SEFCA, the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the group I’m proud to say I’m the Vice President of, has announced its 2022 winners and we can officially say that a pattern is emerging in the critics awards. Everything Everywhere All at Once, much like with AFCC’s win last week, has again taken the top prize. The film also nabbed two key acting awards in Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor. I would not be sad if these two won Oscars next year, especially Michelle Yeoh who has been long ignored in western prestigious award recognition. Though it should be said that SEFCA voters also heavily went to bat for The Banshees of Inisherin, taking Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress. Might these two films be the final showdown for Best Picture come Oscar night? We’ll see. Here’s the full press release:
Southeastern Film Critics Association Names ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ as the Best Film of 2022
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s multiverse-bending, genre-exploding feature also earned awards for Best Actress (Michelle Yeoh), Best Supporting Actor (Ke Huy Quan), Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.
Monday, December 12, 2022 – The Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA) has named Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s exhilarating and unique film Everything Everywhere All at Once as the Best Picture of the Year. SEFCA’s eighty-four members across nine Southeastern states also recognized Kwan and Scheinert for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Additionally, the film earned Best Actress for Michelle Yeoh as (at least in one universe) beleaguered wife and mother Evelyn Wang, and Best Supporting Actor for Ke Huy Quan as her well-meaning and mild-mannered husband (again, at least in one universe) Waymond Wang.
“Personally, I am thrilled SEFCA recognized Everything Everywhere All at Once in so many categories,” said SEFCA President Matt Goldberg. “As film critics, one of the best things we can do is celebrate films that push the boundaries of narrative and genre. We hope that our voice can pull in viewers who may not normally check out a film where two women with hot dog fingers figure out their relationship. As strange as the film can be, its core message of embracing the richness of our relationships in the face of nihilistic apathy will endure far beyond this year’s award season.”
SEFCA also honored Martin McDonagh’s dark tragicomedy The Banshees of Inisherin, awarding the film Best Actor for Colin Farrell as the sweet yet achingly confused Pádraic and Best Supporting Actress to Kerry Condon as Pádraic’s frustrated sister Siobhan who wants a better life beyond their tiny Irish isle.
Read SEFCA’s full list of winners below. Visit SEFCA on the web at SEFCA.net to learn more about its members as well as past winners. You can also follow SEFCA on Twitter at @SEFilmCritics.
Top 10 Films
- Everything Everywhere All at Once
- The Banshees of Inisherin
- The Fabelmans
- Tár
- Top Gun: Maverick
- RRR
- Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
- Women Talking
- Nope
- The Batman
Best Actor
Winner: Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin
Runner-Up: Brendan Fraser, The Whale
Best Actress
Winner: Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Runner-Up: Cate Blanchett, Tár
Best Supporting Actor:
Winner: Key Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Runner-Up: Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees of Inisherin
Best Supporting Actress:
Winner: Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin
Runner-Up: Stephanie Hsu, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best Ensemble:
Winner: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Runner-Up: Women Talking
Best Director
Winner: Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Runner-Up: Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans
Best Original Screenplay
Winner: Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Runner-Up: Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin
Best Adapted Screenplay
Winner: Sarah Polley, Women Talking
Runner-Up: Rian Johnson, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Best Documentary
Winner: Fire of Love
Runner-Up: Good Night Oppy
Best Foreign-Language Film
Winner: RRR
Runner-Up: Decision to Leave
Best Animated Film
Winner: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Runner-Up: Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Best Cinematography
Winner: Claudio Miranda, Top Gun: Maverick
Runner-Up: Janusz Kaminski, The Fabelmans
Best Score
Winner: Michael Giacchino, The Batman
Runner-Up: John Williams, The Fabelmans
The Gene Wyatt Award (Film That Best Evokes the Spirit of the South)
Winner: Elvis
Runner-Up: Till