AceShowbiz -

Announced by its president Dann Gire, the Chicago Film Critics Association revealed their picks for the recipients of their 2006 CFCA Awards held Thursday, December 28, 2006.

Coming out as the big winner was the twist-filled mob saga "The Departed" which snatched the top honor of Best Picture along with two other prizes of Best Director for Martin Scorsese and Best Adapted Screenplay for writer William Monahan.

In lead acting categories, critics' favorites Helen Mirren and Forest Whitaker were crowned the Best Actress and Actor respectively, both honored for their royal performances: Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II in "The Queen" and Whitaker as Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland."

Other names deemed the award honorees included Sacha Baron Cohen as the Most Promising Performer, thanks to his two performances in "Borat" also "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" and Jackie Earle Haley as the Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal in "Little Children", accompanying Rinko Kikuchi who won the opposite category of Best Supporting Actress for hers in "Babel." For complete list of winners, please go to the organization's official site at https://www.chicagofilmcritics.org/win06.html.