The Georgia Film Critics Association (GAFCA) is an organization of professional film critics from the U.S. state of Georgia. Inclusion is open to film critics throughout the entire state of Georgia, although the majority of members are concentrated in the Metro Atlanta area. GAFCA members represent the reviewing press through online, radio, television, or print media.
Overview The Georgia Film Critics Association was founded in 2011, and is the first film critic group in the state of Georgia. As of 2023, GAFCA comprises 48 members. Awards are given annually in 17 categories. A special award, the Oglethorpe Award for Excellence in Georgia Cinema, is bestowed upon a film or short film that was produced in Georgia. The Oglethorpe Award is credited to the winning film's director and writer.
Each January, GAFCA votes on their end-of-year awards for films released in the previous calendar year. Nomination ballots are typically due on the first Saturday in January, with nominations announced the following Monday and winners announced that Friday.
In 2022, GAFCA released the runners-up alongside winners for the first time in their history.
Award categories Best Actor Best Actress Best Adapted Screenplay Best Animated Film Best Cinematography Best Director Best Documentary Best Ensemble Best International Film (formerly Foreign Film or Foreign Language Film) Best Original Score Best Original Screenplay Best Original Song Best Picture Best Production Design (formerly Art Direction) Best Supporting Actor Best Supporting Actress Breakthrough Award Oglethorpe Award for Excellence in Georgia Cinema
Awards history
Top categories winners history Year Best Film Best Director Best Actor Best Actress Best Supporting Actor Best Supporting Actress2011 - 1stThe Tree of LifeTerrence MalickThe Tree of LifeBrad PittMoneyballJuliette BinocheCertified CopyBrad PittThe Tree of LifeJessica ChastainThe Tree of Life2012 - 2ndSilver Linings PlaybookKathryn BigelowZero Dark ThirtyDaniel Day-LewisLincolnJennifer LawrenceSilver Linings PlaybookPhilip Seymour HoffmanThe MasterJudi DenchSkyfall2013 - 3rdHerAlfonso CuarónGravityChiwetel Ejiofor12 Years a SlaveCate BlanchettBlue JasmineMichael Fassbender12 Years a SlaveLupita Nyong'o12 Years a Slave2014 - 4thBoyhoodRichard LinklaterBoyhoodJake GyllenhaalNightcrawlerMarion CotillardTwo Days, One NightJ. K. SimmonsWhiplashTilda SwintonSnowpiercer2015 - 5thMad Max: Fury RoadGeorge MillerMad Max: Fury RoadLeonardo DiCaprioThe RevenantBrie LarsonRoomSylvester StalloneCreedAlicia VikanderEx Machina2016 - 6thMoonlightDamien ChazelleLa La LandCasey AffleckManchester by the SeaNatalie PortmanJackieMahershala AliMoonlightViola DavisFences2017 - 7thLady BirdGreta GerwigLady BirdDaniel KaluuyaGet OutSaoirse RonanLady BirdWillem DafoeThe Florida ProjectLaurie MetcalfLady Bird2018 - 8thA Star Is BornAlfonso CuarónRomaEthan HawkeFirst ReformedToni ColletteHereditarySam ElliottA Star Is BornEmma StoneThe Favourite2019 - 9thParasiteBong Joon-hoParasiteAdam DriverMarriage StoryLupita Nyong'oUsJoe PesciThe IrishmanFlorence PughLittle Women2020 - 10th NomadlandChloé ZhaoNomadlandRiz AhmedSound of MetalCarey MulliganPromising Young WomanPaul RaciSound of MetalYoun Yuh-jungMinari2021 - 11th Licorice PizzaJane CampionThe Power of the DogNicolas CagePigAlana HaimLicorice PizzaBradley CooperLicorice PizzaAriana DeBoseWest Side Story2022 - 12th Everything Everywhere All at OnceDanielsEverything Everywhere All at OnceColin FarrellThe Banshees of InisherinMichelle YeohEverything Everywhere All at OnceKe Huy QuanEverything Everywhere All at OnceStephanie HsuEverything Everywhere All at Once2023 - 13th OppenheimerChristopher NolanOppenheimerCillian MurphyOppenheimerLily GladstoneKillers of the Flower MoonRobert Downey Jr.OppenheimerDa'Vine Joy RandolphThe Holdovers2024 - 14th AnoraDenis VilleneuveDune: Part TwoColman DomingoSing SingMikey MadisonAnoraKieran CulkinA Real PainDanielle DeadwylerThe Piano Lesson2025 - 15th One Battle After Another Paul Thomas AndersonOne Battle After Another Timothée ChalametMarty Supreme Jessie BuckleyHamnet Benicio del ToroOne Battle After Another Amy MadiganWeapons
Breakthrough Award winner history The Breakthrough Award is credited to an individual only and not to a film. Danielle Deadwyler and Stephanie Hsu tied for the Breakthrough Award in 2022, marking the first tie in Georgia Film Critics history in any category. Year Winner Role 2011 - 1st Jessica Chastain Performer 2012 - 2nd Benh Zeitlin Director, writer, composer 2013 - 3rd Brie Larson Performer 2014 - 4th David Oyelowo Performer 2015 - 5th Alicia Vikander Performer 2016 - 6th Mahershala Ali Performer 2017 - 7th Jordan Peele Director, writer 2018 - 8th Elsie Fisher Performer 2019 - 9th Florence Pugh Performer 2020 - 10th Emerald Fennell Director, writer 2021 - 11th Alana Haim Performer 2022 - 12th Danielle DeadwylerStephanie Hsu PerformerPerformer 2023 - 13th Dominic Sessa Performer 2024 - 14th RaMell Ross Director, writer 2025 - 15th Miles Caton Performer, songwriter
Multiple award winners
