The Music City Film Critics’ Association announced the nominees for its sixth annual awards on Monday, honoring the best in film for the 2023 calendar year.
After dominating the box office and the cultural conversation for much of 2023, Barbie and Oppenheimer unsurprisingly led the way with 12 nominations each, tying the record set by Everything Everywhere All at Once last year. The critical and commercial smashes were nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay and a host of technical awards.
Martin Scorsese’s bold, masterful Killers of the Flower Moon followed with nine nominations, while Alexander Payne’s instant holiday classic The Holdovers and Yorgos Lanthimos’ intoxicating Poor Things each claimed eight. A pair of A24 dramas — the achingly romantic Past Lives and the devastating The Iron Claw — both earned five nominations.
The organization also announced six nominees for this year’s Jim Ridley Award. The nominees, named after late Scene editor-in-chief and film critic Jim Ridley, were chosen by a panel of five MCFCA members who knew and worked with Ridley.
The association includes more than 30 professional film critics working in or near Nashville, including myself and several other Scene critics. The winners will be announced Jan. 15. See the full slate of nominations below.
Best Picture
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Color Purple
The Holdovers
The Iron Claw
Best Director
Alexander Payne – The Holdovers
Celine Song – Past Lives
Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer
Greta Gerwig – Barbie
Martin Scorsese – Killers of the Flower Moon
Best Actor
Bradley Cooper – Maestro
Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer
Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction
Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
Zac Efron – The Iron Claw

Past Lives
Best Actress
Emma Stone – Poor Things
Greta Lee – Past Lives
Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon
Margot Robbie – Barbie
Sandra Hüller – Anatomy of a Fall
Best Supporting Actor
Charles Melton – May December
Glenn Howerton – BlackBerry
Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling – Barbie
Best Supporting Actress
Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers
Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple
Emily Blunt – Oppenheimer
Penelope Cruz – Ferrari
Rachel McAdams – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Best Young Actor
Christian Convery – Cocaine Bear
Dominic Sessa – The Holdovers
Joe Bird – Talk to Me
Jude Hill – A Haunting in Venice
Milo Machado Graner – Anatomy of a Fall
Best Young Actress
Abby Ryder Fortson – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Ariana Greenblatt – Barbie
Calah Lane – Wonka
Madeleine Yuna Voyles – The Creator
Mile Davis-Kent – Creed III

The Iron Claw
Best Acting Ensemble
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
The Color Purple
The Holdovers
The Iron Claw
Best Music Film
American Symphony
Barbie
Maestro
The Color Purple
Wonka

The Boy and the Heron
Best Animated Film
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
Elemental
Robot Dreams
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
Best Documentary
20 Days in Mariupol
American Symphony
Four Daughters

Anatomy of a Fall
Best International Film
Anatomy of a Fall
Godzilla Minus One
Society of the Snow
The Zone of Interest
When Evil Lurks
Best Screenplay
American Fiction
Barbie
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
The Holdovers
Best Original Song
“I’m Just Ken,” Ryan Gosling – Barbie
“Live That Way Forever,” Richard Reed Parry, Little Scream, The Barr Brothers – The Iron Claw
“Peaches” Jack Black – The Super Mario Bros. Movie
“Road to Freedom,” Lenny Kravitz – Rustin
“What Was I Made For?” Billie Eilish – Barbie

Poor Things
Best Score
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
The Boy and the Heron
Best Sound
Ferrari
Maestro
Oppenheimer
The Zone of Interest
Best Cinematography
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest

Killers of the Flower Moon
Best Production Design
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Best Editing
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Best Comedy Film
American Fiction
Barbie
The Holdovers
Poor Things
Best Horror Film
Talk to Me
Thanksgiving
When Evil Lurks

Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One
Best Action Film
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Godzilla Minus One
Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3
Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning: Part One
Best Stunt Work
Bottoms
Ferrari
John Wick: Chapter 4
Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning: Part One
The Iron Claw

All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
The Jim Ridley Award
Menus-Plaisirs Les Troisgros
Poor Things
The Boy and the Heron