34th Los Angeles Film Critics Award Winners

Yesterday the LAFCA announced the award winners and according to Variety is the first time in the organization history that an animated film has taken the top prize. Here are some of the categories

Picture: "Wall-E"
Runner-up: "The Dark Knight"

Director: Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Runner-up: Christopher Nolan, "The Dark Knight"

Actor: Sean Penn, "Milk"
Runner-up: Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"

Actress: Sally Hawkins, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Runner-up: Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"

Supporting actor: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"
Runner-up: Eddie Marsan, "Happy-Go-Lucky"

Supporting actress: Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and "Elegy"
Runner-up: Viola Davis, "Doubt"

Foreign-language film: "Still Life"
Runner-up: "The Class"

Animation: "Waltz With Bashir"

New Generation: Steve McQueen, "Hunger"

To read the official press release go here and to check all the award winners go here. The awards will be held Monday, January 12 at the InterContinental Los Angeles. The 34th annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association awards are dedicated to Manoel de Oliveira for his extraordinary contribution to the cinema as he enters his 100th year.

As I learn about the award winners in the several organizations that have announced nominees or award winners I get the impression that the Academy Awards will be interesting next year, as perhaps some categories will be hard to predict winners with so many films, directors and performances that could be extraordinary. That’s just great!