Award season for film is upon us and we have spent the last few weeks pouring over dozens of additional films to pick our top choices for 2024. A lingering content vacuum from recent strikes paved the way for smaller studios and movies to bring forward front runners in this year’s awards race. 

As a member of the SEFCA (Southeastern Film Critics Association) and the AFCC (Atlanta Film Critics Circle), I have voted on many nominees. While my picks didn’t always win, the races were in some cases decided by 1 vote. Below is my list of top performances and films of 2024 as Editor In Chief.

This is our second annual Editors Choice Awards which we kicked off in 2023.

Animated films have a close place in my heart as a medium that can portray complex and visually stunning stories in a way that live-action sometimes lacks. It should come as no surprise that for the second year in a row, TiBS has picked an animated title as our best film for the year. This year, The Wild Robot takes the top spot. Shipwrecked on a deserted island, a robot named Roz must learn to adapt to its new surroundings. Building relationships with the native animals, Roz soon develops a parental bond with an orphaned gosling. With a stacked cast of veteran and newer voice actors, and a complex found-family story, The Wild Robot had the entire audience at our screening crying in the end for very different reasons. Its ability to appeal to a wide audience of adults and children made it a clear winner for the top stop on our list.

Our full list of winners for each category is listed below.

Best Picture: The Wild Robot

Top 10 Films:

1. The Wild Robot
2. Wicked
3. Dune Part II
4. The Imaginary
5. Inside Out 2
6. Nosferatu
7. The Order
8. September 5
9. Monkey Man
10. Deadpool & Wolverine

Best Actor

Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Runner Up: Ralph Fiennes, Conclave

Best Actress

Cynthia Erivo, Wicked
Runner Up: Lily Rose Depp, Nosferatu

Best Supporting Actor

Denzel Washington, Gladiator II
Runner Up: Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain

Best Supporting Actress

Ariana Grande, Wicked
Runner Up: Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown

Best Ensemble

Wicked
Runner Up: Conclave

Best Director

Jon Chu, Wicked
Runner Up: Brady Corbet, The Brutalist

Best Original Screenplay

The Brutalist: Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold
Runner Up: Challengers, Justin Kuritzkes

Best Adapted Screenplay

The Wild Robot, Chris Sanders
Runner Up: Wicked, Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox

Best Animated Film

The Wild Robot
Runner Up: The Imaginary

Best Documentary

Sugarcane

Best Foreign-Language Film

The Seed of the Sacred Fig, Germany

Best Cinematography

Nosferatu, Jarin Blaschke
Runner Up: The Brutalist: Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold

Best Score

The Wild Robot, Kris Bowers
Runner Up: Challengers, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross