The New York Film Critics Circle is the oldest film awards body in the country and arguably the most prestigious (sorry, Los Angeles) in which the winners are selected exclusively by film critics, many still actually employed. The NYFCC was founded in 1935. I haven’t been a member for that long, having joined when Timmy Chalamet was still in diapers, but I count it as a privilege to be a member and former chairman. The arguments during voting are among my fondest memories, as I recall mixing it up with critics I grew up reading. They included Pauline Kael, Andrew Sarris, Judith Crist, Vincent Canby and the infamous John Simon.
The late, great John Huston once called the NYFCC award “the greatest honor that anyone in my profession can receive,” and the four-time Oscar winner for directing John Ford even admitted, “it means more to me than any other honor.” For 90 years the New York Film Critics Circle has consistently recognized, championed, and defended films that may otherwise have been slighted by audiences and the entertainment industry. Founded in part as a response to the Academy Awards’ sometimes dubious selections for the annual best in cinema, the NYFCC has from the start prided itself on striving to recognize a higher standard of film.
For 90 years the New York Film Critics Circle has consistently recognized, championed, and defended films that may otherwise have been slighted by audiences and the entertainment industry.
Compared with the Oscars, the group’s best picture track record speaks for itself: “Citizen Kane” over How Green Was My Valley,” “Goodfellas” over “Dances with Wolves”; “Brokeback Mountain” over “Crash,” “Mulholland Drive” over “A Beautiful Mind,” “The Social Network” over “The King’s Speech.” You get my drift.
Ironically, this year’s NYFCC choice for Best Picture, “One Battle After Another” looks ready to line up with Oscar’s choice. But while the Academy race for Best Actor looks like a photo finish between Leonardo DiCaprio (“One Battle After Another”) and Timothée Chalamet (“Marty Supreme”), my team at the NYFCC went with Brazilian powerhouse Wagner Moura for “The Secret Agent.”
The fun is always in the debate. So set your personal picks for the best in 2025 cinema against the choices of the NYFCC, just voted on earlier this month. The Circle’s awards are viewed, perhaps more accurately, as a principled alternative to the Oscars, honoring aesthetic merit in a forum that is immune to commercial and political pressures. For a complete list of winners from the past calendar year, click here.