Screenshot of 'The Artist'.
The 32nd London Film Critics Circle Awards has finished naming its winners for this year on Thursday, with The Artist expanding its rack of awards this season as it won three major awards for best film, best actor and best director.
The Artist bagged Film of the Year and director Michel Hazanavicius and actor Jean Dujardin won Director of the Year and Actor of the Year, respectively.
This silent black-and-white film has collected trophies and won over award-giving bodies such as Golden Globes, Cannes, AFI and Critics’ Choice.
A Separation, helmed by Asghar Farhadi and won the Golden Globes’ Best Foreign-Language Film Award, also bagged three awards in as many categories, namely Foreign Language Film of the Year, Best Supporting Actress (Sareh Bayat) and Screenwriter of the Year (Farhadi).
Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady) and Anna Paquin (Margaret) tied for Actress of the Year while Olivia Colman won British Actress of the Year for her performances in The Iron Lady and Tyrannosaur.
Supporting Actor of the Year went to Kenneth Branagh for his portrayal of Laurence Olivier in My Week With Marilyn.
Michael Fassbender received British Actor of the Year for A Dangerous Method and Shame.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Drive, the two films with the most nods, would have went home empty-handed if not for Maria Djurkovic, who won a technical-achievement award for her production design in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
The London Film Critics Circle held its awards ceremony early, with previous events held around mid-February, weeks after all critics groups have given their awards.
Over 120 critics voted for the awards this year, including broadcasters and writers from the U.K.
FILM OF THE YEAR
The Artist
CRITICS’ CIRCLE TOP 10 FILMS of 2011 (in exact order)
The Artist
A Separation
Drive
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
The Tree of Life
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Melancholia
Shame
Margaret
The Descendants
BRITISH FILM OF THE YEAR (The Attenborough Award)
We Need to Talk About Kevin
FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
A Separation
DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR
Senna (Universal)
DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR
Asghar Farhadi – A Separation
The Virgin Atlantic Award: BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH FILM-MAKER
Andrew Haigh – Weekend
ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Jean Dujardin – The Artist
ACTRESS OF THE YEAR (Tied)
Anna Paquin, Margaret
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Sareh Bayat, A Separation
BRITISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Michael Fassbender, A Dangerous Method and Shame
BRITISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR (The Moët & Chandon Award)
Olivia Colman, The Iron Lady and Tyrannosaur
YOUNG BRITISH PERFORMER OF THE YEAR
Craig Roberts, Submarine
TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT (The Sky 3D Award)
Maria Djurkovic (Production Design), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
EXCELLENCE IN FILM (The Dilys Powell Award)
Nicolas Roeg