2024 Chicago Independent Critics (CIC) Winners: ‘The Substance’ Dominates with Seven Awards
The Chicago Independent Critics (CIC) have has overwhelmingly chose Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance, awarding the film seven wins, more than any other nominee.
With seven total ‘Windie Award’ wins, The Substance, the breakout body-horror film directed by Coralie Fargeat and released by MUBI, Fargeat herself earned four awards: Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, Best Breakout Artist, and as a producer on Best Independent Film. The Substance also earned Windie Awards for Best Actress for Demi Moore and Best Supporting Actress for Margaret Qualley. Lastly, Pierre-Olivier Persin wrapped up the Windie haul for The Substance with a win for Best Makeup.
There was a five-way tie with three wins each for The Brutalist, Dune: Part Two, Nosferatu, Sing Sing, and The Wild Robot. Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi blockbuster Dune: Part Two was named Best Studio film, and two technical awards in Best Sound and Best VFX. Brady Corbet’s sprawling American epic, The Brutalist, took home Best Actor for Adrien Brody, and then shared Best Production Design with Robert Egger’s chilling remake of Nosferatu. In another tie, Guy Pearce of The Brutalists hared Best Supporting Actor honors with Clarence Maclin of Sing Sing
Here is the complete list of winners.
BEST INDEPENDENT FILM
The Substance
Producers: Coralie Fargeat, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner
BEST STUDIO FILM
Dune: Part Two
Producers: Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Tanya Lapointe, and Denis Villeneuve
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
Flow
Producers: Gints Zilbalodis, Matīss Kaža, Ron Dyens, and Gregory Zalcman
BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve StoryDirector and Producers: Robert Ford, Lizzie Gillett, Ian Bonhôte, Connor Schell, and Libby Geist
BEST ANIMATED FILM
The Wild Robot
Director and Producer: Chris Sanders and Jeff Hermann
BEST DIRECTOR
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The Substance – Coralie Fargeat
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Nickel Boys – RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes
BEST ACTOR
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
BEST ACTRESS
Demi Moore – The Substance
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR (tie)
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Margaret Qualley – The Substance
BEST ENSEMBLE
Sing Sing
Casting Director: Greg Kwedar
BEST BREAKOUT PERFORMER
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
BEST BREAKOUT ARTIST
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
SIGHT UNSEEN PERFORMANCE
Lupita Nyong’o – The Wild Robot
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Nosferatu – Jarin Blaschke
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN (tie)
The Brutalist – Judy Becker
Nosferatu – Craig LathropBEST EDITING
Challengers – Marco Costa
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Nosferatu – Linda Muir
BEST MAKEUP
The Substance – Pierre-Olivier Persin
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Dune: Part Two – Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe, and Gerd Nefzer
BEST STUNTS
Monkey Man
Stunt Coordinator: Udeh Nans
BEST SOUND
Dune: Part Two – Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett, and Doug Hemphill
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Wild Robot – Kris Bowers
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Compress/Repress”
– Challengers
Songwriters: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Luca Guadagnino
THE IMPACT AWARD
Given to individual or group who has made a positive impact on local Chicago cinema
Kyle Cubr – Programmer, Music Box Theatre
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 Chicago Independent Critics (CIC) Winners: ‘The Substance’ Dominates with Seven Awards - January 15, 2025
- 2024 Women Film Critic Circle (WFCC) Winners: ‘Emilia Pérez’ ‘The Substance’ Lead - January 15, 2025
- FINAL 2025 Oscar Nomination Predictions: ANIMATED FEATURE, DOCUMENTARY FEATURE and INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM - January 15, 2025
2024 Chicago Independent Critics (CIC) Winners: ‘The Substance’ Dominates with Seven Awards 
2024 Women Film Critic Circle (WFCC) Winners: ‘Emilia Pérez’ ‘The Substance’ Lead 
FINAL 2025 Oscar Nomination Predictions: ANIMATED FEATURE, DOCUMENTARY FEATURE and INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM 
FINAL 2025 Oscar Nomination Predictions: MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING, ORIGINAL SCORE, ORIGINAL SONG, SOUND, VISUAL EFFECTS