The Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal-starring All of Us Strangers and the Cillian Murphy-starring Oppenheimer lead the pack for major nominations at the London Critics' Circle film awards 2024.
Director Andrew Haigh's romantic fantasy All of Us Strangers has scored nine nods while Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer has picked up seven, with both being nominated for Film of the Year.
It was announced on Wednesday at The May Fair Hotel in London that they will go against Barbie, Killers of the Flower Moon, Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers, May December, Past Lives, Poor Things, and The Zone of Interest for the coveted prize.
Andrew Scott has been nominated for Actor of the Year for his performance in All of Us Strangers, while his co-stars Paul Mescal and Claire Foy have been shortlisted in the Supporting Actor categories.
The Dubliner will face tough competition from Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy, Bradley Cooper for his starring role as composer Leonard Bernstein in Maestro, Paul Giamatti for The Holdovers, and Jeffrey Wright for American Fiction.
Carey Mulligan's portrayal of Leonard Bernstein's wife Felicia Montealegre in Maestro has also earned her a nod alongside Lily Gladstone for her role in Killers of the Flower Moon, Sandra Hüller for Anatomy of a Fall, Greta Lee for Past Lives, and Poor Things star Emma Stone.
Meanwhile, All of Us Strangers' Paul Mescal has been nominated for the Supporting Actor of the Year award along with a host of Hollywood stars including Robert Downey Jr for Oppenheimer, Ryan Gosling for Barbie, Poor Things star Mark Ruffalo, and Charles Melton for his performance in May December.
The Supporting Actress category is also star-studded with All of Us Strangers' Claire Foy being nominated alongside Julianne Moore for May December, Saltburn star Rosamund Pike, Sandra Hüller for The Zone of Interest, and Da'Vine Joy Randolph for her performance in The Holdovers.
Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan will go head to head for the Director of the Year award for Barbie and Oppenheimer, respectively.
They will also face competition from Martin Scorsese for Killers of the Flower Moon, Yorgos Lanthimos for Poor Things, and Jonathan Glazer for The Zone of Interest.
Among the other top gongs up for grabs at the ceremony being held in central London on 4 February is the British/Irish Performer prize, which takes into account their body of work across the year.
Andrew Scott has been recognised for his role in All of Us Strangers again while co-star Paul Mescal has also been selected for his performance in the film and his roles in God's Creatures, Foe, and Carmen.
Cillian Murphy has been nominated in the category for Oppenheimer, Carey Mulligan for Maestro and Saltburn, and Tilda Swinton for The Eternal Daughter, The Killer, and Asteroid City.
At this year’s ceremony, US actor Jeffrey Wright will be presented with the London Critics' top honour, the Dilys Powell Award for excellence in film.
He has starred in a host of major productions including Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch, Asteroid City, and Rustin, as well as playing Felix Leiter in three James Bond films opposite Daniel Craig.
The chair of the Critics' Circle Film Section, Rich Cline, said: "We are thrilled to present such an iconic actor as Jeffrey Wright with the Dilys Powell Award.
"And we are planning another special award as well, new this year, to be announced soon.
"As always, our nominees stand out from other awards because our members actually take the time to watch all of the year's films.
"So these nominations represent a cross-section of the very best movies we saw in 2023. Instead of being critical, it's nice to celebrate films, filmmakers, and performances that deserve attention."
The winners of the 44th London Critics' Circle Awards will be announced in a ceremony at London's May Fair Hotel on Sunday 4 February, hosted by film critic Mark Kermode.
All of Us Strangers opens in Irish cinemas on Friday 26 January 2024.
Source: Press Association
