National Society of Film Critics Names Godard's "Goodbye to Language" as Best Picture of 2014

The National Society of Film Critics was founded in New York City in 1966 and its membership is currently comprise of 56 of the country’s most prominent movie critics.  Known for their highbrow tastes, these critics form one of the most prestigious film groups on the United States.  Current members include some of my favorite film critics, like David Edelstein and J. Hoberman, among others.  The late Roger Ebert, my favorite critic, was also a member.  The society has produced several anthologies about movies, including the must-have for film fans, Produced and Abandoned: The Best Films You’ve Never Seen (1990).

The National Society of Film Critics on Saturday, January 3, 2015, chose Jean-Luc Godard’s 3-D film, Goodbye to Language, as Best Picture of the Year 2014.

Here is a list of the National Society of Film Critics 2014 winners and runners-up, with vote counts from the final round.

BEST PICTURE
*1. Goodbye to Language 25 (Jean-Luc Godard)
2. Boyhood 24 (Richard Linklater)
3. Birdman 10 (Alejandro G. Iñárritu)
3. Mr. Turner 10 (Mike Leigh)

BEST DIRECTOR
*1. Richard Linklater 36 (Boyhood)
2. Jean-Luc Godard 17 (Goodbye to Language)
3. Mike Leigh 12 (Mr. Turner)

BEST NON-FICTION FILM
*1. Citizenfour 56 (Laura Poitras)
2. National Gallery 19 (Frederick Wiseman)
3. The Overnighters 17 (Jesse Moss)

BEST SCREENPLAY
*1. The Grand Budapest Hotel 24 (Wes Anderson)
2. Inherent Vice 15 (Paul Thomas Anderson)
2. Birdman 15 (four co-writers)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
*1. Mr. Turner 33 (Dick Pope)
2. The Immigrant 27 (Darius Khondji)
3. Goodbye to Language 9 (Fabrice Aragno)

BEST ACTOR
*1.Timothy Spall 31 (Mr. Turner)
2. Tom Hardy 10 (Locke)
3. Joaquin Phoenix 9 (Inherent Vice)
3. Ralph Fiennes 9 (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

BEST ACTRESS
*1. Marion Cotillard 80 (The Immigrant; Two Days, One Night)
2. Julianne Moore 35 (Still Alice)
3. Scarlett Johansson 21 (Lucy; Under the Skin)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
*1. J.K. Simmons 24 (Whiplash)
2. Mark Ruffalo 21 (Foxcatcher)
3. Edward Norton 16 (Birdman)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
*1. Patricia Arquette 26 (Boyhood)
2. Agata Kulesza 18 (Ida)
3. Rene Russo 9 (Nightcrawler)

FILM HERITAGE AWARD
1. To Ron Magliozzi, associate curator, and Peter Williamson, film conservation manager, of the Museum of Modern Art, for identifying and assembling the earliest surviving footage of what would have been the first feature film to star a black cast, the 1913 “Lime Kiln Field Day” starring Bert Williams.

2. To Ron Hutchinson, co-founder and director of The Vitaphone Project, which since 1991 has collected and restored countless original soundtrack discs for early sound short films and features, including the recent Warner Bros. restoration of William A. Seiter’s 1929 “Why Be Good?”

DEDICATION: The meeting was dedicated to the memory of two distinguished members of the Society who died in 2014: Jay Carr and Charles Champlin.

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"Boyhood" Tops Austin Film Critics Association Awards

The Austin Film Critics Association describes itself as a group dedicated to supporting the best in film, whether at the international, national, or local level.  Members of the AFCA contribute to such publications and outlets as Ain’t It Cool News, the Austin American-Statesman, the Austin Chronicle, The Daily Texan, DVDActive, Fandango, Film School Rejects, FirstShowing.net, KOOP Radio, Movies.com, among others.

The 2014 AFCA Awards were announced on December 17, 2014.

2014 Austin Film Critics Association Awards winners:

Best Film: Boyhood (Richard Linklater)

Best Director: Richard Linklater, Boyhood

Best Actor: Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler

Best Actress: Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl

Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash

Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood

Best Original Screenplay: Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler

Best Adapted Screenplay: Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl

Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman

Best Score: Antonio Sanchez, Birdman

Best Foreign-Language Film: Force Majeure (Ruben Östlund)

Best Documentary: Citizenfour (Laura Poitras)

Best Animated Film: The LEGO Movie (Phil Lord, Christopher Miller)

Best First Film: Nightcrawler (Dan Gilroy)

Breakthrough Artist: Jennifer Kent, The Babadook

Best Austin Film: Boyhood (Richard Linklater)

Special Honorary Award: Gary Poulter, for his outstanding performance in Joe

AFCA 2014 Top Ten Films:
1. Boyhood
2. Whiplash
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
4. Birdman
5. Snowpiercer
6. Nightcrawler
7. Selma
8. The Imitation Game
9. TIE: Inherent Vice and Gone Girl

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Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Choose "Birdman" as 2014's Best Film

The Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association is also known as the DFW Film Critics Association.  The group describes itself as a not-for-profit, unincorporated voluntary organization of print, broadcast and internet film critics based in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area and greater North Texas who meet its membership criteria.  The DFW Film Critics Association currently consists of 29 broadcast, print, and online journalists from throughout North Texas.

The Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association 2014 / 21st Annual Critics’ Poll:

Best Film: Birdman
Runners-Up, in order: Boyhood, The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Whiplash, Gone Girl, Selma, Wild and Nightcrawler

Best Actor: Michael Keaton, Birdman
Runners-Up, in order: Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of Everything, Benedict Cumberbatch for The Imitation Game, Jake Gyllenhaal for Nightcrawler and Timothy Spall for Mr. Turner

Best Actress: Reese Witherspoon, Wild
Runners-Up, in order: Julianne Moore for Still Alice, Rosamund Pike for Gone Girl, Felicity Jones for The Theory of Everything and Marion Cotillard for Two Days, One Night

Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Runners-Up, in order: Edward Norton for Birdman, Ethan Hawke for Boyhood, Mark Ruffalo for Foxcatcher and Alfred Molina for Love is Strange

Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Runners-Up, in order: Emma Stone for Birdman, Keira Knightley for The Imitation Game, Jessica Chastain for A Most Violent Year and Laura Dern for Wild

Best Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman
Runners-Up, in order: Richard Linklater for Boyhood, Wes Anderson for The Grand Budapest Hotel, David Fincher for Gone Girl and Ava DuVernay for Selma

Best Foreign-Language Film: Force Majeure
Runners-Up, in order: Ida, Winter Sleep, Leviathan and Wild Tales

Best Documentary: Citizenfour
Runners-Up, in order: Life Itself, Jodorowsky’s Dune, The Overnighters and The Great Invisible

Best Animated Film: The Lego Movie
Runner-Up: Big Hero 6

Best Screenplay: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo, Birdman
Runner-Up: Richard Linklater for Boyhood

Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman
Runner-Up: Hoyte Van Hoytema for Interstellar

Best Musical Score: Hans Zimmer, Intersellar

Winner of the Russell Smith Award: Boyhood

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San Francisco Film Critics Name "Boyhood" as 2014's Best Picture

The San Francisco Film Critics Circle (SFFCC) was founded in 2002 and is comprised of critics from Bay Area publications.  Its membership includes film journalists from the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Jose Mercury News, the Oakland Tribune, the Contra Costa Times, the San Francisco Bay Guardian, SF Weekly, the East Bay Express, KRON-TV, Variety, and RottenTomatoes.com, among others.

2014 San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards:

Best Picture
    BIRDMAN
    WINNER – BOYHOOD
    THE IMITATION GAME
    UNDER THE SKIN
    WHIPLASH

    Best Director
    Wes Anderson, THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
    Jonathan Glazer, UNDER THE SKIN
    Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu, BIRDMAN
    Mike Leigh, MR. TURNER
    WINNER – Richard Linklater, BOYHOOD

    Best Actor
    Benedict Cumberbatch, THE IMITATION GAME
    Jake Gyllenhaal, NIGHTCRAWLER
    WINNER – Michael Keaton, BIRDMAN
    Eddie Redmayne, THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING
    Timothy Spall, MR. TURNER

    Best Actress
    Marion Cotillard, TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT
    Essie Davis, THE BABADOOK
    Scarlett Johansson, UNDER THE SKIN
    WINNER – Julianne Moore, STILL ALICE
    Reese Witherspoon, WILD

    Best Supporting Actor
    Ethan Hawke, BOYHOOD
    Gene Jones, THE SACRAMENT
    WINNER – Edward Norton, BIRDMAN
    Mark Ruffalo, FOXCATCHER
    J.K. Simmons, WHIPLASH

    Best Supporting Actress
    WINNER – Patricia Arquette, BOYHOOD
    Jessica Chastain, A MOST VIOLENT YEAR
    Agata Kulesza, IDA
    Emma Stone, BIRDMAN
    Tilda Swinton, SNOWPIERCER

    Best Screenplay, Original
    WINNER – BIRDMAN, Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu; Nicolas Giacobone; Alexander Dinelaris; Armanso Bo
    BOYHOOD, Richard Linklater
    THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, Wes Anderson; Hugo Guinness
    MR. TURNER, Mike Leigh
    A MOST VIOLENT YEAR, J.C. Chandor
    WHIPLASH, Damien Chazelle

    Best Screenplay, Adapted
    GONE GIRL, Gillian Flynn
    THE IMITATION GAME, Graham Moore
    WINNER - INHERENT VICE, Paul Thomas Anderson
    SNOWPIERCER, Joon-ho Bong; Kelly Masterson
    WILD, Nick Hornby

    Best Cinematography
    BIRDMAN, Emmanuel Lubezki
    THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, Robert D. Yeoman
    WINNER – IDA, Lukasz Zal; Ryszard Lenczewski
    MR. TURNER, Dick Pope
    UNDER THE SKIN, Daniel Landin

    Best Production Design
    BIRDMAN, Kevin Thompson
    WINNER – THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, Adam Stockhausen
    INHERENT VICE, David Crank
    MR. TURNER, Suzie Davies
    SNOWPIERCER, Ondrej Nekvasil

    Best Editing
    WINNER – BOYHOOD, Sandra Adair
    BIRDMAN, Douglas Crise; Stephen Mirrione
    INHERENT VICE, Leslie Jones
    UNDER THE SKIN, Paul Watts
    WHIPLASH, Tom Cross

    Best Animated Feature
    BIG HERO 6
    THE BOXTROLLS
    HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2
    WINNER – THE LEGO MOVIE
    THE TALE OF THE PRINCESS KAGUYA

    Best Foreign Language Picture
    A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT
    FORCE MAJEURE
    WINNER – IDA
    TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT
    WILD TALES

    Best Documentary
    WINNER – CITIZENFOUR
    FINDING VIVIAN MAIER
    JODOROWSKY’S DUNE
    LIFE ITSELF
    THE OVERNIGHTERS

Marlon Riggs Award for courage & vision in the Bay Area film community:
Joel Shepard Longtime Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Film & Video curator Joel Shepard’s idiosyncratic and innovative programming has embraced everything from experimental and exploitation showcases to burgeoning national film cultures, such as the annual New Filipino Cinema festival.

Special Citation for under-appreciated independent cinema:
THE ONE I LOVE Charlie McDowell’s relationship opus cracks open the intricacies of a crumbling union in the most effective way imaginable: by turning it into a mind-bending Twilight Zone episode.

Washington D.C. Film Critics Pick "Boyhood" as Best Film of 2014

Founded in 2002, The Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) is comprised of professional DC-based film critics with affiliations in television, radio, print and the internet. As of 2013, WAFCA has grown to include 58 dedicated members from the District, Maryland and Virginia.

The Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) recently announced the 2014 winners of their annual film awards.

