Seemingly, it didn’t come without a bit of a fight but Tom McCarthy’s Spotlight took home top honors at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. The journalism drama continues to cement itself as top-drawer awards contender though Los Angeles-based film critics also showed quite a bit of love for George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road and helped boost the awards profile of actors Michael Fassbender (who took the Best Actor prize for Steve Jobs) and Charlotte Rampling (who topped Best Actress for her turn in the soon-to-be released indie 45 Years).
The Los Angeles Film Critics Association are one of the more venerable of critics group. Coupled with the New York Film Critics Circle (who last week announced Todd Haynes’ Carol as their pick of the best of 2015) and the National Society of Film Critics, LAFCA is considered one of the more prestigious. The group has been handing out end-of-the-year prizes since 1975 (Dog Day Afternoon and Oscar winner One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest tied the group’s first Best Picture honor). While Spotlight claimed the top prize, it was actually Mad Max: Fury Road that won the most prizes this afternoon- collected three overall including Best Director mention for Miller (the film was also the runner-up for Best Picture). Ryan Coogler, the director of Creed and currently in talks to helm Marvel’s Black Panther picked up the New Generation Award- last year that prize was won by Selma director Ava DuVernay.
Last year, LAFCA chose Richard Linklater’s Boyhood as their Best Picture. Take a look a full list of winners below:
- PICTURE: Spotlight (runner-up: Mad Max: Fury Road)
- DIRECTOR: George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road (runner-up: Todd Haynes, Carol)
- ACTOR: Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs (runner-up: Géza Röhrig, Son of Saul)
- ACTRESS: Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years (runner-up: Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn)
- SUPPORTING ACTOR: Michael Shannon, 99 Homes (runner-up: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies)
- SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina (runner-up: Kristen Stewart, Clouds of Sils Maria)
- SCREENPLAY: Spotlight– Tom McCarthy, Josh Singer (runner-up: Anomalisa– Charlie Kaufman)
- DOCUMENTARY: Amy (runner-up: The Look of Silence)
- ANIMATED FEATURE: Anomalisa (runner-up: Inside Out)
- FOREIGN FILM: Son of Saul (runner-up: The Tribe)
- CINEMATOGRAPHY: Mad Max: Fury Road– John Seale (runner-up: Carol– Edward Lachman)
- PRODUCTION DESIGN: Mad Max: Fury Road– Colin Gibson (runner-up: Carol– Judy Becker)
- EDITING: The Big Short– Hank Corwin (runner-up: Mad Max: Fury Road– Margaret Sixel)
- MUSIC SCORE: Carter Burwell, Anomalisa and Carol (runner-up: The Hateful Eight– Ennio Morricone
- NEW GENERATION AWARD: Ryan Coogler
- CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Anne V. Coates
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