2023 Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) Winners: ‘American Fiction’ is Best Feature, ‘Oppenheimer’ Takes Six
The Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) have awarded American Fiction the Best Feature of 2023, also giving the Cord Jefferson film a win for Adapted Screenplay.
But it was Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer that was the big winner of the day with six awards, including Best Director and Best Actor for Cillian Murphy. Lily Gladstone was named Best Actress for Killers of the Flower Moon, and the supporting prizes went to Charles Melton for May December and Da’Vine Joy Randolph for The Holdovers.
Here is the complete list of winners.
Best Feature
American Fiction – WINNER
Barbie
The Holdovers
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Best Director
Greta Gerwig, Barbie
Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer – WINNER
Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon
Celine Song, Past Lives
Best Actor
Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Colman Domingo, Rustin
Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer – WINNER
Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction
Best Actress
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Origin
Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon – WINNER
Greta Lee, Past Lives
Margot Robbie, Barbie
Emma Stone, Poor Things
Best Supporting Actor
Sterling K. Brown, American Fiction
Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling, Barbie
Charles Melton, May December – WINNER
Dominic Sessa, The Holdovers
Best Supporting Actress
Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple
Viola Davis, Air
Jodie Foster, Nyad
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers – WINNER
Best Original Screenplay
Alex Convery, Air
Justin Triet and Arthur Harari, Anatomy of a Fall
Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, Barbie
David Hemingson, The Holdovers
Celine Song, Past Lives – WINNER
Best Adapted Screenplay
Cord Jefferson, American Fiction – WINNER
Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Ava DuVernay, Origin
Tony McNamara, Poor Things
Best Animated Feature
The Boy and the Heron
Elemental
Nimona
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – WINNER
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
Best Documentary
20 Days in Mariupol
American Symphony – WINNER
Little Richard: I Am Everything
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
They Shot the Piano Player
Best International/Foreign Language Film
Anatomy of a Fall (France) – WINNER
Perfect Days (Japan)
Society of the Snow (Spain)
The Taste of Things (France)
The Zone of Interest (United Kingdom)
Best Voice Performance
Jack Black, The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Daniel Kaluuya, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Shameik Moore, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – WINNER
Hailee Steinfeld, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Masaki Suda, The Boy and the Heron
Best Youth Performance
Abby Ryder Fortson, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Ariana Greenblatt, Barbie
Milo Machado-Graner, Anatomy of a Fall
Dominic Sessa, The Holdovers – WINNER
Iman Vellani, The Marvels
Best Acting Ensemble
American Fiction
Barbie
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer – WINNER
Best Cinematography
Rodrigo Prieto, Barbie
Rodrigo Prieto, Killers of the Flower Moon
Matthew Libatique, Maestro
Hoyte van Hoytema, Oppenheimer – WINNER
Robbie Ryan, Poor Things
Best Editing
Nick Houy, Barbie
Nathan Orloff, John Wick: Chapter 4
Thelma Schoonmaker, Killers of the Flower Moon
Michelle Tesoro, Maestro
Jennifer Lame, Oppenheimer – WINNER
Best Production Design
Asteroid City – Adam Stockhausen (production designer), Kris Moran (set decorator)
Barbie – Sarah Greenwood (production designer), Katie Spencer (set decorator) – WINNER
Killers of the Flower Moon – Jack Fisk (production designer), Adam Willis (set decorator)
Oppenheimer – Ruth De Jong (production designer), Claire Kaufman (set decorator)
Poor Things – Shona Heath, James Price (production designer), Zsuzsa Mihalek (set decorator)
Best Original Score
Kris Bowers, The Color Purple
Jerskin Fendrix, Poor Things
Ludwig Göransson, Oppenheimer – WINNER
Daniel Pemberton, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Robbie Robertson, Killers of the Flower Moon
Photo: Claire Folger / 2023 Orion Releasing
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
- 2024 North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA) Nominations - December 21, 2024
- 2024 Philadelphia Film Critics Circle (PFCC) Winners: ‘Anora’ Named Best Film Among its Six Awards - December 21, 2024
- 2024 Utah Film Critics Association (UFCA) Nominations - December 21, 2024
2024 North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA) Nominations 
2024 Philadelphia Film Critics Circle (PFCC) Winners: ‘Anora’ Named Best Film Among its Six Awards 
2024 Utah Film Critics Association (UFCA) Nominations 
2024 Black Reel Awards Nominations: ‘Nickel Boys,’ ‘The Piano Lesson’ Lead