo Films boss and industry stalwart, Ray Argall.

The full list of 2025 Film Critics Circle of Australia Award winners and nominees are: 

BEST FILM

*WINNER* INSIDE | Producers Kate Glover and Marian McGowan
KANGAROO ISLAND | THE SURFER | THE CORRESPONDENT | BRING HER BACK

BEST DIRECTOR

*WINNER* CHARLES WILLIAMS | Inside
BRUCE BERESFORD | The Travellers; LORCAN FINNEGAN | The Surfer; MICHAEL PHILIPPOU, DANNY PHILIPPOU | Bring Her Back; KRIV STENDERS | The Correspondent

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

*WINNER* GUY PEARCE | Inside
LUKE BRACEY | The Travellers; BRYAN BROWN | The Travellers; VINCENT MILLER | Inside; RICHARD ROXBURGH | The Correspondent

BEST SCREENPLAY

*WINNER* CHARLES WILLIAMS | Inside
PETER DUNCAN | The Correspondent; DANNY PHILIPPOU, BILL HINZMAN | Bring Her Back; KIAH ROACHE-TURNER | Beast of War

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

*WINNER* MARK WAREHAM, A.C.S. | Beast of War
ANDREW COMMIS, A.C.S. | Inside; GEOFFREY HALL, A.C.S. | The Correspondent; RADEK LADCZUK | The Surfer; AARON McLISKY, A.C.S. | Bring Her Back

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

*WINNER* JULIAN MCMAHON | The Surfer
JAI COURTNEY | Dangerous Animals; COSMO JARVIS | Inside; JONAH WREN PHILLIPS | Bring Her Back

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE

*WINNER* SUSIE PORTER | The Travellers
REBECCA BREEDS | Kangaroo Island; SALLY HAWKINS | Bring Her Back; DAISY RIDLEY | We Bury The Dead; LILY WHITELEY | Kangaroo

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

*WINNER* MARTA DUSSELDORP | With or Without You
ADELAIDE CLEMENS | Kangaroo Island; DEBORAH MAILMAN | Kangaroo; BROOKE SATCHWELL | Kangaroo

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

*WINNER* THE WOLVES ALWAYS COME AT NIGHT | Dir: Gabrielle Brady; Prods: Julia Niethammer, Ariunna Tserenpil, Rita Walsh
NOT ONLY FRED DAGG, BUT ALSO JOHN CLARKE | EDGE OF LIFE | JOURNEY HOME, DAVID GULPILIL | YURLU COUNTRY.

BEST MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)

*WINNER* FRANÇOIS TÉTAZ | The Surfer
MATTEO ZINGALES & JOSIE MANN | Kangaroo; ARIEL MARX | Kangaroo Island; CORNEL WILCZEK | Bring Her Back; MICHAEL YEZERSKI | Dangerous Animals

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

*WINNER* FIONA DONOVAN, A.P.D.G. | The Correspondent
NICHOLAS DARE | Together; ESTHER ROSENBERG | Beast of War; VANESSA CERNE | Bring Her Back; SHERREE PHILIPS | Went Up The Hill

BEST EDITING

*WINNER* KIAH ROACHE-TURNER, REGG SKWARKO, STEPHEN EVANS | Beast of War
TONY CRANSTOUN | The Surfer; VERONIKA JENET | The Correspondent; GEOFF LAMB | Bring Her Back; KASRA RASSOULZADEGAN | Dangerous Animals

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

*WINNER* LESBIAN SPACE PRINCESS | Dirs: Emma Hough Hobbs, Leela Varghese; Prod: Tom Phillips.
MAGIC BEACH | THE LOST TIGER.

THE DAVID STRATTON AWARD FOR INTERNATIONAL FILM

*WINNER* EMILIA PEREZ | Dir: Jacques Audiard; Prods: Anthony Vaccarello, Valérie Schermann, Pascal Caucheteux, jacques Audiard.
BUGONIA | I’M STILL HERE | ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER.

2026 OSCAR NOMINATIONS: SINNERS, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER LEAD THE PACK

Australians Rose Byrne and Jacob Elordi lead the Down Under charge for Oscar glory, with their nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor revealed in the nominations announcement in the early hours of the Australian morning. Winners will be announced on Sunday March 15 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, at a ceremoiny to be hosted by Conan O'Brien.