The 2014 WAFCA Awards:

Best Film:
Boyhood

Best Director:
Richard Linklater (Boyhood)

Best Actor:
Michael Keaton (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))

Best Actress:
Julianne Moore (Still Alice)

Best Supporting Actor:
J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)

Best Supporting Actress:
Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)

Best Acting Ensemble:
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Best Youth Performance:
Ellar Coltrane (Boyhood)

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl)

Best Original Screenplay:
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr., Armando Bo (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))

Best Animated Feature:
The LEGO Movie

Best Documentary:
Life Itself

Best Foreign Language Film:
Force Majeure

Best Art Direction:
Production Designer: Adam Stockhausen, Set Decorator: Anna Pinnock (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Best Cinematography:
Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, AMC (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))

Best Editing:
Douglas Crise, Stephen Mirrione, ACE (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))

Best Original Score:
Mica Levi (Under the Skin)

The Joe Barber Award for Best Portrayal of Washington, DC:
Captain America: The Winter Soldier

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Online Film Critics Society Names "The Grand Budapest Hotel" its Best Picture of 2014

Founded in 1997, the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) describes itself as “the largest, most respected organization for critics whose work appears primarily on the Internet.”  The OFCS says that it has been the key force in establishing and raising the standards for Internet-based film journalism.  Its membership consists of film reviewers, journalists and scholars based in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Latin America and the Asia/Pacific Rim region.

The 18th Annual Online Film Critics Society Awards were announced on Monday, December 15, 2014.

2014 OFSC Awards (18th Annual):

Best Picture
The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Animated Feature
The Lego Movie

Best Film Not in the English Language
Two Days, One Night

Best Documentary
Life Itself

Best Director
Richard Linklater – Boyhood

Best Actor
Michael Keaton – Birdman

Best Actress
Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl

Best Supporting Actor
Edward Norton – Birdman

Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette – Boyhood

Best Original Screenplay
The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Adapted Screenplay
Gone Girl

Best Editing
Birdman

Best Cinematography
The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Non-U.S. Release (non-competitive category)
’71
10,000 km
Entre Nós
Han Gong-ju
Hard to Be a God
The Look of Silence
The Salt of the Earth
What We Do in the Shadows
Timbuktu
The Tribe

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Detroit Film Critics Name "Boyhood" the Best Film of 2014

The Detroit Film Critics Society was founded in Spring 2007 and currently consists of a group of 20 Michigan film critics (as December 2013) who write or broadcast in the Detroit area as well as other major cities within a 150-mile radius of the city including Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, and Flint, Michigan.

2014 Detroit Film Critics Society Awards winners:

BEST FILM
    Winner: Boyhood

BEST DIRECTOR
    Winner: Richard Linklater, Boyhood

BEST ACTOR
    Winner: Michael Keaton, Birdman

BEST ACTRESS
    Winner: Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
    Winner: JK Simmons, Whiplash

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
    Winner: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood

BEST ENSEMBLE
    Winner: Birdman

BREAKTHROUGH
    Winner: Damien Chazelle, Whiplash (director, screenplay)

BEST SCREENPLAY
    Winner: Richard Linklater, Boyhood

BEST DOCUMENTARY
    Winner: CitizenFour

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Boston Society of Film Critics Choose "Boyhood" as Best Picture of 2014

The Boston Society of Film Critics (BSFC) was formed in 1981.  The group claims that its mission is to make “Boston's unique critical perspective heard on a national and international level by awarding commendations to the best of the year's films and filmmakers and local film theaters and film societies that offer outstanding film programming.”  One of the society’s members, Wesley Morris, won 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.

2014 Boston Society of Film Critics Awards Winners:

Best Picture  - Boyhood

Best Actor - Michael Keaton for Birdman

Best Actress - Marion Cotillard for The Immigrant and Two Days, One Night

Best Supporting Actor -  J. K. Simmons for Whiplash

Best Supporting Actress -  Emma Stone for Birdman

Best Director - Richard Linklater for Boyhood

Best Screenplay -  (TIE)

• Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo for Birdman
• Richard Linklater for Boyhood

Best Cinematography - Emmanuel Lubezki for Birdman

Best Documentary - Citizenfour

Best Foreign-Language Film  (awarded in memory of Jay Carr) -  Two Days, One Night (Belgium)

Best Animated Film - The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

Best Film Editing (awarded in memory of Karen Schmeer) - Sandra Adair for Boyhood

Best New Filmmaker (awarded in memory of David Brudnoy) -  Dan Gilroy for Nightcrawler

Best Ensemble Cast -  Boyhood

Best Use of Music in a Film - Inherent Vice

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It's "Boyhood" for Chicago Film Critics

The Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit organization that hands out the Chicago Film Critics Awards, hold critics roundtables, and takes on industry and artists’ rights issues. The parent association was founded in 1990 by film critic Sue Kiner after the successful launch of the Chicago Film Critics Awards in 1989.

The 2014 Chicago Film Critics Awards Winners:

BEST PICTURE: Boyhood

BEST DIRECTOR: Richard Linklater -- Boyhood

BEST ACTOR: Michael Keaton -- Birdman

BEST ACTRESS: Julianne Moore -- Still Alice

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: J.K. Simmons -- Whiplash

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Patricia Arquette -- Boyhood

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Wes Anderson -- The Grand Budapest Hotel

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Gillian Flynn -- Gone Girl

BEST ART DIRECTION: The Grand Budapest Hotel

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (TIE): Birdman -- Emmanuel Lubezki and The Grand Budapest Hotel -- Robert Yeoman

BEST EDITING: Whiplash -- Tom Cross

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: Under the Skin -- Mica Levi

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: The Lego Movie

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: Life Itself

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM: Force Majeure

MOST PROMISING PERFORMER: Jack O'Connell -- Starred Up/Unbroken

MOST PROMISING FILMMAKER: Damien Chazelle -- Whiplash

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St. Louis Film Critics Choose "Boyhood" as Best Film of 2014

The St. Louis Film Critics is an association of professional film critics operating in metropolitan St. Louis and adjoining areas of Missouri and Illinois.  Founded in late 2004, the group’s goals (according to the website) are to serve the interests of local film critics, and to promote an appreciation for cinema both as an art form and for its societal, cultural and historical context and impact.

