Los Angeles Film Critics Association Dubs 'Wall-E' Best Picture of 2008

As Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) named the top achievements in 2008 on Tuesday, December 9, "Wall-E" comes out victorious, nailing the coveted title of the Best Picture of the Year. Winning over runner-up"The Dark Knight", the Andrew Stanton-directed film has become the first ever animation movie to be given the title by the association.

In the announcement made by Lael Loewenstein, President of the LAFCA, it is also let out that Danny Boyle has been dubbed as Best Director for "Slumdog Millionaire", while Sean Penn has been hailed as Best Actor for his portrayal of Harvey Milk in "Milk". Moreover, other winners also include Best Actress Sally Hawkins, Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger and Best Supporting Actress Penelope Cruz.

Though winners have been revealed, the 34th annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association awards itself will be presented on January 12 at the InterContinental hotel, Los Angeles. The ceremony are dedicated to Manoel de Oliveira for his extraordinary contribution to the cinema as he enters his 100th year.

• Picture: "Wall-E"
  Runner-up: "The Dark Knight"
• 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"
• 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"
• Screenplay: Mike Leigh, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
  Runner-up: Charlie Kaufman, "Synecdoche, New York"
• 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"
• 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"
• Animation: "Waltz with Bashir"
• New Generation: Steve McQueen, "Hunger"
• Career Achievement: John Calley
• Douglas E. Edwards Independent/Experimental Film/Video:
  James Benning, "RR" and "Casting a Glance"