Best Picture

Bugonia | (Focus Features) An Element Pictures/Square Peg/CJ ENM in association with Pith/Fruit Tree Enterprises Production; Ed Guiney & Andrew Lowe, Yorgos Lanthimos, Emma Stone and Lars Knudsen, Producers
F1 | (Apple) An Apple Original Films/Monolith Pictures/Jerry Bruckheimer/Plan B Entertainment/Dawn Apollo Films Production; Chad Oman, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Joseph Kosinski and Jerry Bruckheimer, Producers
Frankenstein | (Netflix) A Netflix/Double Dare You/Demilo Films/Bluegrass 7 Production; Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale and Scott Stuber, Producers
Hamnet | (Focus Features) A Hera Pictures/Neal Street/Amblin Entertainment in association with Book of Shadows Production; Liza Marshall, Pippa Harris, Nicolas Gonda, Steven Spielberg and Sam Mendes, Producers
Marty Supreme | (A24) An A24/Central Group Production; Eli Bush, Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie, Anthony Katagas and Timothée Chalamet, Producers
One Battle After Another | (Warner Bros.) A Ghoulardi Film Company Production; Adam Somner, Sara Murphy and Paul Thomas Anderson, Producers
The Secret Agent | (Neon) A CinemaScópio/MK/Lemming Film/One Two Films Production; Emilie Lesclaux, Producer
Sentimental Value | (Neon) A Mer Film/Eye Eye Pictures/MK/Lumen/Zentropa/ Komplizen Film/BBC Film Production; Maria Ekerhovd and Andrea Berentsen Ottmar, Producers
Sinners | (Warner Bros.) A Proximity Media Production; Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian and Ryan Coogler, Producers
Train Dreams | (Netflix) A Black Bear/Kamala Films Production; Marissa McMahon, Teddy Schwarzman, Will Janowitz, Ashley Schlaifer and Michael Heimler, Producers

Best Director

Chloé Zhao, Hamnet; Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme; Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another; Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value; Ryan Coogler, Sinners

Best Actor

Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme; Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another; Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon; Michael B Jordan, Sinners; Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent

Best Actress

Jessie Buckley, Hamnet; Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You; Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue; Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value; Emma Stone, Bugonia

Best Supporting Actor
Benicio del Toro, One Battle After Another; Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein; Delroy Lindo, Sinners; Sean Penn, One Battle After Another; Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value

Best Supporting Actress Elle Fanning, Sentimental Value; Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value; Amy Madigan, Weapons; Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners; Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another

Best Adapted Screenplay
Bugonia, Screenplay by Will Tracy; Frankenstein, Written for the Screen by Guillermo del Toro; Hamnet, Screenplay by Chloé Zhao & Maggie O’Farrell; One Battle After Another, Written by Paul Thomas Anderson; Train Dreams, Screenplay by Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar

Best Original Screenplay
Blue Moon, Written by Robert Kaplow; It Was Just an Accident, Written by Jafar Panahi, Nader Saïvar, Shadmehr Rastin, Mehdi Mahmoudian; Marty Supreme, Written by Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie; Sentimental Value, Written by Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier; Sinners, Written by Ryan Coogler.

Best Animated Short Film
Butterfly, (Sacrebleu Productions) Florence Miailhe and Ron Dyens; Forevergreen, Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears; The Girl Who Cried Pearls” (National Film Board of Canada) Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski; Retirement Plan, John Kelly and Andrew Freedman; The Three Sisters, (Polydont Films/Rymanco Ventures) Konstantin Bronzit

Best Costume Design
Avatar: Fire and Ash, Deborah L. Scott; Frankenstein, Kate Hawley; Hamnet, Malgosia Turzanska; Marty Supreme, Miyako Bellizzi; Sinners, Ruth E. Carter

Achievement in Casting
Hamnet, Nina Gold; Marty Supreme, Jennifer Venditti; One Battle After Another, Cassandra Kulukundis; The Secret Agent, Gabriel Domingues; Sinners, Francine Maisler

Best Live Action Short Film
Butcher’s Stain, (Tel Aviv University Steve Tisch School of Film and Television) Meyer Levinson-Blount and Oron Caspi; A Friend of Dorothy, Lee Knight and James Dean; Jane Austen’s Period Drama, Julia Aks and Steve Pinder; The Singers, Sam A. Davis and Jack Piatt; Two People Exchanging Saliva, (Canal+/The New Yorker) Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata.

