The 39th annual London Critics’ Circle Film Awards were presented last Sunday at The May Fair Hotel in London. Hosted by British comic Judi Love, the black-tie event saw Alfonso Cuarón’s Mexican drama Roma named as Film of the Year, while Cuarón also collected Director of the Year.
Yorgos Lantimos was on hand as his blackly comical period film The Favourite won four awards, including British/Irish Film and Screenwriter, plus Actress and Supporting Actress for Olivia Colman and Rachel Weisz, respectively. The critics’ top prize, the Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film, was presented to Pedro Almodóvar by Tamsin Greig, who starred in the West End adaptation of his classic film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.
Other winners at the ceremony were Richard E Grant, who came along to collect his Supporting Actor of the Year prize for Can You Ever Forgive Me? Ethan Hawke sent a video greeting from New York to accept Actor of the Year for First Reformed. Jessie Buckley was named British/Irish Actress of the Year for Beast. And Rupert Everett sent his costar and friend Emily Watson to collect his award as British/Irish Actor of the Year for The Happy Prince. Agnes Varda also sent a video thank you to claim Documentary of the Year for Faces Places.
Also in attendance were Molly Wright, named Young British/Irish Performer of the Year for her role in Apostasy; Michael Pearce, who won Breakthrough British/Irish Filmmaker for Beast. Pawel Pawlikowski accepted the Foreign-Language Film prize for Cold War, while his cinematographer Lukasz Zal won the Technical Achievement Award. Lara Zeidan’s Three Centimetres was named British/Irish Short Film of the Year. Guests and nominees in attendance included Anya Taylor-Joy, Fionn Whitehead, Liv Hill, Caroline Goodall, Muna Otaru, Deborah Haywood, Daniel Kokotajlo, Gonzalo Maza, Ian Bonhote, Peter Ettedgui, and Jake and Hannah Graf.
Full List of Winners for 39th Critics’ Circle Film Awards:
FILM OF THE YEAR
Roma
FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
Cold War
DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR
Faces Places
BRITISH/IRISH FILM OF THE YEAR: The Attenborough Award
The Favourite
DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Alfonso Cuarón – Roma
SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR
Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara – The Favourite
ACTRESS OF THE YEAR – sponsored by Heaven Skincare
Olivia Colman – The Favourite
ACTOR OF THE YEAR – sponsored by Millbank & Cooper Searle
Ethan Hawke – First Reformed
SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Rachel Weisz – The Favourite
SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Richard E Grant – Can You Ever Forgive Me?
BRITISH/IRISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Jessie Buckley – Beast
BRITISH/IRISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Rupert Everett – The Happy Prince
YOUNG BRITISH/IRISH PERFORMER OF THE YEAR – sponsored by The May Fair Hotel
Molly Wright – Apostasy
BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH/IRISH FILMMAKER: The Philip French Award
Michael Pearce – Beast
BRITISH/IRISH SHORT FILM
Three Centimetres – directed by Lara Zeidan
TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Cold War – cinematography, Lukasz Zal
THE DILYS POWELL AWARD for EXCELLENCE IN FILM
Pedro Almodóvar