This is the 11th year of my annual awards. Eligible films are those that were released in the UK for the first time in 2023 whether that is in the cinemas, TV or on the ever increasing numbers of streaming services. This year, I have seen a record number of 530 eligible films but still there are a few that potentially could have featured below that I did not manage to squeeze in, such as Femme, The Enys Men, Godland, Leonor Will Never Die, Rodeo, Bolan’s Shoes and 20 Days in Mariupol.

As with most years recently, the stiffest competition is in the Best Actress category, one that I really struggled to whittle down to a reasonable number of contenders.

2023 was a vintage year, but when compiling my final list for the Best Film category, there were three movies that were clearly ahead of the rest and I swapped the order of the best two a number of times!

MOST OVERLOOKED
Honourable Mentions: Flora and Son, Maggie Moore(s), 10 Days of a Good Man, Reptile, 10 Days of a Bad Man, Y Swn, Marlowe, To Catch a Killer, Infiesto, A Deadly Invitation, Totally Killer, Cobweb, The Artifice Girl
Tarrac, The Conference, Wingwomen, Maigret, Miranda’s Victim, Wolf Manor and Supercell
Winner: You Hurt My Feelings

MOST OVERRATED
Honourable mentions: Luther: The Fallen Sun, Sisu, The Whale, Infinity Pool, Eileen, Asteroid City, Barbie and Beau is Afraid
Winner: Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

MOST UNDERRATED
Honourable mentions: Ghosted, Murder Mystery 2, Happiness for Beginners, Retribution, Shotgun Wedding, Thanksgiving Dog Gone and Hidden Strike
Winner: Love at First Sight

BEST SEQUEL/REMAKE/REBOOT
Honourable mentions: 10 Days of a Bad Man, A Haunting in Venice, Scream 6, Extraction 2, Meg 2: The Trench, The Three Musketeers: Milady, Murder Mystery 2, The Equalizer 3 and Your Christmas or Mine 2
Winner: Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

BEST POPCORN MOVIE
Honourable mentions: Scream 6, Cocaine Bear, Renfield, Extraction 2, Meg 2: The Trench, There’s Something in the Barn and The Family Plan
Runner Up: Plane
Winner: Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

BEST SCORE
Honourable mentions: Hildur Guðnadóttir (Women Talking), Tyler Bates and Tim Williams (Pearl), Gavin Brivik (How to Blow up a Pipeline), Leonardo De Bernardini (Mindcage), Laurens Goedhart and Fons Merkies (Faithfully Yours), Olivier Marguerit (The Night of the 12th), Christopher Bear and Daniel Rossen (Past Lives), Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (The Killer) and Christopher Benstead (The Covenant)
3: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (Empire of Light)
Runner Up: Ludwig Göransson (Oppenheimer)
Winner: Robbie Robertson (Killers of the Flower Moon)

BEST DOCUMENTARY
3: Mark Cavendish: Never Enough
Runner Up: Wham!
Winner: Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
 
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Honourable Mentions: Xavi Gimenez (Marlowe), Olan Collardy (Rye Lane), Tehillah de Castro (How to Blow up a Pipeline), Nadim Carlsen (Holy Spider), Soledad Rodríguez (1976), Robert Nordström (My Sailor My Love)
Soumik Mukherjee (Bheed) and Linus Sandgren (Saltburn)
5: Nicolas Canniccioni (How to Have Sex)
4: Erik Messerschmidt (Ferrari)
3: Rodrigo Prieto (Killers of the Flower Moon)
Runner Up: Roger Deakins (Empire of Light)
Winner: Hoyte Van Hoytema (Oppenheimer)

BEST BRITISH OR IRISH FILM
Honourable Mentions: My Sailor, My Love, Klokkenluider, How to Have Sex and Tarrac
10: Y Swn
9: The Bank of Dave
8: The Great Escaper
7: A Haunting in Venice
6: Flora and Son
5: Scrapper
4: Rye Lane
3: Blue Jean
Runner Up: Empire of Light
Winner: The Old Oak

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
10: Eric Gravel (Full Time)
9: Sam Mendes (Empire of Light)
8: Carolina Cavalli and Babak Jalali (Fremont)
7: Nathan Bryon and Tom Melia (Rye Lane)
6: Sarah Polley and Miriam Toews (Women Talking)
5: Georgia Oakley (Blue Jean)
4: Nicole Holofcener (You Hurt My Feelings)
3: Todd Field (Tar)
Runner Up: Celine Song (Past Lives)
Winner: Justine Triet and Arthur Harari (Anatomy of a Fall)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
10: Javier Durán Pérez and Anton Goenechea (A Deadly Invitation)
9: Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo (Dumb Money)
8: Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins (The Blackening)
7: Andrew Kevin Walker, Alexis Nolent and Luc Jacamon (The Killer)
6: Michael Green (A Haunting in Venice)
5: Damla Serim and Mehmet Eroglu (10 Days of a Good Man and 10 Days of a Bad Man)
4: Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon)
3: Pauline Guéna, Gilles Marchand and Dominik Moll (The Night of the 12th)
Runner Up: Caroline Michel-Aguirre (La Syndicaliste)
Winner: Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer)