Best Makeup and Hair Styling
Frankenstein, Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey; Kokuho, Kyoko Toyokawa, Naomi Hibino and Tadashi Nishimatsu; Sinners, Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine and Shunika Terry; The Smashing Machine, Kazu Hiro, Glen Griffin and Bjoern Rehbein; The Ugly Stepsister, Thomas Foldberg and Anne Cathrine Sauerberg

Best Original Score
Bugonia, Jerskin Fendrix; Frankenstein, Alexandre Desplat; Hamnet, Max Richter; One Battle After Another, Jonny Greenwood; Sinners, Ludwig Goransson

Best Animated Feature Film
Arco | (Neon) Ugo Bienvenu, Félix de Givry, Sophie Mas and Natalie Portman
Elio | (Walt Disney) Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina and Mary Alice Drumm
KPop Demon Hunters | (Netflix) Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans and Michelle L.M. Wong
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain | (GKIDS) Maïlys Vallade, Liane-Cho Han, Nidia Santiago and Henri Magalon
Zootopia 2 | (Walt Disney) Jared Bush, Byron Howard and Yvett Merino

Best Cinematography
Frankenstein, Dan Laustsen; Marty Supreme, Darius Khondji; One Battle After Another, Michael Bauman; Sinners, Autumn Durald Arkapaw; Train Dreams, Adolpho Veloso.

Best Documentary Feature
The Alabama Solution | (HBO Documentary Films) An HBO Documentary Films/Alabama Film Project Production, Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman
Come See Me in the Good Light | (Apple)An Apple Original Films/Tripod Media/Amplify Pictures in association with Treat Media/Something Fierce Production; Ryan White, Jessica Hargrave, Tig Notaro and Stef Willen
Cutting Through Rocks | A Gandom Films Production; Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni
Mr. Nobody Against Putin | (PINK) A PINK Production; Nominees to be determined
The Perfect Neighbor | (Netflix) A Netflix Documentary/Message Pictures in association with SO’B/Park Pictures Production; Geeta Gandbhir, Alisa Payne, Nikon Kwantu and Sam Bisbee

Best Documentary Short Film
All the Empty Rooms, Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones; Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud, Craig Renaud and Juan Arredondo; Children No More - Were and Are Gone, Hilla Medalia and Sheila Nevins; The Devil Is Busy, Christalyn Hampton and Geeta Gandbhir; Perfectly a Strangeness, Alison McAlpine

Best Editing
F1, Stephen Mirrione; Marty Supreme, Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie; One Battle After Another, Andy Jurgensen; Sentimental Value, Olivier Bugge Coutté; Sinners, Michael P. Shawver

Best International Feature
The Secret Agent | A CinemaScópio Production; Brazil
It Was Just an Accident | A Les Films Pelléas Production; France
Sentimental Value | A Mer Film/Eye Eye Pictures Production; Norway
Sirāt | An El Deseo Production; Spain
The Voice of Hind Rajab | A Mime Films Production; Tunisia

Best Original Song
Dear Me from Diane Warren: Relentless | Music and Lyrics by Diane Warren
Golden from KPop Demon Hunters | Music and Lyrics by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seon and Teddy Park
I Lied To You from Sinners | Music and Lyrics by Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Goransson
Sweet Dreams Of Joy from Viva Verdi! | Music and Lyrics by Nicholas Pike
Train Dreams from Train Dreams | Music by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner; Lyrics by Nick Cave

Best Production Design
Frankenstein, Production Design: Tamara Deverell; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau
Hamnet, Production Design: Fiona Crombie; Set Decoration: Alice Felton
Marty Supreme, Production Design: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Adam Willis
One Battle After Another, Production Design: Florencia Martin; Set Decoration: Anthony Carlino
Sinners, Production Design: Hannah Beachler; Set Decoration: Monique Champagne

