Kicking off the 2009 awards race, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) has announced its top selections for the year, awarding Steve McQueen the New Generation Award for his feature debut ‘Hunger’.
Brit helmer McQueen shot the acclaimed film on location in Northern Ireland. 'Hunger' also picked up the European Discovery Award at the European Film Awards over the weekend.
The LAFCA named Disney’s animated feature ‘Wall-E’ its best picture of the year while Batman sequel ‘The Dark Knight’ was runner-up. Brit director Danny Boyle took the best director prize for his feature ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.
In the acting categories, Sean Penn won for ‘Milk’ and Sally Hawkins for ‘Happy-Go-Lucky’, which also earned Mike Leigh the screenwriting prize for the same title. The late Heath Ledger took the supporting actor award for ‘The Dark Knight’ while Penelope Cruz was named best supporting actress for her work in ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’ and ‘Elegy’
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. 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 101 year old Portuguese director and writer Manoel de Oliveira.