WORST PERFORMANCE
Dishonourable Mentions: Caleb Lowell (Bullet Train Down), Celine Dion (Love Again), Ankur Bhatia (Operation Mayfair), John Malkovich ( One Ranger), The entire cast (Cocaine Cougar), Celeste Dejardins (Unforgettable Christmas) and Malin Akerman (The Donor Party)
Runner Up: The entire cast (Partners in Crime)
Loser: Bert Kreischer (The Machine)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Honourable Mentions: Emma Jenkins-Purro (Pearl), Aubrey Plaza (Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre), Émilie Dequenne (Close), Catherine Walker (My Sailor, My Love), Vanessa Kirby (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One), Lee Joo-young (Broker), Rachel McAdams (Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret), Tina Fey (A Haunting in Venice), Gina McKee (Typist Artist Pirate King), Rosamund Pike (Saltburn), Carey Mulligan (Saltburn) and Eva Green (The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan)
20: Jenna Coleman (Klokkenluider)
19: Julia Anonelli (Beau is Afraid)
18: Olivia Hamilton (Babylon)
17: Esom (Kill Boksoon)
16: Sofia Lebedeva (Tetris)
15: Sigourney Weaver (Master Gardener)
14: America Ferrera (Barbie)
13: Teresa Ruiz (Noise)
12: Karene Peter (Rye Lane)
11: Michaela Watkins (You Hurt My Feelings)
10: Ilayda Akdogan (10 Days of a Good Man)
9: Anouk Grinberg (The Night of the 12th)
8: Mara Taquin (La Syndicaliste )
7: Dylan Gelula (Dream Scenario)
6: Emily VanCamp (Miranda’s Victim)
5: Hong Chau (The Whale)
4: Jessie Buckley (Women Talking)
3: Alicia Silverstone (Reptile)
Runner Up: Shailene Woodley (Ferrari)
Winner: Jodie Foster (Nyad)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Honourable Mentions: Gregory Gadebois (La Syndicaliste), Mark Strong (Tar), Matt Damon (Oppenheimer), Mohammad Bakri (Cairo Conspiracy), Morgan Freeman (A Good Person), Nick Mohammed (Maggie Moore(s)),
Paul Dano (The Fabelmans) and Richard E. Grant (Saltburn)
20: Derek Jacobi (Allelujah)
19: Fares Fares (Cairo Conspiracy and A Day and a Half)
18: Gregg Turkington (Fremont)
17: Eddie Marsan (Fair Play)
16: Eddie Tang (Fremont)
15: Julian Glover (Tar)
14: Mark Lewis Jones (Y Swn)
13: Rupert Everett (Napoleon)
12: Seth Rogan (The Fabelmans)
11: Jeremy Allen White (Fremont)
10: Jason Bateman (Air)
9: Glenn Howerton (BlackBerry)
8: Ben Whishaw (Passages)
7: Brad Pitt (Babylon)
6: John Magaro (Past Lives)
5: Richard E. Grant (The Lesson)
4: Rhys Ifans (Nyad)
3: Toby Jones (Empire of Light)
Runner Up: Robert De Niro (Killers of the Flower Moon)
Winner: Robert Downey Jr (Oppenheimer)
 
BEST ACTRESS
Honourable Mentions: Olivia Colman (Empire of Light), Alina Khan (Joyland), Aline Küppenheim (1976), Ilayda Akdogan (10 Days of a Bad Man), Mia Wasikowska (Blueback), Rooney Mara (Women Talking), Shailene Woodley (Robots), Virginie Efira (Other People’s Children), Vivian Oparah (Rye Lane), Thomasin McKenzie (Eileen), Eva Green (The Three Musketeers: Milady), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (You Hurt My Feelings), Danielle Deadwyler (Till), Emilia Jones (Cat Person), Guslagie Malanda (Saint Omer), Hayley Atwell (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One), Isabelle Huppert (La Syndicaliste), MyAnna Buring (97 Minutes), Zar Amir-Ebrahimi (Holy Spider), Carey Mulligan (Maestro), Saoirse Ronan (Foe) and Julieta Egurrola (Noise)
20: Gina McKee (A Grand Romantic Gesture)
19: Haley Lu Richardson (Love at First Sight)
18: Tatum Matthews (The Artifice Girl)
17: Natalie Portman (May December)
16: Laure Calamy (Full Time)
15: Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon)
14: Emily Watson (God’s Creatures)
13: Anaita Wali Zada (Fremont)
12: Shailene Woodley (To Catch a Killer)
11: Ebla Mari (The Old Oak)
10: Virginie Efira (Paris Memories)
9: Jessie Buckley (Fingernails)
8: Mia McKenna-Bruce (How to Have Sex)
7: Rosy McEwen (Blue Jean)
6: Lola Campbell (Scrapper)
5: Sydney Sweeney (Reality)
4: Shailene Woodley (Dumb Money)
3: Cate Blanchett (Tar)
Runner Up: Sandra Huller (Anatomy of a Fall)
Winner: Greta Lee (Past Lives)

