San Diego Film Critics Society Announces Best of 2011 Awards

I was honored to be inducted into the San Diego Film Critics Society this year. As a new member, I was able to cast my vote for the group’s year end awards, which were announced Wednesday. While not all of the winners turned out as I had hoped (*ahem*NicolasWindingRefn*ahem*), I think that our list is as good as any other group’s. In fact, I was pleased that we dared to go against the grain in certain categories, like Actress and Supporting Actor. Below is the press release, complete with the full list of winners. Stay tuned for my personal Top 10 of 2011 on December 31.

SAN DIEGO FILM CRITICS CHOOSE BEST OF 2011

SAN DIEGO — “The Artist” was voted Best Film of 2011 by the San Diego Film Critics Society.

The silent black-and-white film, directed by Michel Hazanavicius, tells the story of George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), a silent film star coping desperately with the advent of talkies.

The society’s critics, made up of 17 print, television, radio and web critics working in San Diego County, also voted Nicolas Winding Refn as Best Director for the action-drama “Drive.”

Michael Shannon, playing a Midwestern family man haunted by mental illness and the accompanying nightmares of impending disaster, won the society’s award for Best Actor, while Brit Marling, playing a bright astrophysics student with a dark past in the sci-fi drama ”Another Earth,” was honored as Best Actress.

Shailene Woodley was voted Best Supporting Actress for her work as the tough but vulnerable teen in “The Descendants,” and Nick Nolte, playing the alcoholic father to rival sons in “Warrior,” was chosen as Best Supporting Actor.

The critics also honored Woody Allen for the original screenplay “Midnight in Paris,” and Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin for Best Adapted Screenplay for “Moneyball.”

The Italian film “Le Quattro Volte” was chosen as Best Foreign Language Film, while “Project Nim” was voted Best Documentary. “Arthur Christmas” was voted Best Animated Film.

Emmanuel Lubezki earned Best Cinematographer honors for his work on “The Tree of Life,” and the critics chose Oliver Bugge Coutte for Best Editing, honoring his work on “Beginners.” Dante Ferretti was cited for Best Production Design for his work on ”Hugo.”

The score for “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2″ was chosen as Best Score, honoring the work of composer Alexandre Desplat.

They also noted the work of the actors in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2″ with the award for Best Ensemble Performance. Jessica Chastain, with roles in “The Debt,” “The Help,” “Tree of Life,” “Take Shelter,” “Coriolanus,” ”Texas Killing Fields,” and “Wilde Salome,” was honored for her Body of Work during 2011.

“I’m proud with the breadth and scope of the awards given out by the San Diego Film Critics Society,” said Anders Wright, Film Editor of “San Diego CityBeat” and President of the Society. “Not only has the Society’s members honored a fascinating group but, once again, they’ve also acknowledged several performances and films which will likely be overlooked elsewhere.”

The Society honored Lee Ann Kim, director of the San Diego Asian Film Foundation, as recipient of the annual Kyle Counts Award. The award, named after the late San Diego film critic, acknowledges those who have made contributions to film in the city. Kim is the founder of the creative and successful San Diego Asian Film Festival.

“Lee Ann’s impact on the artistic community has never been more strongly felt than as the driving force behind the San Diego Asian Film Foundation,” said Society member and “San Diego Reader” blogger Scott Marks. “It took less than two minutes from the time her name was suggested until a unanimous show of hands voted Lee Ann the recipient of the San Diego Film Critics Society’s annual Kyle Counts Award. San Diegans are very fortunate to have Lee Ann Kim and the crew of SDAFF working for them. Our only regret is the honor was so long in coming.”

Media contact: Anders Wright, President, 917-566-5515

More information at www.sdfcs.org

LIST OF WINNERS

BEST FILM – The Artist

BEST DIRECTOR – Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive

BEST ACTRESS – Brit Marling, Another Earth

BEST ACTOR – Michael Shannon, Take Shelter

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – Nick Nolte, Warrior

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY – Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY – Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, Moneyball

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM – Le Quattro Volte

BEST DOCUMENTARY – Project Nim

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – Emmanuel Lubezki, The Tree of Life

BEST ANIMATED FILM – Arthur Christmas

BEST EDITING – Oliver Bugge Coutté, Beginners

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – Dante Ferretti, Hugo

BEST SCORE – Alexandre Desplat, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

BEST ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

BODY OF WORK FOR 2011 – Jessica Chastain

KYLE COUNTS AWARD (Advancing film appreciation in San Diego) – Lee Ann Kim, Executive Director, San Diego Asian Film Foundation