“The Substance” dominated the 2024 awards by the Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA), earning Best Film, Best Director and both Lead and Supporting performances for Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, respectively.

A haunting mixture of social satire, cautionary science fiction and body horror, the film also took the prizes for Best Editing and Best Special Effects for a total of six wins.

“The Brutalist,” an ambitious tale of a post-WWII Jewish immigrant struggling to embrace the American Dream, was named runner-up in multiple categories including Best Film, Director, Editing, Cinematography and both Lead and Supporting Performances. It won the awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Musical Score.

Eight other films were voted Finalists for Best Film. Along with the winner and runner-up, they represent the IFJA’s selection as the Top 10 movies of the year. 

“Mars Express” won both Best Foreign Language Film and Best Animated Film in a rare category crossover. “Daughters” was named Best Documentary and “Nosferatu” earned the prize for Cinematography. 

Writer/director/star Vera Drew earned the Breakout of the Year Award for “The People’s Joker.” The Original Vision award for a film that is especially innovative went to “Hundreds of Beavers.”

“Nickel Boys” won Adapted Screenplay, Best Ensemble Acting went to “His Three Daughters” and Lupita Nyong’o took the prize for Best Vocal/Motion Capture Performance for “The Wild Robot.”

The Edward Johnson-Ott Hoosier Award, which goes to a film or filmmaker with Indiana ties, went to Michael Husain for writing and directing the documentary “The Waiting Game” about American Basketball Association players’ long fight for recognition from the NBA.

IFJA members issued this statement for the Edward Johnson-Ott Hoosier Award:

"The Waiting Game" chronicles the David vs Goliath story of the fight to get former ABA players honored by the NBA after blazing a path for a more uptempo, exciting version of the game that today’s league has fully embraced without giving due credit. Filmmaker Michael Husain’s keen and objective eye follows the herculean effort by lawyers, players and fans to right a historic wrong. The roots of the saga run through Indiana, and Husain creates a clear and compelling portrait of those who finally prevailed in the most important contest of all.”

In addition to the winner, IFJA recognizes a runner-up in each category (with one exception, noted below). Here is the complete list:

Best Picture

Winner: The Substance

Runner-up: The Brutalist

 

Other Best Film Finalists: (listed alphabetically)

Civil War

Conclave

A Different Man

I Saw the TV Glow

Mars Express

Nickel Boys

A Real Pain

Sing Sing
 

Best Animated Film

Winner: Mars Express

Runner-up: The Wild Robot

 

Best Foreign Language Film

Winner: Mars Express

Runner-up: Aattam

 

Best Documentary Film

Winner: Daughters

Runner-up: No Other Land

 

Best Original Screenplay

Winner: Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold, The Brutalist 

Runner-up: Coralie Fargeat, The Substance

 

Best Adapted Screenplay

Winner: RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes, Nickel Boys

Runner-up: Peter Straughan, Conclave

 

Best Director

Winner: Coralie Fargeat, The Substance

Runner-up: Brady Corbet, The Brutalist

 

Best Lead Performance

Winner: Demi Moore, The Substance

Runner-up: Adrien Brody, The Brutalist

 

Best Supporting Performance

Winner: Margaret Qualley, The Substance

Runner-up: Guy Pearce, The Brutalist

 

Best Vocal/Motion Capture Performance

Winner: Lupita Nyong’o, The Wild Robot

Runner-up: Jonno Davies (motion-capture) and Robbie Williams (voice), Better Man

 

Best Ensemble Acting

Winner: His Three Daughters

Runner-up: Sing Sing

 

Best Musical Score

Winner: Daniel Blumberg, The Brutalist

Runner-up: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Challengers

 

Breakout of the Year

Winner: Vera Drew (director / co-writer / editor / performer), The People’s Joker

Runner-up: Mikey Madison, Anora

 

Best Cinematography

Winner: Jarin Blaschke, Nosferatu

Runner-up: Lol Crawley, The Brutalist

 

Best Editing

Winner: Jérôme Eltabet, Coralie Fargeat and Valentin Feron, The Substance

Runner-up: Dávid Jancsó, The Brutalist

 

Best Stunt/Movement Choreography

Winner: Guy Norris (action designer / supervising stunt coordinator / second-unit director), Tim Wong (stunt coordinator), Harland Norris (assistant stunt coordinator), Karl Van Moorsel (sequence coordinator) and Michael Roughan (stunt rigging coordinator), Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Runner-up: Ashley Wallen (dance choreographer), Nicholas Daines (stunt coordinator), Slavisa Ivanovic (stunt coordinator), Tim Wong (fight choreographer) and Spencer Susser (second-unit director), Better Man
 

Best Special Effects

Winner: Bryan Jones (visual effects supervisor), Pierre Procoudine-Gorsky (visual effects producer) and Jean Miel (special effects supervisor), The Substance

Runner-up: Mike Cheslik (visual effects) and Jerry Kurek (assistant effects artist), Hundreds of Beavers

 

Original Vision Award

Winner: Hundreds of Beavers

Runner-up: The Substance

 

The Edward Johnson-Ott Hoosier Award*
 

Michael Husain (writer / director), The Waiting Game

*As a special honor, no runner-up is named for the Hoosier Award. It is named after founding IFJA member and longtime NUVO Newsweekly critic Edward Johnson-Ott.

Established in 2009 by a dedicated group of six Indiana journalists, the Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA) is a growing organization of Indiana-based journalists and broadcasters who specialize in film criticism and commentary. All major dailies, weeklies and a variety of other print and electronic outlets are represented. IFJA was established to promote the art of film criticism in the Hoosier state, to support Indiana’s growing film industry and to promote quality film criticism in Indiana.

In addition to presenting our Annual Awards and Top Ten List, members of the Indiana Film Journalists Association stay active throughout the year serving on film festival juries, attending and sponsoring special screenings, appearing at film and genre-specific conferences, and speaking to civic groups, schools, media outlets and many other places.

Every year in mid-December, the IFJA presents awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Animated Film, Best Documentary Feature and Best Foreign Language Film. In 2011, IFJA added a category for Best Original Score! Additionally, IFJA has two extra special awards presented each year, the “Edward Johnson Ott Hoosier Award” and the “Original Vision” Award.

IFJA’s “Hoosier Award” is meant to recognize a significant cinematic contribution by a person or persons with Indiana roots. As a special award, no runner-up is declared. In 2021, the "Hoosier Award" has been renamed to celebrate the legacy of charter IFJA member and longtime Indy film critic Edward Johnson Ott. The award is now called the "Edward Johnson Ott Hoosier Award." 

IFJA’s “Original Vision Award” recognizes a cinematic achievement that is extraordinarily innovative or represents outstanding achievement in experimental and/or original filmmaking.