Best Sound
F1, Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo and Juan Peralta
Frankenstein, Greg Chapman, Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira, Christian Cooke and Brad Zoern
One Battle After Another, José Antonio García, Christopher Scarabosio and Tony Villaflor
Sinners, Chris Welcker, Benjamin A. Burtt, Felipe Pacheco, Brandon Proctor and Steve Boeddeker
Sirāt, Amanda Villavieja, Laia Casanovas and Yasmina Praderas

Best Visual Effects
Avatar: Fire and Ash, Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett
F1, Ryan Tudhope, Nicolas Chevallier, Robert Harrington and Keith Dawson
Jurassic World Rebirth, David Vickery, Stephen Aplin, Charmaine Chan and Neil Corbould
The Lost Bus, Charlie Noble, David Zaretti, Russell Bowen and Brandon K. McLaughlin
Sinners, Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, Guido Wolter and Donnie Dean

WIN TICKETS TO CHRISTY, STARRING SYDNEY SWEENEY

Thanks to our friends at Kismet Movies, we have 5 in-season double-passes to the acclaimed drama CHRISTY, starring Sydney Sweeney.

TO WIN: Like/Share this post then email screenspace3@gmail.com with your answer to this question: WHO IS THE GREATEST SPORTSWOMAN OF ALL TIME? (Australian residents only; T&Cs apply)

From acclaimed Australian director David Michôd (Animal Kingdom) comes the extraordinary true story of Christy Martin, the first female boxer promoted by Don King. A gripping, emotionally charged story about resilience, survival, and breaking boundaries. One of the must-see performances of the year, in a film that Vanity Fair called, ""More than a boxing story, it's a tale of survival."

T&Cs: Australian residents only, sorry; Competition closes 11:59pm AEDT Wednesday January 7, 2026; One entry per person; Winners will be notified by return email, and e-passes sent by email or DM; The judges decision is final; Passes will be valid from January 8 at participating cinemas nationally for the duration of the film’s season. 

SUBSCRIBE TO THE SCREEN-SPACE NEWSLETTER ON SUBSTACK

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Simon Foster
Editor

MY FAVOURITE MOVIE MEMORIES OF 2024

No one needs me to rattle off my version of the same lists you’ve read plenty of lately. Most of us critics kind of agree on the ‘Year’s Best’ - Anora...tick; Emilia Perez…tick; Conclave…tick; A Real Pain…tick; Challengers…tick. There are films that were exactly as great as we had every right to expect them to be, like Dune: Part II (which I loved) or Wicked (which I really loved), and others that I adored for the feel-good vibes they brought, like Saturday Night (great entertainment) and My Old Ass (the year’s best coming-of-age narrative).

So instead, I’ll just reflect on my favourite movie memories of 2024, and encourage you to do the same in the comments below. You can see a more official Top 20 on my Letterboxd page. For now, enjoy the cinema moments that I enjoyed this year… 

MARGARET QUALLEY MOVIES: Andie’s daughter continues to build a rep as Hollywood’s most fearless, fascinating screen presence with three films that allowed her to shine. First to drop was her ensemble turn in Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds of Kindness (>Poor Things, imho); next, a great comedic spin opposite Geraldine Viswanathan in Ethan Coen’s wildly under-valued Drive-Away Dolls; and, above all else, the sex-bomb physicality and body-horror bonhomie of Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance. Demi will get the Academy’s attention come nomination season, but the year’s best horror film was every bit the two-hander it needed to be to work. 

NICHOLAS HOULT MOVIES: At 35, Nicholas Hoult ought NOT be referred to as, “The kid from About A Boy”, although the impact of his film debut aged 11 opposite Hugh Grant continues to resonate with the industry. In 2024, Hoult fleshed out some of his most memorable characters. He descended into an existential madness thanks to Bill Skarsgård’s nightmarish Count Orlock in Robert Eggar’s Nosferatu; unearthed a three-dimensional lead character in Clint Eastwood’s enjoyably pulpy courtroom drama, Juror #2; and, above all else, crafted the year’s most chilling villain - steely-eyed white supremacist ‘Bob Matthews’ in Aussie director Justin Kurzel’s midwest-Nazi expose, The Order.  

