Southeastern Film Critics Association Announces 2023 Winners: ‘Oppenheimer’ Dominates Winning 8 Awards

The Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA) has announced its 2023 winners and has hailed Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer as the Best Picture of the Year!

SEFCA, comprised of 89 film critics dispersed across nine Southeastern states, also awarded Christopher Nolan with Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Released this July, Oppenheimer is a biographical drama set against the backdrop of the Manhattan Project. The movie stars Cillian Murphy in a riveting performance, which also earned him the SEFCA award for Best Actor. Robert Downey, Jr. took home the Best Supporting Actor award, while the entire cast, including Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Aldren Ehrenreich, Jason Clarke, Tom Conti, Josh Hartnett, and Kenneth Branagh, received the Best Ensemble award.

Behind the camera, the film continued to impress, as Hoyte Van Hoytema scooped up Best Cinematography, and Ludwig Goransson was recognized for Best Score.

“This fall featured three big films from three grandmasters of cinema,” said SEFCA President Scott Phillips. “Martin Scorsese released ‘Killers of the Flower Moon.’ Ridley Scott brought ‘Napoleon’ to the big screen, and Michael Mann hits theaters next week with ‘Ferrari.’ Despite this bumper crop from heavy-hitting auteurs, Christopher Nolan’s film from six months ago is walking away with eight SEFCA awards. ‘Oppenheimer’ is a stunning cinematic achievement. Our members recognized that in July, and they are rewarding it in December.”

The Cinematic Landscape of 2023

When reflecting on the cinematic landscape of 2023, SEFCA Vice President Jim Farmer noted, “2023 will be remembered by many as the year that featured the commercial, critical, and cultural phenomenon known as Barbenheimer. But it was also a season that offered a stunning amount of high-quality films, with master filmmakers near the top of their games, fresher faces making strong impressions and performers showing new dimensions. It was a pleasure to take in all that 2023 had to offer.”

Among the “fresher faces” recognized by SEFCA were writer/director Celine Song, whose debut feature, Past Lives, landed at #4 on SEFCA’s Top 10 of 2023, and writer/director Cord Jefferson, whose debut feature, American Fiction, placed seventh in the SEFCA Top 10. The diverse list also acknowledged an animated film, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and two foreign films, Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest.

Check out the full list of this year’s winners below.

2023 Southeastern Film Critics Association Winners

Top 10 Films of 2023

1. Oppenheimer
2. Killers of the Flower Moon
3. The Holdovers
4. Past Lives
5. Barbie
6. Poor Things
7. American Fiction
8. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
9. Anatomy of a Fall
10. The Zone of Interest

Best Actor

Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer

Best Actress

Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Supporting Actor

Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer

Best Supporting Actress

Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers

Best Ensemble

Oppenheimer

Best Director

Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer

Best Original Screenplay

David Hemingson, The Holdovers

Best Adapted Screenplay

Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer

Best Documentary

Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie

Best Animated Film

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Best Foreign-Language Film

Anatomy of a Fall

Best Cinematography

Hoyte Van Hoytema, Oppenheimer

Best Score

Ludwig Goransson, Oppenheimer

About Southeastern Film Critics Association

Visit SEFCA on the web at SEFCA.net to learn more about its members and past winners. You can also follow SEFCA on Twitter at @SEFilmCritics.