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