LOS ANGELES, JUNE 1-7: Travelling with my dream gal, we launched ourselves into a week of film nerd indulgence. Barely off the plane for two hours, we were in the lush red seats of the A.M.P.A.S. Museum’s David Geffen Theatre for Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights, screened in 70mm. Then, back again the next night, for a rare showing of 2002’s Real Women Have Curves, with director Patricia Cardosa present. The American Cinematheque was ‘celebrating’ its annual Bleak Week program, so we settled in for the 1979 family-murder drama Natural Enemies, with director Jeff Kanew on panel at the Los Feliz Theatre. Then, the centrepiece evening: A24’s premiere of their 40th Anniversary remaster of Jonathon Demme’s concert film Stop Making Sense at the Pantages Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard - the very theatre where the Talking Heads classic was filmed. Add in location visits to sites from La La Land, Blade Runner and Miracle Mile, and…well, I think about that week every day.      

JOKER: FOLIE DE DEUX: 2019’s Joker (which I did not like at all) earned a billion dollars for Warner Bros and the right for star Joaquin Phoenix and director Todd Phillips to do whatever they wanted with the sequel. But…a musical romance?!? Critics ripped it apart, audiences stayed away, and Warners were left licking the financial wounds that only a $250million flop leave behind. I dodged it during its brief theatrical run, though curiosity got the better of me (I like Lady Gaga, sue me!) so I rented it when it hit iTunes. The verdict? It’s the kind of grand folly that we rarely see the likes of nowadays but, I kid you not…I LOVED IT! It is a brilliant anti-anti-hero film that addresses the mental miasma of Arthur Fleck, focussed through the same pop-culture lens that drove him, his followers, and both the admirers and detractors of the first film’s nihilism, mad in the first place. 

THE MIGHT OF FACTUAL FILMMAKING: Real world events proved every bit as horrific, bewildering, captivating and humanistic as anything Hollywood creatives could conjure in 2024. Perhaps that is why factual filmmakers produced such profoundly special films as No Other Land, the first-person camcorder chronicle of Israel’s campaign of terror against Palestinian villagers; Kaouther Ben Hania’s Four Daughters, in which the missing daughters of a Tunisian woman’s family are replaced by outspoken actresses; Dan Reed’s Stopping the Steal, a celebration of the strength of character it took for a handful of individuals to say ‘No’ to dictator-wannabe Donald Trump; and, the heartbreaking, soul-enriching journey of a superstar comedian and his transgender buddy in Will & Harper. Mix in 2023 holdovers Occupied City, Anselm and Israelism, and real life made for the year’s best filmgoing.

REBEL RIDGE, JOY and WOMAN OF THE HOUR: Is Netflix still the No. 1 home viewing platform? Was it ever? My Screen Watching podcast co-host and Always Be Watching boss Dan Barrett is Australia’s best arbiter of that stuff, so over to him. I do know that Jeremy Saulnier’s Rebel Ridge, a hard-edged thriller about small town prejudice and corruption (like First Blood? Yeah, a bit) featuring a voluminous heroic turn by Aaron Pierre and a great villain in Don Johnson, and Woman of the Hour, a based-in-fact serial killer psycho-drama that announced its star Anna Kendrick as a directing force, were the best films to drop on any streaming service this year. Add in Aussie director Ben Taylor’s deeply affecting true-life drama Joy, featuring Thomasin McKenzie as the woman who helped forge IVF science, and it’s well played in 2024, Netflix.

HEROINES OF HORROR: Regular Screen-Space readers know that the horror genre generally gets a stand-alone mention in our end-of-year wrap. In 2024, many of the high-profile shockers that impressed featured great performances by actresses - Naomi Scott in the hit sequel Smile 2; it-girl Sydney Sweeney in the religious shocker Immaculate; scream queen Maika Monroe (opposite a next-level Nicholas Cage) in Longlegs; a mesmerising Nell Tiger Free in The First Omen; Cailee Spaeny in Alien: Romulus; Melissa Barrera in the Beauty and The Beast riff, Your Monster; and, Screen-Space favourite Renate Reinsve in the unique zombie drama, Handling the Undead. Under-the-radar gems included In a Violent Nature, Red Room and V/H/S Beyond. And horror’s greatest against-type casting feat in 2024? Hugh Grant’s chilling psychopath in Heretic.