Films with multiple awards 8 awards: Oppenheimer (2023): Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Ensemble 6 awards: Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022): Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay The Tree of Life (2011): Best Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction 5 awards: La La Land (2016): Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Production Design, Best Original Score, Best Original Song Licorice Pizza (2021): Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Ensemble Moonlight (2016): Best Film, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Ensemble One Battle After Another (2025): Best Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Ensemble 4 awards: Lady Bird (2017): Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress Mad Max: Fury Road (2015): Best Film, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design Nomadland (2020): Best Film, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography Parasite (2019): Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Foreign Language Film Silver Linings Playbook (2012): Best Film, Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Ensemble Sinners (2025): Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Original Song 3 awards: 1917 (2019): Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Original Score Anora (2024): Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay Dune (2021): Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Original Score The Favourite (2018): Best Supporting Actress, Best Production Design, Best Ensemble Gravity (2013): Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design Her (2013): Best Film, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score Roma (2018): Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Foreign Language Film Skyfall (2012): Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Original Song A Star Is Born (2018): Best Film, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Song 12 Years a Slave (2013): Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress 2 awards: Barbie (2023): Best Production Design, Best Original Song Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012): Best Production Design, Best Original Score Boyhood (2014): Best Film, Best Director Certified Copy (2011): Best Actress, Best Foreign Film Challengers (2024): Best Original Score, Best Original Song Coco (2017): Best Original Song, Best Animated Film Dune: Part Two (2024): Best Director, Best Cinematography Dunkirk (2017): Best Cinematography, Best Original Score Flow (2024): Best International Film, Best Animated Film Get Out (2017): Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022): Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Ensemble The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014): Best Production Design, Best Ensemble The Holdovers (2023): Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay Inside Out (2015): Best Original Screenplay, Best Animated Film The Irishman (2019): Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay Little Women (2019): Best Supporting Actress, Best Ensemble Moneyball (2011): Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay Nightcrawler (2014): Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay The Power of the Dog (2021): Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay Promising Young Woman (2020): Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay One Night in Miami (2020): Best Original Song, Best Ensemble Selma (2014): Best Original Song, Oglethorpe Award for Excellence in Georgia Cinema Soul (2020): Best Original Score, Best Animated Film Sound of Metal (2020): Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor Top Gun: Maverick (2022): Best Cinematography, Best Original Song Weapons (2025): Best Supporting Actress, Oglethorpe Award for Excellence in Georgia Cinema
People with multiple awards 3 awards: Paul Thomas Anderson - Best Original Screenplay: Licorice Pizza (2021); Best Director: One Battle After Another (2025); Best Adapted Screenplay: One Battle After Another (2025) Alfonso Cuarón - Best Director: Gravity (2013), Roma (2018); Best Cinematography: Roma (2018) Ludwig Göransson - Best Original Score: Oppenheimer (2023), Sinners (2025); Best Original Song: Sinners (2025) Justin Hurwitz - Best Score: La La Land (2016), First Man (2018); Best Original Song: La La Land (2016) Emmanuel Lubezki - Best Cinematography: The Tree of Life (2011), Gravity (2013), Birdman (2014) Trent Reznor - Best Original Score: Soul (2020), Challengers (2024); Best Original Song: Challengers (2024) Atticus Ross - Best Original Score: Soul (2021), Challengers (2024); Best Original Song: Challengers (2024) Hans Zimmer - Best Original Score: Interstellar (2014), Dunkirk (2017), Dune (2021)
2 awards: Mahershala Ali - Best Supporting Actor: Moonlight (2016); Breakthrough Award (2016) Bong Joon-ho - Best Director, Best Original Screenplay: Parasite (2019) Jane Campion - Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay: The Power of the Dog (2021) Jessica Chastain - Best Supporting Actress: The Tree of Life (2011); Breakthrough Award (2011) Damien Chazelle - Best Director, Best Original Screenplay: La La Land (2016) Ryan Coogler - Oglethorpe Award for Excellence in Georgia Cinema: Black Panther (2018); Best Original Screenplay: Sinners (2025) Daniels - Best Director, Best Original Screenplay: Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) Danielle Deadwyler - Breakthrough Award (2022); Best Supporting Actress: The Piano Lesson (2024) Roger Deakins - Best Cinematography: Skyfall (2012), 1917 (2019) Emerald Fennell - Best Original Screenplay: Promising Young Woman (2020); Breakthrough Award (2020) Greig Fraser - Best Cinematography: Dune (2021), Dune: Part Two (2024) Dennis Gassner - Best Production Design: Blade Runner 2049 (2017), 1917 (2019) Alana Haim - Best Actress: Licorice Pizza (2021); Breakthrough Award (2021) Lady Gaga - Best Original Song: A Star is Born (2018), Top Gun: Maverick (2022) Brie Larson - Breakthrough Award (2013); Best Actress: Room (2015) Adam McKay - Best Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short (2015); Oglethorpe Award: Ant-Man (2015) Christopher Nolan - Best Director: Oppenheimer (2023); Best Adapted Screenplay: Oppenheimer (2023) Lupita Nyong'o - Best Supporting Actress: 12 Years a Slave (2013); Best Actress: Us (2019) Brad Pitt - Best Actor: Moneyball (2011); Best Supporting Actor: The Tree of Life (2011) Florence Pugh - Best Supporting Actress: Little Women (2019); Breakthrough Award (2019) Stephanie Hsu - Best Supporting Actress: Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022); Breakthrough Award (2022)