'The Artist' is hailed as the Best Picture, while Streep and Pitt are named the Best Actress and Actor respectively of the 2011 NYFCC.
- Nov 30, 2011
AceShowbiz - The 2011 New York Film Critics Circle Awards has announced its winners on Tuesday, November 29 on its official Twitter feed. "The Artist" won the top prize of Best Picture, making the black-and-white silent movie a potential Oscar contender. Its director, Michel Hazanavicius, was also named the Best Director.
On why the group chose "The Artist" for the coveted award, John Anderson, the chairman of New York Film Critics Circle, explained, "It's a celebration of cinema." He added, "It's clever and it's upbeat and all that, but it's really about the movies. Of course, that's going to strike a chord among critics."
In the meantime, Meryl Streep was dubbed the Best Actress for her portrayal of the former female English Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady". It was the fourth time she won the title from NYFCC. The Best Actor went to Brad Pitt who won the title for his roles as a baseball coach in "Moneyball and as Mr. O'Brien in "The Tree of Life".
Jessica Chastain was named the Best Supporting Actress for her roles in "Tree of Life", "The Help" as well as "Take Shelter". Albert Brooks won the Best Supporting Actor title for starring in "Drive". This year's special award, meanwhile, was given to the Raoul Ruiz, Chilean filmmaker who made over 100 movies and passed away on August 19 at the age of 70.
The NYFCC, which was founded in 1935, consists of acclaimed New York-based critics who meet annually to vote on the best movies and actors of the year. This was the first time the group announced its winners on Twitter. Last year, they picked Facebook film "The Social Network" as the Best Picture.
The 2011 NYFCC winners:
- Best Picture: "The Artist"
- Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius - "The Artist"
- Best Screenplay: Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin - "Moneyball"
- Best Actress: Meryl Streep - "The Iron Lady"
- Best Actor: Brad Pitt - "Moneyball" and "The Tree of Life"
- Best Supporting Actress: Jessica Chastain - "The Tree of Life", "The Help" and "Take Shelter"
- Best Supporting Actor: Albert Brooks - "Drive"
- Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki - "The Tree of Life"
- Best Non-Fiction Film (Documentary): "Cave of Forgotten Dreams"
- Best Foreign Language Film: "A Separation"
- Best First Feature: "Margin Call"
- Special Award: Late filmmaker Raoul Ruiz
