The UK’s leading film critics handed out their annual prizes on Sunday night at the 39th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards presented by Dover Street Entertainment at The May Fair Hotel. Hosted by British comic Judi Love, the black-tie event saw Alfonso Cuarón’s Mexican drama Roma named as Film of the Year, while Cuarón also collected Director of the Year. 

Yorgos Lantimos was on hand as his blackly comical period film The Favourite won four awards,including British/Irish Film and Screenwriter, plus Actress and Supporting Actress for Olivia Colman and Rachel Weisz, respectively. The critics’ top prize, the Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film, was presented to Pedro Almodóvar by Tamsin Greig, who starred in the West End adaptation of his classic film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.

Other winners at the ceremony were Richard E Grant, who came along to collect his Supporting Actor of the Year prize for Can You Ever Forgive Me? Ethan Hawke sent a video greeting from New York to accept Actor of the Year for First Reformed. Jessie Buckley was named British/Irish Actress of the Year for Beast. And Rupert Everett sent his costar and friend Emily Watson to collect his award as British/Irish Actor of the Year for The Happy Prince. Agnes Varda also sent a video thank you to claim Documentary of the Year for Faces Places.

Also in attendance were Molly Wright, named Young British/Irish Performer of the Year for her role in Apostasy; Michael Pearce, who won Breakthrough British/Irish Filmmaker for Beast. Pawel Pawlikowski accepted the Foreign-Language Film prize for Cold War, while his cinematographer Lukasz Zal won the Technical Achievement Award. Lara Zeidan’s Three Centimetres was named British/Irish Short Film of the Year. Guests and nominees in attendance included Anya Taylor-Joy, Fionn Whitehead, Liv Hill, Caroline Goodall, Muna Otaru, Deborah Haywood, Daniel Kokotajlo, Gonzalo Maza, Ian Bonhote, Peter Ettedgui, and Jake and Hannah Graf.

The ceremony was notable for the fact that virtually all of the winning films are by and/or about women. Dame Heather Rabbatts of Time’s Up UK said, “We were delighted to see the Critics’ Circle nominate two female directors for Director of the Year at this year’s ceremony, which was hosted by a black woman for the first time. And the Film Section’s current chair, Anna Smith, is the first woman to helm the section in over 40 years and is part of a team working towards gender parity and diversity in criticism. As Time’s Up UK enters its second year, we are as dedicated to raising the profile of female critics as we are the number of female film directors and more women in leadership roles across all parts of the arts industry and beyond. So it is great to see the Critics’ Circle championing women, especially as we turn to the Baftas in a few weeks time”.

London-based media group Dover Street Entertainment returned for a second year as headline sponsor, and this is the seventh year the event has been hosted by The May Fair Hotel. Heaven Skincare also returned for a second year as a main sponsor of the event. Sponsoring management agencies Millbank and Cooper Searle brought along a line-up of fresh rising stars to grace the red carpet. In-kind sponsors included Mionetto Prosecco Superiore, Rémy Martin and Inverroche. Audi is the official car of the awards.

Full List of Winners for 39th Critics’ Circle Film Awards presented by Dover Street Entertainment

FILM OF THE YEAR
Roma

FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
Cold War 

DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR
Faces Places

BRITISH/IRISH FILM OF THE YEAR: The Attenborough Award
The Favourite

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Alfonso Cuarón – Roma

SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR
Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara – The Favourite

ACTRESS OF THE YEAR – sponsored by Heaven Skincare
Olivia Colman – The Favourite

ACTOR OF THE YEAR – sponsored by Millbank & Cooper Searle
Ethan Hawke – First Reformed

SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Rachel Weisz – The Favourite

SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Richard E Grant – Can You Ever Forgive Me?

BRITISH/IRISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Jessie Buckley – Beast

BRITISH/IRISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Rupert Everett – The Happy Prince

YOUNG BRITISH/IRISH PERFORMER OF THE YEAR – sponsored by The May Fair Hotel
Molly Wright – Apostasy

BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH/IRISH FILMMAKER: The Philip French Award
Michael Pearce – Beast

BRITISH/IRISH SHORT FILM
Three Centimetres – directed by Lara Zeidan

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Cold War – cinematography, Lukasz Zal

THE DILYS POWELL AWARD for EXCELLENCE IN FILM
Pedro Almodóvar

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