Florida Film Critics Circle (and more)
Friday, December 21, 2018 at 7:38PM 
Given our most recent podcast conversation in which Florida film critic Alfred Soto was a guest star, we wanted to inform you of the end results of The Florida Film Critics Circle's year end "best" discussions. The Favourite took their top prize but the big story is how fully they embraced Asian cinema with two acting prizes for Asian actors and additional prizes for Shoplifters (foreign film), Shirkers (documentary), and Mirai (animated film).
The 26 member wide organization is spread out all around Florida and has been in existence since 1996, just before the boom (2002-2012) when every city and/or state decided they needed an organization, sometimes two of them!) Their full list of winners (along with a handful of other groups that announced earlier that we neglected to mention) are after the jump...
FLORIDA FILM CRITICS CIRCLE
Film The Favourite
Director Alfonso Cuarón, Roma
Actress Melissa McCarthy, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Actor Joaquin Phoenix, You Were Never Really Here
Supporting Actress Sakura Ando, Shoplifters
Supporting Actor Steven Yeun, Burning
Ensemble The Favourite
Original Screenplay Sorry to Bother You
Adapted Screenplay Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Cinematography Cold War
Visual Effects Annihilation
Production Design The Favourite
Score First Man
Documentary Shirkers
Foreign Film Shoplifters
Animated Film Mirai
First Film Eighth Grade
Breakout Award Elsie Fisher, Eighth Grade
Golden Orange (Florida Specific Award): Alexa Lim Haas's Aqua Viva
PHILADELPHIA FILM CRITICS CIRCLE
This is only their second year in existence. They seemed to love If Beale Street Could Talk and Roma about equally (last year their favorite was far more clear since Get Out took four prizes with nothing else close to it). Their big surprise this year among th winners is Viola Davis as Best Actress for Widows
Film Roma
Director Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk
Actress Viola Davis, Widows
Actor Christian Bale, Vice
Supporting Actress Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
Supporting Actor Richard E Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Screenplay The Hate U Give
Cinematography Roma
Score Suspiria
Documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor?
Foreign Film Roma
Animated Film Incredibles 2
Directorial Debut Boots Riley, Sorry to Bother You
Breakthrough Performance Kiki Layne, If Beale Street Could Talk
Elaine May Award: RBG
Steve Friedman Award: Black Panther
WASHINGTON DC AREA FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
They've been handing out prizes since 2002 and their organization has 60 members with affiliations to tv, radio, print, and online film coverage
Film Roma
Director Alfonso Cuaron, Roma
Actress Lady Gaga, A Star is Born
Actor Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born
Supporting Actress Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
Supporting Actor Mahershala Ali, Green Book
Motion Capture Performance Josh Brolin, Avengers: Infinity War
Youth Performance Elsie Fisher, Eighth Grade
Voice Performance Bryan Cranston, Isle of Dogs
Original Screenplay The Favourite
Adapted Screenplay Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Cinematography Roma
Editing First Man
Production Design Black Panther
Score If Beale Street Could Talk
Documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor?
Foreign Film Roma
Animated Film Isle of Dogs
Portrayal of DC Vice
ST LOUIS FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
They've only been in existence for six years and this year it was a strong showing for BlacKkKlansman (3 prizes!) though A Star is Born won best film.
Film A Star is Born
Director Spike Lee, BlacKkKlansman
Actress Toni Colette, Hereditary
Actor Ethan Hawke, First Reformed
Supporting Actress Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
Supporting Actor Richard E Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Original Screenplay Vice
Adapted Screenplay BlacKkKlansman
Cinematography Roma
Editing Vice
Production Design Black Panther
Score BlacKkKlansman
Soundtrack Bohemian Rhapsody
Visual Effects Avengers: Infinity War
Action Film Mission: Impossible - Fallout
Comedy Film The Favourite
Documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor?
Foreign Film Roma
Animated Film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Best Scene Roma's beach rescue
BOSTON ONLINE FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
Not to be confused with the venerable Boston Society of Film Critics, this online organization formed in 2012. This year they rallied around You Were Never Really Here to the tune of four awards including Film and Director.
Film You Were Never Really Here
Director Lynne Ramsay, You Were Never Really Here
Actress Toni Colette, Hereditary
Actor Ethan Hawke, First Reformed
Supporting Actress Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
Supporting Actor Richard E Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Screenplay First Reformed
Ensemble Support the Girls
Cinematography Roma
Editing You Were Never Really Here
Score You Were Never Really Here
Documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor?
Foreign Film Roma
Animated Film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Reader Comments (12)
Check the London Critics Circle Film Awards nominees. Classy.
