The Trifecta (also known as the American film critics' awards trifecta or NYFCC-LAFCA-NSFC trifecta) is a term used in Hollywood awards commentary to describe when a film, director, actor, actress, or other eligible recipient wins the same category at all three major film critics' organizations in a single season: the New York Film Critics Circle Awards (NYFCC), the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards (LAFCA), and the National Society of Film Critics Awards (NSFC).
These three groups, collectively known as the Trifecta of critics' awards, are considered the most prestigious film critics awards and early indicators in the awards season prior to the Golden Globes Awards ceremony. Trifecta awards are often announced in December and January. Winning the Trifecta in a major category, in all those three associations, is considered a significant achievement and a strong predictor of success at later broadcast awards ceremonies in the path to the Academy Awards.
History and usage The term Trifecta emerged in awards prognosticating circles during the end of 1990s as these critics' groups gained prominence for their influence on Oscar races. The NYFCC (founded 1935) announces first, typically in early December, followed by LAFCA (founded 1975) in mid-December, and NSFC (founded 1966) in early January. Unlike guild awards, these three major critics groups emphasize critical acclaim over commercial success, often favoring artistic merit over box office performance or bias towards American productions.
The Trifecta is tracked primarily in unified categories (no drama/musical split), and its winners frequently overlap with Oscar nominees or victors. For instance, seven films have achieved the Best Picture Trifecta, all earning Oscar nominations for Best Picture.
Predictive power Since 2000, approximately 70% of Best Picture winners chosen by Trifecta critics groups have been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, with several (e.g., Schindler's List, The Hurt Locker) winning. Acting Trifectas are rarer but highly predictive; winners like Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine, Tár) have gone on to Oscar victories. The NSFC win, as the final leg, often cements frontrunner status due to its reputation for artistic rigor.
Complete Trifecta winners
Best Picture Only eight films have swept Best Picture across NYFCC, LAFCA, and NSFC.
Year Film Director NYFCC LAFCA NSFC 1990 Goodfellas Martin Scorsese 1993 Schindler's List Steven Spielberg 1997 L.A. Confidential Curtis Hanson 2009 The Hurt Locker Kathryn Bigelow 2010 The Social Network David Fincher 2021 Drive My Car Ryûsuke Hamaguchi 2022 Tár Todd Field 2025 One Battle After Another Paul Thomas Anderson
Best Director Year Director Film NYFCC LAFCA NSFC 2008 David Fincher The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 2010 David Fincher The Social Network 2016 Barry Jenkins Moonlight 2020 Chloe Zhao Nomadland
Best Actor Year Actor Film NYFCC LAFCA NSFC 1980 John Hurt The Elephant Man 1982 Jack Lemmon Missing 2007 Daniel Day-Lewis There Will Be Blood 2008 Sean Penn Milk 2013 Bruce Dern Nebraska 2018 Ethan Hawke First Reformed 2019 Antonio Banderas Pain and Glory
Best Actress Year Actress Film NYFCC LAFCA NSFC 1979 Sally Field Norma Rae 1980 Sissy Spacek Coal Miner's Daughter 1982 Meryl Streep Sophie's Choice 1992 Emma Thompson Howards End 1993 Holly Hunter The Piano 2006 Helen Mirren The Queen 2008 Sally Hawkins Happy-Go-Lucky 2013 Cate Blanchett Blue Jasmine 2016 Isabelle Huppert Elle and Things to Come 2022 Cate Blanchett Tár 2024 Marianne Jean-Baptiste Hard Truths
Best Supporting Actor Year Actor Film NYFCC LAFCA NSFC 1983 Jack Nicholson Terms of Endearment 1987 Morgan Freeman Street Smart 1992 Gene Hackman Unforgiven 1994 Martin Landau Ed Wood 1996 Bill Murray Rushmore 2009 Christoph Waltz Inglourious Basterds 2014 J. K. Simmons Whiplash 2016 Mahershala Ali Moonlight 2017 Willem Dafoe The Florida Project 2022 Ke Huy Quan Everything Everywhere All at Once 2024 Kieran Culkin A Real Pain
Best Supporting Actress Year Actress Film NYFCC LAFCA NSFC 1979 Meryl Streep Kramer vs. Kramer 1986 Dianne Wiest Hannah and Her Sisters 1994 Dianne Wiest Bullets Over Broadway 2004 Virginia Madsen Sideways 2013 Lupita Nyong'o 12 Years a Slave 2018 Regina King If Beale Street Could Talk 2023 Da'Vine Joy Randolph The Holdovers
Best Documentary Feature Year Film NYFCC LAFCA NSFC 1989 Roger & Me 1991 Paris Is Burning 1994 Hoop Dreams 1995 Crumb 1996 When We Were Kings 1998 The Farm: Angola, USA 1999 Buena Vista Social Club 2001 The Gleaners and I 2005 Grizzly Man 2008 Man on Wire 2011 Cave of Forgotten Dreams 2012 The Gatekeepers 2014 Citizenfour 2017 Faces Places 2020 Time 2021 Flee 2022 All the Beauty and the Bloodshed 2023 Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros 2024 No Other Land 2025 My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow
See also Awards season
References