For the first time ever, the Critics Choice Association is highlighting the behind-the-scenes artisans who created the year’s most acclaimed films, releasing an official shortlist across 11 artisan categories.
The shortlist includes categories from cinematography and editing to production design and original score, and includes three new categories: sound, stunt design, and casting and ensemble. They arrived just before the organization’s nominating vote, which begins today. Candidate ballots were sent to more than 500 CCA members on Monday. There will be six formal nominees from each artisan category, and ten will be recognized in the Best of Art race. All CCA members vote on all other major categories, including acting, screenplay, and Best Picture.
Among the nominees, several titles stood out across multiple categories. Warner Bros.” “Sinners” has emerged as a dominant force with 13 shortlists for cinematography, costume design, editing, hair and makeup, sound, visual effects, original score, three original songs, and stunt design. This is an amazing feat that shows the overall widespread recognition of the technology.
Three movies followed closely behind with nine mentions each.
Netflix’s “Frankenstein” also had solid box office results, with mentions of production design, cinematography, editing, hair and makeup, sound, visual effects, and music. Reimagining Gothic is popular in both the technical and creative worlds and continues to gain momentum.
Apple’s high-octane “F1” made a strong appearance in two parts: editing, sound, visual effects, score, and original music. This racing drama not only proved its technical excellence, but was also longlisted for its production design, casting, and ensemble.
Universal Pictures’ “Wicked: For Good,” which had a blockbuster weekend, brought a musical spectacle to the craft field, earning shortlists for costume design, hair and makeup, production design, sound, visual effects, two original songs, and stunt design.
Warner Bros. leads all studios in total mentions with 31, including multiple mentions of Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another and James Gunn’s Superman. Netflix wasn’t far behind with 21, but A24 won 12, Focus features 10 and Neon nine.
Marcel Ziskind
The new Craftsman shortlist aligns the Critics’ Choice Awards more closely with the worst ratings found at the Guild Awards and the Oscars. There are also some eclectic selections available for viewing by a wider group of members. Some of the surprising entries include Paramount Pictures’ Roofman and Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four: First Steps for production design, IFC’s Ugly Stepsister and GKids’ Kokuho for hair and makeup, and A24’s I’d Kick If I Had Legs and Apple’s Lost Bus for sound.
Several films scheduled for release in December, including James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ashes, James L. Brooks’ Ella McKay, and Paul Feig’s The Housemaid, were removed from the shortlist after being missed by the nominating committee. However, each artisan category on CCA’s final ballot includes one open slot to allow members to recognize eligible year-end releases.
CCA nomination voting will take place by December 3 for above-the-line categories and by December 4 for below-the-line categories. CCA film nominations will be announced on December 5th. The 31st Annual Critics’ Choice Awards, hosted by Chelsea Handler, will be held on January 4, 2025 on E!
The categories of the candidate list are as follows.
“House of Dynamite” (Netflix) — Suzanne Seale
“Hamnet” (Featured Feature) — Nina Gold
“Jay Kelly” (Netflix) — Douglas Abel and Nina Gold
“Marty Supreme” (A24) — Jennifer Venditti
“No Other Choice” (neon) — TBA
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.) — Cassandra Kurukundis
“Rental Family” (Searchlight Pictures) — Kei Kawamura, Yumi Takada
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) — Francine Meisler
“The Long Walk” (Lionsgate) — Rich Delia
“The Plague” (IFC) — Rebecca Deeley
“The Secret Agent” (Neon) — Gabriel Dominguez
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures) — Tiffany Little Canfield, Bernard Telsey
production design
“House of Dynamite” (Netflix) — Jeremy Hindle, David Schlesinger
“F1” (Apple Original Films/Warner Bros.) — Ben Munro, Mark Tyldesley, Reynan Castro del Rosario, Andrew McCarthy, Veronique Melery
Fantastic Four: First Steps (Marvel Studios) — Kasra Farahani, Jill Aziz
“Frankenstein” (Netflix) — Tamara Deverell, Shane Viau
“Hamnet” (Featured Feature) — Fiona Crombie and Alice Felton
“Hedda” (Amazon MGM Studios) — Carla Brower, Stella Fox
“Marty Supreme” (A24) — Jack Fisk and Adam Willis
“No Other Choice” (Neon) — Ryu Sung-hee
“Roofman” (Paramount Pictures) – Inbal Weinberg, Kendall Anderson
“Sentimental Value” (neon) — Jorgen Standijby Larsen and Catherine Gormsen
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) — Hannah Breechler, Monique Champagne
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures) — Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandals
Cinematography
“28 Years Later” (Sony Pictures) — Anthony Dodd Mantle