The eligibility requirements for a SLFC Award, according to the group’s website:  a film must have been shown in the greater St. Louis area in a theater or at a film festival or series, or made available to SLFC members by screening or screener during the past year. Films opening in limited run elsewhere for Oscar qualification but which will open in the St. Louis area early in the next year are eligible.

Winners of the 2014 SLFC Awards were announced on Monday, December 15, 2014.

2014 SLFC Awards:

Best Film: “Boyhood”

Best Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (“Birdman”)

Best Actor: Jake Gyllenhaal (“Nightcrawler”)

Best Actress:  Rosamund Pike (“Gone Girl”)

Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons (“Whiplash”)

Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette (“Boyhood”)

Best Original Screenplay:  “Birdman” (Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo

Best Adapted Screenplay: “Gone Girl” (Gillian Flynn)

Best Cinematography: “Birdman” (Emmanuel Lubezki)

Best Visual Effects: “Interstellar”

Best Musical Score: “Birdman”

Best Soundtrack: “Guardians of the Galaxy”

Best Art Direction: “The Grand Budapest Hotel”

Best Animated Film: “The Lego Movie”

Best Art-House or Festival Film: “Whiplash”

Best Comedy: “Guardians of the Galaxy”

Best Documentary: “Citizenfour”

Best Non-English Language Film: “Force Majeure”

Best Scene (favorite movie scene or sequence): “X-Men: Days of Future Past” – Quicksilver Escape from the Pentagon

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British Independent Film Awards Name Beresford and Warchus' "Pride" Best Indie Film

In 1998, Raindance created the British Independent Film Awards to celebrate merit and achievement in independently funded British filmmaking.  The awards also honor new talent and promote British films and filmmaking to a wider public.

On Sunday, December 7, 2014, the winners for the 17th Annual Moët British Independent Film Awards were announced at the Old Billingsgate in London.

The 2014/17th Annual Moët British Independent Film Awards winners:

BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM -Sponsored by Moët & Chandon
Pride

BEST DIRECTOR - Sponsored by AllCity & Intermission
Yann Demange  – '71

THE DOUGLAS HICKOX AWARD [BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR] - Sponsored by 3 Mills Studios
Iain Forsyth, Jane Pollard – 20,000 Days on Earth

BEST SCREENPLAY - Sponsored by BBC Films
Jon Ronson, Peter Straughan – Frank

BEST ACTRESS - Sponsored by M.A.C Cosmetics
Gugu Mbatha-Raw – Belle

BEST ACTOR - Sponsored by Movado
Brendan Gleeson – Calvary

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Imelda Staunton – Pride

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Sponsored by St Martins Lane
Andrew Scott – Pride

MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER
Sameena Jabeen Ahmed – Catch Me Daddy

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION
The Goob

BEST TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Stephen Rennicks - Music – Frank

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Next Goal Wins

BEST BRITISH SHORT
The Kármán Line

BEST INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT FILM
Boyhood

THE RAINDANCE AWARD
Luna

THE RICHARD HARRIS AWARD (for outstanding contribution by an actor to British Film):
Emma Thompson

THE VARIETY AWARD
Benedict Cumberbatch

THE SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
Announced at the Moët British Independent Film Awards on Sunday 7th December
John Boorman

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"Boyhood" is Los Angeles Film Critics' Best Picture of 2014

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) is a professional organization of Los Angeles-based, professional film critics working in the Los Angeles print and electronic media.  Since 1975, LAFCA members vote on the year's Achievement Awards each December, honoring screen excellence on both sides of the camera.

40th Annual (2014) Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards:

BEST PICTURE: “Boyhood”
Runner-up:  “The Grand Budapest Hotel”

BEST DIRECTOR:  Richard Linklater for "Boyhood"
Runner-up: Wes Anderson for “The Grand Budapest Hotel”

BEST ACTOR:  Tom Hardy for "Locke"
Runner-up: Michael Keaton for "BIRDMAN"

BEST ACTRESS:  Patricia Arquette for "Boyhood"
Runner-up: Julianne Moore for "Still Alice"

Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons for “Whiplash”
Runner up: Edward Norton for "Birdman"

Best Supporting Actress: Agata Kulesza for "Ida"
Runner-up: Rene Russo "Nightcrawler"

Best Screenplay: Wes Anderson fir “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Runner-up: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr., and Armando Bo for "Birdman"

Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki for "Birdman"
Runner-up: Dick Pope  for "Mr Turner"

Best Production Design: Adam Stockhausen for "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Runner-up: Ondrej Nekvasil for "Snowpiercer"

Best Editing: Sandra Adair for "Boyhood"
Runner-up: Barney Pilling "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Best Music Score (TIE): Jonny Greenwood for "Inherent Vice" and Mica Levi for "Under the Skin"

Best Foreign-Language Film: "Ida" Directed by Pawel Pawlikowski
Runner-up: "Winter Sleep" directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Best Documentary/Non-Fiction Film: "CITIZENFOUR" Directed by Laura Poitras
Runner-up: "Life Itself" Directed by Steve James

Best Animation: "The Tale of the Princess Kaguya” directed by Isao Takahata
Runner-up: "The Lego Movie" directed by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller

New Generation:  Ava DuVernay for “Selma”

The Douglas Edwards Experimental/Independent Film/Video Award: Walter Reuben "The David Whiting Story"

Career Achievement: Gena Rowlands

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New York Film Critics Cricle Chooses "Boyhood" as Best Picture of 2014

Founded in 1935, the New York Film Critics Circle is, according to their website, “an organization of film reviewers from New York-based publications that exists to honor excellence in U.S. and world cinema.”  Members are critics from daily newspapers, weekly newspapers, magazines, and online general-interest publications (that meet certain qualifications). Every year in December, Circle members meet in New York to vote on awards for the year's films.  The Circle also puts on an awards presentation, which will be held in January 2015 to honor 2014 winners.

