2016 Los Angeles Film Critics Association

Since early morning the film critics group started to deliberate, vote and announce their winners.  The process went long after the infamous lunch break until the last announcement was made for a special citation.  In between the most pleasant news came when they announced Best Actress winner as with a not-so-usual agreement, East coast and West coast cinema pundits agree on a non-American actress, Isabelle Huppert!

Of course I simply LOVE the news as most of blog loyal readers know, she's one of my most favorite actress, one that makes me watch every single movie she's in (at least try as she is a very-hard-working actress with too-many films per year) and one that deserves ALL the top cinema honors in the world, including infamous Oscar.  As been saying aloud, there is a strong marketing campaign for her Oscar nomination and obviously is working as top critics and east-coast award already succumbed to her.  Now let's hope she gets an Oscar nomination and we can dream she winning the award but let's recall that 2016 films have too-many extraordinary performances by outstanding actresses.

Most impressed with the group honoring one of the most outstanding films from 2016, The Handmaiden, as not only has a terrific story but visuals, production design and cinematography are almost perfection, sigh! Film is a true feast to the eyes but comes with a very-explicit-violent drama surely not for all audiences; but for me, the drama kept me at edge of my seat and made me forgot that already knew the story, which was great!

Many have already started to speculate that this award season race will be between La La Land, Moonlight and Machester by the Sea.  Unless something happens before Oscar nominations announcement in January 2017, I agree but still have hope that another movie becomes a contender, like for example Pablo Larrain's Jackie.

These are the award winners listed at the group official site and also the runner-up for each category.

Best Picture: Moonlight
Runner-up: La La Land

Best Director: Barry Jenkins for Moonlight
Runner-up: Damien Chazelle for La La Land

Best Actress: Isabelle Hupert in Elle and L'Avenir (Things to Come)
Runner-up: Rebecca Hall in Christine

Best Supporting Actress: Lily Gladstone in Certain Women
Runner-up: Michelle Williams in Manchester by the Sea

Best Actor: Adam Driver in Paterson
Runner-up: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea

Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali in Moonlight
Runner-up: Issey Ogata in Silence

Best Screenplay: Efthymis Filippou and Yorgos Lanthimos for The Lobster
Runner-up: Keneth Lonergan for Manchester by the Sea

Best Production Design: Ryu Seong-Hee for The Handmaiden
Runner-up: David Wasco for La La Land

Best Editing: Bret Granato, Maya Mumma and Ben Sozanski for OJ: Made in America
Runner-up: Tom Cross for La La Land

Best Cinematography: James Laxton for Moonlight
Runner-up: Linus Sandgren for La La Land

Best Documentary/Non-Fiction Film: I Am Not Your Negro
Runner-up: OJ: Made in America

Best Animation:  Kimi no na wa (Your Name)
Runner-up:  La Tortue Rouge (The Red Turtle)

New Generation: Trey Edward Shults and Krisha Fairchild for Krisha
Douglas Edwards Independent/Experimental Film/Video: Deborah Stratman for The Illinois Parables
Special Citation:  Turner Classic Movies for Preserving Historic Cinema via Filmstruck

Career Achievement:  Shirley Maclaine

To check winners at official site go here.