‘Past Lives’ wins best picture award from National Society of Film Critics

Korean filmmaker Celine Song’s movie “Past Lives,” a modern romance about two childhood sweethearts who reconnect in New York City after decades apart, was awarded Best Picture by the National Society of Film Critics on Saturday.

The A24 release was Song’s feature directorial debut, and beat out runner-ups “Oppenheimer” and “The Zone of Interest” for the top prize, reports Deadline.

“Past Lives,” which also finished second in the Best Screenplay category, has already won Best Picture at the Gotham Awards and was named a Top 10 Film by the National Board of Review last month.

The Society of Film Critics’ annual award ceremony brings together U.S. critics in New York and Los Angeles, and has proven a fairly accurate predictor of the Best Picture Oscar winner in recent years.

Between 2015 and 2020, Best Picture winners “Spotlight,” “Moonlight,” “Parasite,” and “Nomadland” all won Society of Film Critics Best Picture awards.

Todd Field’s “Tár,” which won at last year’s Film Critics ceremony, was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars but did not win.

Ke Huy Quan, the supporting actor winner for “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” was the only Film Critics honoree of 2023 to repeat his victory at the Oscars.

This year’s Oscars ceremony is scheduled for March 10.

Other winner’s from Saturday’s ceremony include Best Actress Sandra Hüller for her roles in “Anatomy of a Fall” and “The Zone of Interest,” and Andrew Scott, who won Best Actor for his performance in “All of Us Strangers.”

Here’s a full list of the awards given out Saturday by the National Society of Film Critics.

Best Picture: “Past Lives”

Runners-up:

“The Zone of Interest”

“Oppenheimer”

Best Director: Jonathan Glazer, “The Zone of Interest”

Runners-up:

Todd Haynes, “May December”

Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer”

Best Film Not in the English Language: “Fallen Leaves”

Runners-up:

“The Zone of Interest”

“Anatomy of a Fall”

Best Nonfiction Film: “Menus-Plaisirs — Les Troisgros”

Runners-up:

“20 Days in Mariupol”

“Kokomo City”

Best Actor: Andrew Scott, “All of Us Strangers”

Runners-up:

Jeffrey Wright, “American Fiction”

Cillian Murphy, “Oppenheimer”

Best Actress: Sandra Hüller, “Anatomy of a Fall” and “The Zone of Interest”

Runners-up:

Emma Stone, “Poor Things”

Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon”

Best Supporting Actor: Charles Melton, “May December”

Runners-up: Robert Downey, Jr., “Oppenheimer”, and Ryan Gosling, “Barbie” (tie)

Best Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers”

Runners-up:

Penélope Cruz, “Ferrari”

Rachel McAdams, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret”

Best screenplay: Samy Burch, “May December”

Runners-up:

Celine Song, “Past Lives”

David Hemingson, “The Holdovers”

Best cinematography: Rodrigo Prieto, “Killers of the Flower Moon”

Runners-up:

Łukasz Żal, “The Zone of Interest”

Hoyte van Hoytema, “Oppenheimer”

Best experimental film: Jean Luc-Godard’s “Trailer of a Film That Will Never Exist: Phony Wars”

Film heritage award: Criterion Channel

Film heritage award: Facets, Kim’s Video, Scarecrow Video and Vidiots

Special citation for a film awaiting U.S. distribution: Víctor Erice’s “Close Your Eyes”

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