The Circle was the first film critics organization that I encountered as a budding, young movie lover.  The Circle's awards have been predictors of the Oscar nominations. However, The Circle sees it awards “as a principled alternative to the Oscars, honoring esthetic merit in a forum that is immune to commercial and political pressures,” according to their website.

2014 NYFCC Awards:

Best Picture: Boyhood

Best Director: Richard Linklater – Boyhood

Best Screenplay: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Actress: Marion Cotillard - “The Immigrant,” and also “Two Days, One Night”

Best Actor: Timothy Spall - Mr. Turner

Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette – Boyhood

Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons – Whiplash

Best Cinematographer: Darius Khondji - The Immigrant

Best Animated Film: The LEGO Movie

Best Non-Fiction Film (Documentary): Citizenfour

Best Foreign Film: Ida (Poland)

Best First Film: Jennifer Kent - The Babadook

Special Award: Adrienne Mancia

2014 Gotham Awards Nominations - Complete List

by Leroy Douresseaux

Honoring independent films, the Gotham Awards are the first major awards of the film awards season.  This year, the 2014 edition kicks off the 2014-15 season.  The Gotham Awards ceremony will be held on Monday, December 1, 2014 at Cipriani Wall Street.

Richard Linklater's Boyhood leads the 24th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards by IFP with four nominations, including “Best Feature.”

The 2014/24th Annual Gotham Independent Film Award nominations are:

Best Feature:

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, director; Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, Arnon Milchan, James W. Skotchdopole, producers (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Boyhood
Richard Linklater, director; Richard Linklater, Cathleen Sutherland, Jonathan Sehring, John Sloss, producers (IFC Films)

The Grand Budapest Hotel
Wes Anderson, director; Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales, Jeremy Dawson, producers (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Love Is Strange
Ira Sachs, director; Lucas Joaquin, Jay Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen, Ira Sachs, Jayne Baron Sherman, producers (Sony Pictures Classics)

Under the Skin
Jonathan Glazer, director; Nick Wechsler, James Wilson, producers (A24)

Best Documentary:

Actress
Robert Greene, director; Douglas Tirola, Susan Bedusa, Robert Greene, producers (The Cinema Guild)

CITIZENFOUR
Laura Poitras, director; Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy, Dirk Wilutzky, producers (RADiUS, Participant Media, and HBO Documentary Films)

Life Itself
Steve James, director; Zak Piper, Steve James, Garrett Basch, producers (Magnolia Pictures and CNN Films)

Manakamana
Stephanie Spray & Pacho Velez, directors; Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Véréna Paravel, producers (The Cinema Guild)

Point and Shoot
Marshall Curry, director; Marshall Curry, Elizabeth Martin, Matthew Van Dyke, producers (The Orchard and American Documentary / POV)

Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award:
Ana Lily Amirpour for A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Kino Lorber)
James Ward Byrkit for Coherence (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Dan Gilroy for Nightcrawler (Open Road Films)
Eliza Hittman for It Felt Like Love (Variance Films)
Justin Simien for Dear White People (Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions)

Best Actor*
Bill Hader in The Skeleton Twins (Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions)
Ethan Hawke in Boyhood (IFC Films)
Oscar Isaac in A Most Violent Year (A24)
Michael Keaton in Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Miles Teller in Whiplash (Sony Pictures Classics)

* The 2014 Best Actor nominating panel also voted to award a special Gotham Jury Award jointly to Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, and Channing Tatum for their ensemble performance in Foxcatcher(Sony Pictures Classics).

Best Actress
Patricia Arquette in Boyhood (IFC Films)
Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Beyond the Lights (Relativity Media)
Julianne Moore in Still Alice (Sony Pictures Classics)
Scarlett Johansson in Under the Skin (A24)
Mia Wasikowska in Tracks (The Weinstein Company)

Breakthrough Actor:
Riz Ahmed in Nightcrawler (Open Road Films)
Macon Blair in Blue Ruin (RADiUS)
Ellar Coltrane in Boyhood (IFC Films)
Joey King in Wish I Was Here (Focus Features)
Jenny Slate in Obvious Child (A24)
Tessa Thompson in Dear White People (Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions)

Spotlight on Women Filmmakers ‘Live the Dream’ Grant:
For the fourth consecutive year, IFP is proud present the euphoria Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers ‘Live the Dream’ grant, a $25,000 cash award for an alumna of IFP’s Independent Filmmaker Labs. This grant aims to further the careers of emerging women directors by supporting the completion, distribution and audience engagement strategies of their first feature film.

The nominees are:
Garrett Bradley, director, Below Dreams
Claire Carré, director, Embers
Chloé Zhao, director, Songs My Brothers Taught Me

Gotham Independent Film Audience Award:
New this year, IFP members will have a voice in determining the 5th Annual Gotham Independent Film Audience Awardwith nominees comprised of the 15 nominated films in the Best Feature, Best Documentary, and Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award categories. All IFP current, active members at the Individual Level and above will be eligible to vote.  Voting will take place online from November 19th at 12:01 AM EST and conclude on November 26th at 5:00 PM EST. In addition, IFP will be scheduling screenings of many of the nominated films for IFP members in the theater at the Made in NY Media Center by IFP in Brooklyn. These screenings will take place from November 5-12. The winner of the Audience Award will be announced at the Gotham Awards Ceremony on December 1, 2014.

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2014 Austin Film Festival Announces Programming

Austin Film Festival Announces 2014 Slate

Selections include Wild, Escobar: Paradise Lost, The Imitation Game, The Homesman, Big Hero 6, and a robust slate of World Premieres

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Austin Film Festival & Screenwriters Conference (AFF), the premier film festival recognizing writers’ and filmmakers’ contributions to film, television, and new media, announced today their full slate of programming for the 21st Annual Festival, this October 23-30.