BEST ACTOR
Honourable Mentions: Adam Driver (Ferrari), Ben Mendelsohn (To Catch a Killer), Darrell D’Silva (Medusa Deluxe), Dave Turner (The Old Oak), David Jonsson (Rye Lane), Jim Broadbent (The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry), Jordi Pujol Dolcet (Alcarras), Juan Minujin (The Substitute), Payman Maadi (Law of Tehran),
Roschdy Zem (Other People’s Children), Ryan Gosling (Barbie), Teo Yoo (Past Lives) and Tom Hanks (A Man Called Otto)
20: Joel Fry (The Bank of Dave)
19: Jon Hamm (Maggie Moore(s))
18: Bradley Cooper (Maestro)
17: Aditya Rawal (Faraaz)
16: Ali Junejo (Joyland)
15: Swann Arlaud (Anatomy of a Fall)
14: Gabriel Byrne (Dance First)
13: Ray Romano (Somewhere in Queens)
12: Paul Dano (Dumb Money)
11: Joel Edgerton (Master Gardener)
10: Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer)
9: Nicolas Cage (Dream Scenario)
8: Josh Hamilton (Reality)
7: Michael Fassbender (The Killer)
6: Jake Gyllenhaal (The Covenant)
5: Leonardo Dicaprio (Killers of the Flower Moon)
4: Riz Ahmed (Fingernails)
3: Barry Keoghan (Saltburn)
Runner Up: Harris Dickinson (Scrapper)
Winner: Michael Caine (The Great Escaper)
 
BEST DIRECTOR
Honourable Mentions: Manuela Martelli (1976), Uluç Bayraktar (10 Days of a Bad Man), Caroline Michel-Aguirre (La Syndicaliste), Damien Chazelle (Babylon), Patxi Amezcua (Infiesto), Sung-hyun Byun (Kill Boksoon), Neil Jordan (Marlowe), Natalia Beristain (Noise), Rebecca Zlotowski (Other People’s Children), Jean-Francois Richet (Plane), Raine Allen-Miller (Rye Lane), Charlotte Regan (Scrapper), Antoine Fuqua (The Equalizer 3), Sarah Polley (Women Talking), Babak Jalali (Fremont) and Eric Gravel (Full Time)
20: David Fincher (The Killer)
19: Kenneth Branagh (A Haunting in Venice)
18: Dominik Moll (The Night of the 12th)
17: Michael Mann (Ferrari)
16: Ali Abbasi (Holy Spider)
15: Todd Field (Tar)
14: Christopher McQuarrie (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One)
13: Uluc Bayraktar (10 Days of a Good Man)
12: Sam Mendes (Empire of Light)
11: Saim Sadiq (Joyland)
10: Daniel Goldhaber (How to Blow up a Pipeline)
9: Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon)
8: Saeed Roustayi (Law of Tehran)
7: Georgia Oakley (Blue Jean)
6: Tina Satter (Reality)
5: Ken Loach (The Old Oak)
4: Nicole Holofcener (You Hurt My Feelings)
3: Celine Song (Past Lives)
Runner Up: Justine Triet (Anatomy of a Fall)
Winner: Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer)

WORST FILM
Dishonourable Mentions: Operation Mayfair, Christmas in Notting Hill, Red, White and Royal Blue, Christmas… Present, The Machine, The Blessing Bracelet
Runner Up: Cocaine Cougar
Loser: Partners in Crime

BEST FILM
50: One Fine Morning
49: Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
48: My Sailor, My Love
47: Y Swn
46: The Bank of Dave
45: The Covenant
44: Ferrari
43: Somewhere in Queens
42: God’s Creatures
41: Cocaine Bear
40: The Great Escaper
39: Scream 6
38: Law of Tehran
37: Plane
36: May December
35: Leave the World Behind
34: The Killer
33: A Haunting in Venice
32: 10 Days of a Bad Man
31: Missing
30: Holy Spider
29: Paris Memories
28: Reptile
27: 10 Days of a Good Man
26: Maggie Moore(s)
25: Noise (Ruido)
24: Women Talking
23: Flora and Son
22: Other People’s Children
21: Joyland
20: Scrapper
19: 1976
18: How to Blow Up a Pipeline
17: Rye Lane
16: Killers of the Flower Moon
15: Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
14: Reality
13: Full Time
12: La Syndicaliste
11: The Night of the 12th
10: Fremont
9: Blue Jean
8: Master Gardener
7: Tar
6: Empire of Light
5: You Hurt My Feelings
4: The Old Oak
3: Anatomy of a Fall
Runner Up: Oppenheimer
Winner: Past Lives