LOS ANGELES FILM CRITICS ANNOUNCE 2008 AWARD WINNERS

CONTACT:           

Michael Lawson, mPRm Public Relations

323-933-3399

LOS ANGELES, DECEMBER 9, 2008 "Wall-E" was voted Best Picture of the Year, it was announced today by Lael Loewenstein, President of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA).  The runner up was "The Dark Knight."

LAFCA's 34th annual achievement awards ceremony will be held Monday, January 12 at the InterContinental Los Angeles.  The 34th annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association awards are dedicated to Manoel de Oliveira for his extraordinary contribution to the cinema as he enters his 100th year.

Other award winners are:

DIRECTOR: Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"

Runner-up: Christopher Nolan, "The Dark Knight”

ACTRESS: Sally Hawkins, "Happy-Go-Lucky"

Runner-up: Melissa Leo, “Frozen River”

ACTOR: Sean Penn, “Milk”

Runner-up: Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”

SCREENPLAY: Mike Leigh, "Happy-Go-Lucky"

Runner-up: Charlie Kaufman, "Synecdoche, New York"

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and "Elegy"

Runner-up: Viola Davis, "Doubt"

SUPPORTING ACTOR: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"

Runner-up: Eddie Marsan, "Happy-Go-Lucky"

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: "Still Life“ directed by Jia Zhangke

Runner-up: "The Class" directed by Laurent Cantet

DOCUMENTARY/NON-FICTION FILM: "Man on Wire" directed by James Marsh

Runner-up: "Waltz with Bashir" directed by Ari Folman

PRODUCTION DESIGN: Mark Friedberg, "Synecdoche, New York"

Runner-up: Nathan Crowley, "The Dark Knight"

ANIMATION: “Waltz with Bashir"

MUSIC/SCORE: A.R. Rahman, "Slumdog Millionaire"

Runner-up: Alexandre Desplat, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Yu Lik Wai, "Still Life"

Runner-up: Anthony Dod Mantle, "Slumdog Millionaire"

NEW GENERATION: Steve McQueen, “Hunger”

CAREER ACHIEVEMENT:  John Calley (previously announced)

DOUGLAS E. EDWARDS INDEPENDENT/EXPERIMENTAL FILM/VIDEO: James Benning, “RR”
and “Casting a Glance”

Founded in 1975, The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) is comprised of Los Angeles-based, professional film critics working in the Los Angeles print and electronic media.  Each December, LAFCA members vote on the year’s Achievement Awards, honoring screen excellence on both sides of the camera. Plaques of recognition are then presented to winners during LAFCA’s annual awards ceremony, held in mid-January.

Aside from honoring each year’s outstanding cinematic achievements, LAFCA has also made it a point to look back and pay tribute to distinguished industry veterans with its annual Career Achievement Award, which is announced in October, as well as to look forward by spotlighting fresh, promising talent with its annual New Generation Award.  In addition, over the past three decades, LAFCA has sponsored and hosted numerous film panels and events and donated funds to various Los Angeles film organizations, especially where film preservation was concerned.  LAFCA members have also collectively been vocal about taking up causes they have felt passionate about, from drafting formal protests against censorship and colorization to lending their support to controversial films.