Chicago Indie Critics (CIC) have announced their nominees for their 2024 Windie Awards. The winners will be announced on January 18th, 2025. Here are the nominees.

BEST INDEPENDENT FILM

Anora

The Brutalist

I Saw the TV Glow

Sing Sing

The Substance

BEST STUDIO FILM

Challengers

A Complete Unknown

Dune: Part Two

Nosferatu

Wicked

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM

All We Imagine as Light

Emilia Pérez

Flow

Kneecap

The Seed of the Sacred Fig

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM

Daughters

Music by John Williams

Sugarcane

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

Will & Harper

BEST ANIMATED FILM

Flow

Inside Out 2

Memoir of a Snail

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

The Wild Robot

BEST DIRECTOR

Sean BakerAnora

Brady CorbetThe Brutalist

Coralie FargeatThe Substance

RaMell RossNickel Boys

Denis VilleneuveDune: Part Two

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Anora – Sean Baker

The Brutalist – Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold

I Saw the TV Glow Jane Schoenbrun

A Real Pain Jesse Eisenberg

The Substance – Coralie Fargeat

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Conclave Peter Straughan

Dune: Part Two – Denis Villeneuve and Jon Spaihts

Nickel Boys – RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes

Sing Sing Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, and John “Divine G” Whitfield

The Wild RobotChris Sanders

BEST ACTOR

Adrien BrodyThe Brutalist

Timothée ChalametA Complete Unknown

Colman DomingoSing Sing

Hugh GrantHeretic

Sebastian StanThe Apprentice

BEST ACTRESS

Amy AdamsNightbitch

Lily-Rose DeppNosferatu

Cynthia ErivoWicked

Marianne Jean-BaptisteHard Truths

Angelina JolieMaria

Mikey MadisonAnora

Demi MooreThe Substance

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Kieran CulkinA Real Pain

Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing

Edward NortonA Complete Unknown

Guy PearceThe Brutalist

Bill Skarsgård –  Nosferatu

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Danielle DeadwylerThe Piano Lesson

Aunjunue Ellis-Taylor – Nickel Boys

Ariana Grande-ButeraWicked

Margaret QualleyThe Substance

Zoe SaldañaEmilia Pérez

BEST ENSEMBLE

Conclave

Dune: Part Two

Saturday Night

Sing Sing

Wicked

BEST BREAKOUT PERFORMER

Yura BorisovAnora

Vera DrewThe People’s Joker

Willa FitzgeraldStrange Darling

Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing

Adam Pearson A Different Man

Aaron PierreRebel Ridge

BEST BREAKOUT ARTIST

Daniel BlumbergThe Brutalist

Kris BowersThe Wild Robot

Coralie Fargeat – The Substance

Dev PatelMonkey Man

RaMell Ross – Nickel Boys

SIGHT UNSEEN PERFORMANCE

Daveed DiggsNickel Boys

Maya HawkeInside Out 2

Lupita Nyong’oThe Wild Robot

Pedro PascalThe Wild Robot

Sarah SnookMemoirs of a Snail

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

The BrutalistLol Crawley

Civil WarRob Hardy

Dune: Part TwoGreig Fraser

Nickel BoysJomo Fray

NosferatuJarin Blaschke

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

The BrutalistJudy Becker

Conclave – Suzie Davies and Roberta Federico

NosferatuCraig Lathrop

The Substance Stanislas Reydellet, Cécilia Blom

WickedNathan Crowley

BEST EDITING

The BrutalistDávid Jancsó

ChallengersMarco Costa

Dune: Part TwoJoe Walker

Nickel BoysNicholas Monsour

NosferatuLouise Ford

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

ConclaveLisy Christl

Dune: Part TwoJacqueline West

NosferatuLinda Muir

The SubstanceEmmanuelle Youchnovski

WickedPaul Tazewell

BEST MAKEUP

Beetlejuice BeetlejuiceChristine Blundell, Lesa Warrener, and Neal Scanlan

A Different ManMike Marino, Sarah Graalman, and Aaron Saucier

NosferatuTraci Loader, Suzanne Stokes-Munton, and David White

The SubstancePierre-Olivier Persin

WickedFrances Hannon, Sarah Nuth, and Laura Blount

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Civil WarDavid Simpson, J.D. Schwalm, Christian Zeh, and Freddy Salazar

Dune: Part TwoPaul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe, and Gerd Nefzer

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Erik Winquist, Stephen Unterfranz, Paul Story, and Rodney Burke

NosferatuAngela Barson

TwistersBen Snow, Florian Witzel, and Bill Georgiou

BEST STUNTS

Deadpool & Wolverine

Stunt Coordinator: Colin Follenweider and Liang Yang

Dune: Part Two

Stunt Coordinator: Roger Yuan

The Fall Guy

Stunt Coordinators: Keir Beck and Chris O’Hara

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Stunt Coordinators: Guy Norris and Tim Wong 

Monkey Man

Stunt Coordinator: Udeh Nans

BEST SOUND

Civil War Glenn Freemantle

Dune: Part Two Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett, and Doug Hemphill

Nosferatu Robin Carolan

The Substance Valérie Deloof and Victor Fleurant

The Wild Robot Randy Thom, Gary A. Rizzo, Leff Lefferts, and Brian Chumney

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg

Challengers Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor

Nosferatu – Robin Carolan 

The SubstanceBenjamin “Raffertie” Stefanski

The Wild Robot – Kris Bowers

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“Beautiful That Way”The Last Showgirl

Songwriters: Andrew Wyatt, Lykke Li, and Miley Cyrus

“Compress/Repress”Challengers

Songwriters: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Luca Guadagnino

“Kiss the Sky”The Wild Robot

Songwriters: Delacey, Jordan Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael Pollack, and Ali Tamposi 

“Like a Bird”Sing Sing

Songwriters: Abraham Alexander, Brandon Marcel, and Adrian Quesada

“Starburned and Unkissed”I Saw the TV Glow

Songwriter: Caroline Polachek

THE IMPACT AWARD

Given to individual or group who has made a positive impact on local Chicago cinema

Emma Greenleaf and Nick EdelbergFacets Anime Club

Kyle Cubr – Programmer, Music Box Theatre

Mimi Plauche – Artistic Director of the Cinema/Chicago

Morgan HarrisAcacia Consulting Group

Ramona Slick – Programmer, Music Box Theatre


WINDIE AWARD NOMINATIONS BY THE NUMBERS:

11: Nosferatu, The Substance

10: The Brutalist, Dune: Part Two

8: The Wild Robot

7: Nickel Boys, Sing Sing, Wicked

5: Anora 

4: Challengers, Conclave

3: A Complete Unknown, I Saw the TV Glow, Civil War

2: A Different Man, Emilia Pérez, Flow, Inside Out 2, Memoirs of a Snail, Monkey Man, A Real Pain

1: All We Imagine as Light, The Apprentice, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Daughters, Deadpool & Wolverine, The Fall Guy, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Hard Truths, Heretic, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Kneecap, The Last Showgirl, Maria, Music by John Williams, Nightbitch, The Piano Lesson, The People’s Joker, Rebel Ridge, Saturday Night, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, Strange Darling, Sugarcane, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story. Twisters, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, Will & Harper

News Update Courtesy of Adam Patla

Feature Image Courtesy of MUBI via PureWow