Marquee selections will feature Wild, Escobar: Paradise Lost, The Imitation Game, The Sound and the Fury, The Homesman, Black and White, Big Hero 6, Red Army, and the World Premieres of Gravitas Venture’s 21 Years: Richard Linklater, Bravo’s upcoming series A Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce, and Amplify’s Dawn Patrol – a script discovered out of AFF’s Screenplay Competition by Enderby Entertainment’s Daniel Petrie, Jr. and Rick Dugdale.

AFF’s Film Competition Program boasts 15 World Premieres, with titles hailing from more than 20 countries. Film talent confirmed to attend includes Jay Duplass (Jeff, Who Lives at Home), Rita Wilson (Sleepless in Seattle), Scott Eastwood (Fury), W. Earl Brown (Deadwood), Jason Ritter (Parenthood), Austin Nichols (One Tree Hill), Leven Rambin (The Hunger Games), Matthew Letscher (Her), Alex Anfanger (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty), Sebastian Roché (Beowulf), Luke Kleintank (Bones), Lindsay Pulsipher (Hatfields & McCoys), Glenn Morshower (Friday Night Lights), Lindsay Burdge (A Teacher), comedian Maz Jobrani, members from the band Morphine, and more.

The Screenwriters Conference, held the first four days of the Festival (October 23-26), will play host to writers behind some of the last year’s biggest blockbusters and indie gems: Guardians of the Galaxy, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, 12 Years a Slave, American Hustle, Dallas Buyers Club, Saving Mr. Banks, and The Fault In Our Stars; as well as highly-anticipated projects: Unbroken, Fifty Shades of Grey, The Jungle Book, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, and Top Gun 2. Television creators, writers, directors, and producers will be represented from Mad Men, True Detective, Breaking Bad, Fargo, Masters of Sex, Bob’s Burgers, Justified, and Orange is the New Black.

Guest programmers for AFF’s annual retrospective series include Matthew Weiner presenting episodes from The Twilight Zone; Jim Sheridan and Terry George presenting In the Name of the Father; Jenny Lumet, daughter of Sidney Lumet, presenting Network; and Randall Wallace presenting Braveheart.

Badges and passes are available for purchase online at www.austinfilmfestival.com or by phone at 1-800-310-FEST.

Attendance is subject to change and based on permitting schedules.

Austin Film Festival is supported in part by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts, City of Austin Economic Growth & Redevelopment Services Office/Cultural Arts Division believing an investment in the Arts is an investment in Austin’s future.

Richard Linklater's "School of Rock" to Become Nickelodeon TV Series

Nickelodeon and Paramount Television Team up on New Live-Action, Musical Comedy Series School of Rock

Network Orders 13 Episodes of Series Based on 2003 Hit Film

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Viacom Inc.’s (NASDAQ:VIAB and VIA) Nickelodeon, the number-one entertainment brand for kids, and Paramount Television divisions are teaming up for the first time to produce the new live-action, musical-comedy series School of Rock, based on the 2003 hit film from Paramount Pictures.

    “With Dewey’s outrageous personality and rock star sensibilities taking center stage, School of Rock will be an irresistibly fun show for the whole family.”

Nickelodeon has ordered 13 episodes of the series, which is scheduled to begin production this fall and premiere in the spring of 2015. Casting for the series will be announced shortly. School of Rock will follow the adventures and misadventures of Dewey Finn, a down-on-his-luck rocker who poses as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school as he teaches his eccentric, unconventional and overachieving students to play and love rock ‘n’ roll.

“We are thrilled our first foray into kids programming will be a straight-to-series order with our Viacom partners at Nickelodeon,” said Amy Powell, President, Paramount Television. “With Dewey’s outrageous personality and rock star sensibilities taking center stage, School of Rock will be an irresistibly fun show for the whole family.”

“School of Rock is one of those great movies that always felt quintessentially Nickelodeon in its tone and humor, and we jumped at the opportunity to partner with Paramount Television and bring it to life as a TV series,” said Russell Hicks, President, Content and Development, Nickelodeon. “Once again, kids will be able to laugh and rock!”

School of Rock will be written by Jim and Steve Armogida (Crash & Bernstein, My Family), who will also serve as executive producers and show runners. The movie’s director Richard Linklater and producer Scott Rudin will executive produce the television series.

About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 35th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in almost 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 19 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA).

About Paramount Television
Paramount Television develops and finances a wide range of creative television programming across all media platforms. Paramount Television is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. PPC is a division of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a global content company with premier television, film and digital entertainment brands.

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"12 Years a Slave" Wins 2014 "Best Adapted Screenplay" Oscar

Adapted screenplay:

 “12 Years a Slave” Screenplay by John Ridley WINNER

Nominees:
“Before Midnight” Written by Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke
“Captain Phillips” Screenplay by Billy Ray
“Philomena” Screenplay by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope
“The Wolf of Wall Street” Screenplay by Terence Winter

2013 Women Film Critics Circle Awards - Complete List

The Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC) is an association of women film critics, who are involved in print, radio, online and TV broadcast media.  Founded in 2004, this group is the first women critics’ organization in the United States.

2013 Women Film Critics Circle Awards:

BEST MOVIE ABOUT WOMEN: Philomena
RUNNER UP: Mother Of George

BEST MOVIE BY A WOMAN: Enough Said, Nicole Holofcener
RUNNER UP: Inch' Allah, Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette

BEST WOMAN STORYTELLER [Screenwriting Award]: Julie Delpy: Before Midnight
RUNNER UP: Nicole Holofcener, Enough Said

BEST ACTRESS: Judi Dench: Philomena
RUNNER UP: Barbara Sukowa: Hannah Arendt

BEST ACTOR: Chiwetel Ejiofor: 12 Years A Slave
RUNNER UP: Michael B. Jordan: Fruitvale Station

BEST YOUNG ACTRESS: Onata Aprile: What Maisie Knew
RUNNER UP: Waad Mohammed: Wadjda

BEST COMEDIC ACTRESS: Melissa McCarthy: The Heat
RUNNER UP: Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha

