'The Banshees of Inisherin' Leads London Critics' Circle Film Award Winners

The 43rd edition of the London Critics' Circle Film Awards took place Sunday at The May Fair Hotel and the front-runners of the event were The Banshees of Inisherin and Tár. The former took home five awards and the latter three. The London Critics' Circle Awards are given by the 200 strong members of the film section of the Critics' Circle - which is the longest-standing critics' organisation in the United Kingdom.

The biggest prize at the 2023 London Critics' Circle Film Awards was Film of the Year, which went to Tár. The intense drama directed by Todd Field - who also took Director of the Year honors - stars Cate Blanchett in the titular role of Lydia Tár, a world-renowned composer whose personal struggles begin to overlap with her professional life. Blanchett took the film's third award for Actress of the Year, marking her third time receiving the honor from the London Critics' Circle. Previously Blanchett won the award for her performances in Elizabeth and Blue Jasmine.

The other big winner at the London Critcs' Circle Film awards was The Banshees of Inisherin, which led the way by being recognized as the winner across five categories. The dark comedy - that follows two friends going through a catastrophic breakdown in their relationship on a small island near Ireland in the 1920s - took home The Attenborough Award for British/Irish Film of the Year as well as Screenwriter of the Year for Martin McDonagh, who also directed the film. The Banshees of Inisherin's other three awards came for Colin Farrell in the Actor of the Year category Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress for Barry Keoghan and Kerry Condon respectively.

Lydia Tár conducting an orchestra in Tár. — Image via Focus Features

Other notable winners on the night were Bill Nighy and Florence Pugh. Nighy and Pugh were recognized as the top British/Irish Actor and Actress for their contributions to film in 2022. Nighy won the award thanks to his lead performance in Living, whilst Pugh was recognized for multiple performances, one opposite Harry Styles in director Olivia Wilde's Don't Worry Darling and the others being in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and The Wonder.

Both Blanchett and Tár and Farrell and The Banshees of Inisherin are Oscar hopefuls in 2023 and the London Critics' Circle Awards saw another Oscar hopeful take home a big prize, namely Michelle Yeoh. Yeoh stars in the lead role of Everything Everywhere All at Once - which has earned her multiple awards and nominations this awards season - and took home The Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film, which was presented to her by iconic British director Danny Boyle. The last of the major categories saw a tie, both Decision to Leave and The Quiet Girl won the award for Foreign-Language Film of the Year. Will all of these winners succeed at Britain's major film awards event, the BAFTAs on February 19?