The San Diego Film Critics Society’s 2023 nominees and winners are in step with the group’s reputation for marching to the beat of a different drummer. Barbie earned 12 nominations but was absent from the Best Picture category. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, which has only made a few appearances on awards lists, picked up eight nominations and was ultimately named the Best Picture of 2023.
The San Diego Film Critics Society’s winners were announced on December 19, 2023.
Best Picture
American Fiction
WINNER: Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
RUNNER UP: Oppenheimer
Best Director
Kelly Fremon Craig, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
RUNNER UP: Greta Gerwig, Barbie
Cord Jefferson, American Fiction
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
WINNER: Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon
Best Actor
Colman Domingo, Rustin
Zac Efron, The Iron Claw
RUNNER UP: Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
WINNER: Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction
Best Actress
Abby Ryder Fortson, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
WINNER: Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
RUNNER UP: Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall
Margot Robbie, Barbie
Emma Stone, Poor Things
Best Supporting Actor
Sterling K. Brown, American Fiction
WINNER: Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer
RUNNER UP: Ryan Gosling, Barbie
Charles Melton, May December
Mark Ruffalo, Poor Things
Best Supporting Actress
Jodie Foster, Nyad
Sandra Hüller, The Zone of Interest
WINNER: Rachel McAdams, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Julianne Moore, May December
RUNNER UP: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
Best Comedic Performance
WINNER: Michael Cera, Barbie
Abby Ryder Fortson, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Ryan Gosling, Barbie
Nathan Lane, Dicks: The Musical
RUNNER UP: Mark Ruffalo, Poor Things
Best Youth Performance (For a performer under the age of 18)
Joe Bird, Talk to Me
Christian Convery, Cocaine Bear
WINNER: Abby Ryder Fortson, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Jude Hill, A Haunting in Venice
RUNNER UP: Milo Machado-Graner, Anatomy of a Fall
Best Original Screenplay
Samy Burch, May December
WINNER: Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, Barbie
RUNNER UP: David Hemingson, The Holdovers
Celine Song, Past Lives
Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, Anatomy of a Fall
Best Adapted Screenplay
RUNNER UP: Percival Everett and Cord Jefferson, American Fiction
WINNER: Kelly Fremon Craig and Judy Blume, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Jonathan Glazer, The Zone of Interest
Christopher Nolan, Kai Bird, & Martin Sherwin, Oppenheimer
Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon
Best First Feature (Director)
Chloe Domont, Fair Play
WINNER: Cord Jefferson, American Fiction
Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou, Talk to Me
A.V. Rockwell, A Thousand and One
RUNNER UP: Celine Song, Past Lives
Best Documentary
RUNNER UP: 20 Days in Mariupol
American Symphony
Kokomo City
RUNNER UP: Little Richard: I Am Everything
WINNER: Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
Best Animated Film
WINNER: The Boy and the Heron
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
Nimona
Robot Dreams
RUNNER UP: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Best Foreign Language Film
WINNER: Anatomy of a Fall
Fallen Leaves
RUNNER UP: Godzilla Minus One
Monster
RUNNER UP: The Zone of Interest
Best Editing
Nick Houy, Barbie
RUNNER UP: Jennifer Lame, Oppenheimer
Yorgos Mavropsaridis, Poor Things
Thelma Schoonmaker, Killers of the Flower Moon
WINNER: Laurent Sénéchal, Anatomy of a Fall
Best Cinematography
Rodrigo Prieto, Barbie
WINNER: Rodrigo Prieto, Killers of the Flower Moon
Robbie Ryan, Poor Things
RUNNER UP: Hoyte van Hoytema, Oppenheimer
Dariusz Wolski, Napoleon
Best Production Design
RUNNER UP: Ruth De Jong, Oppenheimer
Jack Fisk, Killers of the Flower Moon
WINNER: Sarah Greenwood, Barbie
Arthur Max, Napoleon
James Price and Shona Heath, Poor Things
Best Visual Effects
WINNER: Godzilla Minus One
John Wick: Chapter 4
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Oppenheimer
RUNNER UP: Poor Things
Best Costume Design
David Crossman and Janty Yates, Napoleon
WINNER: Jacqueline Durran, Charlotte Finlay, & Hope Slepak, Barbie
Ellen Mirojnick, Oppenheimer
RUNNER UP: Holly Waddington, Vincent Dumas, & Zsuzsa Stenger, Poor Things
Jacqueline West, Killers of the Flower Moon
Best Sound Design
Godzilla Minus One
Maestro
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
RUNNER UP: Oppenheimer
WINNER: The Zone of Interest
Best Use of Music
RUNNER UP: Air
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
WINNER: Barbie
The Holdovers
Maestro
Best Stunt Choreography
WINNER: John Wick: Chapter 4
The Killer
RUNNER UP: Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Napoleon
Polite Society
Best Ensemble
Air
RUNNER UP: Barbie
RUNNER UP: A Haunting in Venice
WINNER: The Holdovers
Oppenheimer
Breakthrough Actor
Abby Ryder Fortson, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
Special Award for Body of Work (3+ 2023 Credits)
Nicolas Cage for Dream Scenario, The Flash, The Old Way, Renfield, The Retirement Plan, and Sympathy for the Devil