BEST FOREIGN FILM BY OR ABOUT WOMEN: Wadjda
RUNNER UP: Inch' Allah

BEST FEMALE IMAGES IN A MOVIE: Philomena
RUNNER UP: Girls In The Band

WORST FEMALE IMAGES IN A MOVIE: The Bling Ring
RUNNER UP: Machete Kills

BEST MALE IMAGES IN A MOVIE: 12 years A Slave: Chiwetel Ejiofor
RUNNER UP: Enough Said: James Gandolfini

WORST MALE IMAGES IN A MOVIE: Only God Forgives
RUNNER UP: Out Of The Furnace

BEST DOCUMENTARY BY OR ABOUT WOMEN: Stories We Tell
RUNNER UP: Girls In The Band

BEST SCREEN COUPLE: Before Midnight: Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke

BEST THEATRICALLY UNRELEASED MOVIE BY OR ABOUT WOMEN: Hellen Mirren in Phil Spector
RUNNER UP: Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer

BEST EQUALITY OF THE SEXES: Before Midnight
RUNNER UP: Enough Said

BEST ANIMATED FEMALES: Frozen
RUNNER UP: The Croods

BEST FAMILY FILM: The Wind Rises
RUNNER UP: Black Nativity

WOMEN'S WORK/BEST ENSEMBLE: Ginger & Rosa
RUNNER UP TIE: Winnie Mandela and August: Osage County

*SPECIAL MENTION AWARDS*

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
EMMA THOMPSON: For her eclecticism in switching from period films to fantasy genre, to contemporary settings. And embodying all kinds of women with raw and pure interpretations.

ACTING AND ACTIVISM AWARD
CHARLIZE THERON: For her work for The Global Fund, and for starting the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project. Which educates young people about HIV/AIDS

COURAGE IN FILMMAKING
LAURA POITRAS: For bringing the Edward Snowden NSA revelations to light, driven into exile in Germany for doing so, and currently making a documentary about it.

*ADRIENNE SHELLY AWARD: (A film that most passionately opposes violence against women): Augustine
RUNNER UP: Lovelace

*JOSEPHINE BAKER AWARD: For best expressing the woman of color experience in America: 12 Years A Slave
RUNNER UP: Go For Sisters

*KAREN MORLEY AWARD: For best exemplifying a woman’s place in history or society, and a courageous search for identity: Winnie Mandela
RUNNER UP: Wadjda

COURAGE IN ACTING: [Taking on unconventional roles that radically redefine the images of women on screen]: Soko: Augustine

THE INVISIBLE WOMAN AWARD [Performance by a woman whose exceptional impact on the film dramatically, socially or historically, has been ignored]
Sandra Bullock: Gravity

BEST SONG: “Would You Bleed For Love” Jennifer Hudson, Winnie Mandela

MOMMIE DEAREST WORST SCREEN MOM OF THE YEAR AWARD:
*Kristin Scott Thomas - Only God Forgives

JUST KIDDING AWARD: Best Male Images In A Movie: Last Vegas

*WFCC HALL OF SHAME*

Blue is the Warmest Color: I went in knowing almost nothing except general buzz but I hated the sex scenes which were way too long and midway thru I couldn’t wait to flee the theater. Coming out I read how many takes Kechiche required and I was thoroughly repulsed. Who was this for? Then I read the graphic novel and discovered that critical plot points were deleted. Like the fact that Adele’s parents find her in bed with Emma which is why she has to move out — and I was enraged. A three hour movie, and Kechiche is so busy salivating over his actresses that he can’t bother telling a coherent story. Hype for this film makes me nauseous!

Blue is the Warmest Color: It's so obvious a dude with a fetish directed this, it's not only unappealing, it's creepy. His overcompensating hubris isn't worth the praise this is receiving.

The Canyons: Women depicted as powerless and manipulative. Plus, the acting is horrid.

Captain Phillips: The whole might of the USA coming down on 3 starving Somalis?! Repulsive. When the obscenely beefy SEALS arrived and the audience started to cheer, I felt I was watching a “macho” director brainwash audience members into blindly accepting the worst stereotypes of jingoistic male behavior.

Dallas Buyers Club: Shame on Dallas Buyers Club for completely ignoring the LGBT as a group who drove the fight against AIDS to the forefront. The only time gays were mentioned was to let Matthew McConaughey's homophobic redneck character get a laugh at the expense of Jared Leto's transsexual character. The film made it seem as if the whole AIDS community stood on the shoulders of Ron Woodruff when in fact, groups like Act Up were starting the war for proper testing and more drugs way before Ron entered into the picture. It completely demeaned the backdrop Dallas Buyers Club was utilizing for their own characterizing "hero" agenda. Also the film took an extreme opinion against the AZT drug in favor for a plot line when in fact it was helping some patients. The only saving grace was Jared Leto's fantastic performance but unfortunately it wasn't enough.

Enough Already: Why is it that when actresses and even screen goddesses hit a certain age, they're all cast as nags, loons and shrews. No matter how accomplished any of these films may be, the tally of older actress shrewish nags on board is really high this year, as usual. Including Oprah Winfrey in The Butler, Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts in August: Osage County, Cate Blanchett and Sally Hawkins in Blue Jasmine, June Squibb in Nebraska, Kristin Scott Thomas in Only God Forgives, and Julianne Moore in Carrie. Refreshing exceptions being Judi Dench in Philomena, Yolonda Ross in Go For Sisters, and Mary Steenburgen in Last Vegas.

Gravity: The women in this group make meaningful choices each year so they speak for me in these areas, the lone exception being Sandra Bullock's performance in Gravity. She's a fine actress, but I found the character to be whiny, cowardly, and full of the wrong stuff - a damsel in distress who needed a man (even if it was just her imagination) to pull her out of danger. I can hardly believe they'd send someone so panicky into space. Give me Sigourney Weaver any day.

Les Salauds [Bastards]: All of the women in this film are depicted as complicit in their own oppression and exploitation. Though it’s a patriarchal system that they exist within, they refuse to fight for themselves or each other, even when a minor is involved. The indictment then is not of the men but of the women. I found this problematic and disappointing from Denis.

