Holocaust drama The Zone Of Interest has been named film of the year by the London Film Critics’ Circle.
The harrowing portrait of a family living in a house and garden next to Auschwitz is directed by British filmmaker Jonathan Glazer, who was named best director.
The film stars German actor Christian Friedel as Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Hoss, while Sandra Huller plays his wife Hedwig, who is referred to as the “Queen of Auschwitz”.
The film was also celebrated for its mix of music and sound.
Andrew Haigh’s moving drama All Of Us Strangers won the Attenborough Award for British/Irish film of the year, with star Andrew Scott named actor of the year and his co-star Paul Mescal named British/Irish performer for his body of work in 2023.
Emma Stone was named actress of the year for Poor Things, the steampunk coming-of-age film by Yorgos Lanthimos, while Da’Vine Joy Randolph was named best supporting actress for her turn as a grieving cook in drama The Holdovers.
Riverdale’s Charles Melton won the supporting actor gong for May December, about a controversial romance.
Celine Song’s directorial debut Past Lives, about childhood friends reuniting, was named foreign language film of the year, and Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy And The Heron won the new animated film award.
American Fiction star Jeffrey Wright took to the stage to receive the Dilys Powell Award for excellence in film.
He is currently nominated for the best actor Oscar for his turn as a disgruntled author who writes the kind of novel he despises to prove a point and becomes a huge success.
The Derek Malcolm award for innovation was presented to Rustin star Colman Domingo, who is also in contention of the best actor Oscar for his performance as the man who helped Martin Luther King Jr and others organise the 1963 March on Washington.
Mia McKenna-Bruce received the group’s first international breakthrough performance award for How To Have Sex, and the film’s writer-director Molly Manning Walker won the Philip French award for British/Irish breakthrough filmmaker.
The 44th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards were voted for by the 210-member film section of the Critics’ Circle.