“F1” (Apple Original Films/Warner Bros.) — Claudio Miranda
“Frankenstein” (Netflix) – Dan Laustsen
“Hamnet” (featured feature) — Łukasz Żal
“Jay Kelly” (Netflix) — Linus Sandgren
“Marty Supreme” (A24) — Darius Khondji
“No Other Choice” (Neon) — Kim Woo-hyun
“Nouvelle Vague” (Netflix) — David Chamville
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.) — Michael Bauman
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) — Autumn Durald Arkapaw
“The Plague” (IFC) — Stephen Breckon
“Train Dreams” (Netflix) – Adolfo Veloso
costume design
Fantastic Four: First Steps (Marvel Studios) — Alexandra Byrne
“Frankenstein” (Netflix) – Kate Hawley
“Hamnet” (Featured Feature) — Malgosia Turzanska
“Hedder” (Amazon MGM Studios) — Lindsay Pugh
“Kiss of the Spider Woman” (Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions) — Colleen Atwood
“Marty Supreme” (A24) — Miyako Bellizzi
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.) — Colleen Atwood
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) — Ruth E. Carter
“Song Sung Blue” (Focus Features) — Ernesto Martinez
“The Secret Agent” (Neon) — Rita Azevedo
“Ang Lee’s Testament” (Searchlight Pictures) — Malgorzata Karpiuk
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures) — Paul Tazewell
edit
“House of Dynamite” (Netflix) — Kirk Baxter
“F1” (Apple Original Films/Warner Bros.) — Steven Milione
“Frankenstein” (Netflix) — Evan Schiff
“Hamnet” (Featured Feature) — Chloé Zhao and Afonso Gonsalves
“It was just an accident” (Neon) — Amir Etminan
“Marty Supreme” (A24) — Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie
“No Other Choice” (Neon) – Kim Sang Beom
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.) — Andy Jurgensen
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) — Michael P. Schober
“Perfect Neighbor” (Netflix) — Viridiana Lieberman
“Wake Up Dead Man: Knives Out Mystery” (Netflix) — Bob Ducsay
“Weapons” (Warner Bros.) — Joe Murphy
hair makeup
“28 Years Later” (Sony Pictures)
“Bugonia” (featured feature)
“Frankenstein” (Netflix)
“Header” (Amazon MGM Studios)
“Kiss of the Spider Woman” (Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions)
“Kokuhou” (GKids)
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
“Superman” (Warner Bros.)
“The Smashing Machine” (A24)
“Ugly Stepsister” (IFC)
“Weapons” (Warner Bros.)
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)
sound
“House of Dynamite” (Netflix)
“F1” (Apple Original Films/Warner Bros.)
“Frankenstein” (Netflix)
“Hamnet” (notable feature)
“If I had legs, I would kick them” (A24)
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
“Silaat” (neon)
“Superman” (Warner Bros.)
“The Lost Bus” (Apple Original Films)
“War” (A24)
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)
visual effects
“F1” (Apple Original Films/Warner Bros.)
“Fantastic Four: First Steps” (Marvel Studios)
“Frankenstein” (Netflix)
“How to Train Your Dragon” (Universal Pictures)
“Mickey 17” (Warner Bros.)
“Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning” (Paramount Pictures)
“Predator: Badlands” (20th Century Studios)
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
“Sketch” (Angel)
“Superman” (Warner Bros.)
“Tron: Ares” (Walt Disney Pictures)
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)
original score
“A House of Dynamite” (Netflix) — Volker Bertlmann
“Bugonia” (Featured Feature) — Jerskin Fendrix
“F1” (Apple Original Films/Warner Bros.) — Hans Zimmer
“Frankenstein” (Netflix) – Alexandre Desplat
“Hamnet” (Featured Feature) — Max Richter
“Hedda” (Amazon MGM Studios) — Hildur Guðnadóttir
“Marty Supreme” (A24) — Daniel Lopatin
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.) — Jonny Greenwood
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) – Ludwig Göransson
“Sirāt” (neon) — Kanding Ray
“The Plague” (IFC) — Johann Lennox
“Tron: Ares” (Walt Disney Pictures) — Nine Inch Nails
original song
“Dressed in the Sun” — “Ang Lee’s Testament” (Searchlight Pictures)
“Dear Me” – “Diane Warren: Relentless” (Greenwich Entertainment)
“Drive” – ”F1″ (Apple Original Films/Warner Bros.)
“Loose My Mind” – “F1” (Apple Original Films/Warner Bros.)
“Golden” — “KPop Demon Hunters” (Netflix)
“The Highest 2 Worst” — “The Highest 2 Worst” (A24/Apple Original Films)
“I Lied to You” – “Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
“Last Time (I Seen the Sun)” – “Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
“Pale Pale Moon” – “Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
“The Girl in the Bubble” – “Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)
“No Place Like Home” — “Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)
“Train Dreams” — “Train Dreams” (Netflix)
stunt design
“Ballerina” (Lionsgate)
“F1” (Apple Original Films/Warner Bros.)
“Frankenstein” (Netflix)
“Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning” (Paramount Pictures)
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)
“Predator: Badlands” (20th Century Studios)
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
“Superman” (Warner Bros.)
“The Smashing Machine” (A24)
“Thunderbolts*” (Marvel Studios)
“War” (A24)
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)