Spring Breakers: No depth, little plot and a pitiful depiction of today's college kids. Gratuitous in nothing more than flesh and violence. A grossly and dangerously skewed depiction of young women and their values in today's America.

*Please Note: The WFCC Top Ten Hall Of Shame represents the ‘don’t tell me to shut up’ sidebar contribution of individual members, and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the entire Circle. Or may even dissent from an awarded nomination. Also, members may be objecting to particular characters in a film, and not the entire movie. Clarification: If an aspect of the movie is intentionally negative to make a point, rather than offensive, that is not under consideration for this category.

*ADRIENNE SHELLY AWARD: Adrienne Shelly was a promising actress and filmmaker who was brutally strangled in her apartment in 2006 at the age of forty by a construction worker in the building, after she complained about noise. Her killer tried to cover up his crime by hanging her from a shower rack in her bathroom, to make it look like a suicide. He later confessed that he was having a “bad day.” Shelly, who left behind a baby daughter, had just completed her film Waitress, which she also starred in, and which was honored at Sundance after her death.

*JOSEPHINE BAKER AWARD: The daughter of a laundress and a musician, Baker overcame being born black, female and poor, and marriage at age fifteen, to become an internationally acclaimed legendary performer, starring in the films Princess Tam Tam, Moulin Rouge and Zou Zou. She also survived the race riots in East St. Louis, Illinois as a child, and later expatriated to France to escape US racism. After participating heroically in the underground French Resistance during WWII, Baker returned to the US where she was a crusader for racial equality. Her activism led to attacks against her by reporter Walter Winchell who denounced her as a communist, leading her to wage a battle against him. Baker was instrumental in ending segregation in many theaters and clubs, where she refused to perform unless integration was implemented.

*KAREN MORLEY AWARD: Karen Morley was a promising Hollywood star in the 1930s, in such films as Mata Hari and Our Daily Bread. She was driven out of Hollywood for her leftist political convictions by the Blacklist and for refusing to testify against other actors, while Robert Taylor and Sterling Hayden were informants against her. And also for daring to have a child and become a mother, unacceptable for female stars in those days. Morley maintained her militant political activism for the rest of her life, running for Lieutenant Governor on the American Labor Party ticket in 1954. She passed away in 2003, unrepentant to the end, at the age of 93.

http://wfcc.wordpress.com/

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Utah Film Critics Choose "Gravity" as the Best Picture of 2013

The Utah Film Critics Association is an organization of cinema journalists affiliated with publications, broadcasting stations, and online media based in the state of Utah.  The group meets every December to votr on the Utah Film Critics Association Awards.

2013 Utah Film Critics Association Award winners:

Best Picture: "Gravity"
(Runner-up: "12 Years a Slave")

Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón, "Gravity"
(Runner-up: Steve McQueen, "12 Years a Slave")

Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor, "12 Years a Slave"
(Runner-up: Oscar Isaac, "Inside Llewyn Davis")

Best Actress: Adèle Exarchopoulos, "Blue is the Warmest Color"
(Runner-up: [tie] Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine" and Sandra Bullock, "Gravity")

Best Supporting Actor: Bill Nighy, "About Time"
(Runner-up: Michael Fassbender, "12 Years a Slave")

Best Supporting Actress: Scarlett Johansson, "Her"
(Runner-up: Jennifer Lawrence, "American Hustle")

Best Adapted Screenplay: "Before Midnight"
(Runner-up: "12 Years a Slave")

Best Original Screenplay: "The World's End"
(Runner-up: "The Way, Way Back")

Best Cinematography: "Gravity"
(Runner-up: "Inside Llewyn Davis")

Best Animated Feature: "Frozen"
(Runner-up: [tie] "From Up on Poppy Hill" and "The Wind Rises")

Best Non-English Language Feature: "Blue is the Warmest Color"
(Runner-up: "The Past")

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Indiana Film Journalists Choose "12 Years a Slave" as 2013's Best

by Amos Semien

Last year, the Indiana Film Journalist Association surprised many when they picked Safety Not Guaranteed as the "Best Film" of 2012.  This time, they went with the familiar and named 12 Years a Slave as the "Best Film" of 2013.  The film's director, Steve McQueen, also earned "Best Director" honors.

The Indiana Film Journalist Association (IFJA) is a film critics’ organization only formed in recent years.  It seeks to promote film criticism in the state of Indiana and also gives out its annual awards in December.

The full list of 2013 Indiana Film Journalist Association Awards:

Best Film: "12 Years a Slave"
(Runner-up: "Her")

Other Finalists (alphabetical)
"All is Lost"
"Before Midnight"
"Captain Phillips"
"Frances Ha"
"Mud"
"Prisoners"
"Spring Breakers"
"The Wolf of Wall Street"

Best Director: Steve McQueen, "12 Years a Slave"
(Runner-up: Spike Jonze, "Her")

Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor, "12 Years a Slave"
(Runner-up: Matthew McConaughey, "Dallas Buyers Club")

Best Actress: Adèle Exarchopoulos, "Blue is the Warmest Color"
(Runner-up: Brie Larson, "Short Term 12")

Best Supporting Actor: Barkhad Abdi, "Captain Phillips"
(Runner-up: Jeremy Renner, "American Hustle")

Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, "American Hustle"
(Runner-up: June Squibb, "Nebraska")

Best Adapted Screenplay: "Before Midnight"
(Runner-up: "12 Years a Slave")

Best Original Screenplay: "Her"
(Runner-up: "Rush")

Best Musical Score: "12 Years a Slave"
(Runner-up: "Rush")

Best Animated Feature: "Frozen"
(Runner-up: "The Wind Rises")

Best Foreign Language Film: "Blue is the Warmest Color"
(Runner-up: "The Grandmaster")

Best Documentary: "The Act of Killing"
(Runner-up: "Stories We Tell")

Original Vision Award: "Her"
(Runner-up: "Gravity")

The Hoosier Award: Andrew Cohn and Davy Rothbart, "Medora"

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