Florida Film Critics embrace Asian cinema, with accompanying Emma Stone image. Yeah, this checks out.
Ethan Hawke is picking up momentum. I am glad.
Oh my god. Yes yes and more yes. Sakura Ando is possibly my favourite performance given by anyone in any category this year (interesting that most people see her as Supporting - I wonder if I was a bit too fixated on her cause I thought her a lead).
And also: having just emerged from The Favourite - I must say, kudos Florida critic. I wish you also found a way to single out Olivia Genius Colman, but I'm ecstatic you highlighted Eighth Grade and its breathtaking star.
Incidentally - between Ando and Colman and Fisher (and Collette and Gyllenhaal and Stone and Kulig and Theron etc etc), this has to be the strongest year for actressing in aages.
Maybe b'cos Shoplifters is an ensemble piece, so all the actors r considered as supp ,like u know A Quiet Place!! lol
I'm just glad Ando pick up some recognition, lead or supporting is secondary.
goran -- you know how much of a stickler i am about category fraud and I never once thought of Ando as the lead. I'm not sure the movie has a lead (feels like a true ensemble of 5) but if i were to push someone that way it would be the little boy, since he seems to have the most central arc and figures in so prominently to the beginning and the end.
Yay for Alfred Soto's group - the first film critics group to have given Lead and Supporting awards to my favorite lead and supporting actresses of the year.
I am always happy to see McCarthy in the mix because it's such a competitive year. Four different actresses awarded from these five critics' groups alone. (I think she may have the third most critics' awards at this point, behind Colman and Collette...?)
BTW - The Israeli Film Critics Forum announced their picks too.
"The Cakemaker" was out of the competition (since it screened last year), so "Driver" by Yehonatan Indursky won 3 prizes - Best Picture, Best actor and Best Screenplay. It won't be eligible for 2020 Oscars because it was screened to the Israeli academy in 2016 and was not selected even as a nominee. The full list goes like this:
Best Picture: Driver (Dir: Yehonatan Indursky) Runner Up: The Unorthodox (Dir: Eliran Malka)
Best Director: TIE: Avi Nesher (for The Other Story) and Eliran Malka ( for The Unorthodox)
Best Screenplay: Driver (Yehonatan Indursky) Runner Up: The Other Story (Avi Nesher, Noam Shpancer)
Best Actor: Moshe Folkenflick, Driver. Runner-ups: Moshe Folkenflick, Redemption & Shuli Rand, The Unorthodox
Best Actress: Joy Riger, Virgins. Runner Up: Dana Ivgy, Voice Over (Voice Over is an anthology of short films. Dana Ivgy acted in one of them)
Note that the IFCF doesn't have supporting categories.
Best Breakthrough: Eliran Elya, Director and Screenwriter of Doubtful. Runner up: Eliran Mlka, Director and Screenwriter of The Unorthodox
Best Artistic Achievement (The IFCF gives out one single award for the "Technical" achievements, instead of having a category for editing, music and so forth):
Tal Rabiner and Alex Khosid for editing Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life (a Documentary about a gay porn star). Runner Up: Ophir Leibovitchת Music for The Unorthodox.
Best International Film (Meaning. any film that is not Israeli): Roma. Runner Up: Phantom Thread.
Finally You Were Never Really Here getting the attention it deserves. Kinda shocked that Phoenix didn't win when the film won, but at least he caught up with the Florida win.
Toni Collette appears to have won the most critics prizes - but I don't think she will end up with the Oscar.
It's still between Glenn Close and Lady Gaga. Unless voters want to reward Emily Blunt for TWO performances - Mary Poppins Returns AND A Quet Place.
The only acting category that is not unpredictable is Regina King for If Beale Street Could Talk. Unless she is involved in some trump like scandal - the Oscar is hers.
@Bette Streep: I agree I don't even think Collette will be nominated. However, I think Colman has a pretty good shot at the win. It's alarming how little love Close has gotten so far, too, from critics and online organizations despite getting rave reviews for the role and scoring all the major nominations so far. It's actually rather embarrassing.
Close gives the best performance the category has seen in some time. It's the best performance of her career. Strange that she, along with the Jonathan Pryce category fraud are not getting any mentions.
Colman is gonna win. She and Collette are the critic favorites. Collette has missed Globes and SAG, so she- as well as Hawke- aren't winning Oscars. Colman's film is a lock for Best Picture, and likely a Best Director nod, for a film that one would think is likely in the top 5. So while Gaga could go on to win, it seems unlikely, and so Colman is a clear favorite until someone else emerges.
Close could get the overdue.