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Annual Awards of Critics 2004

In a variety of countries, the film critics' associations present Best Films of the Year 2004, mostly determined by the way of a poll among the national members.

USA

The National Society of Film Critics, which is made of up 56 of the country's leading movie critics, held its thirty-ninth annual awards voting meeting in New York City.

Picture
1. Million Dollar Baby (Clint Eastwood) 2. Sideways (Alexander Payne) 3. Before Sunset (Richard Linklater)

Foreign-Language Picture
1. Moolaadé (Ousmane Sembène) 2. House of Flying Daggers (Zhang Yimou) 3. Notre Musique (Jean-Luc Godard)

Director
1. Zhang Yimou (House of the Flying Daggers and Hero) 2. Alexander Payne (Sideways) 3. Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby)

Nonfiction Film
1. Tarnation (Jonathan Caouette) 2. Story of the Weeping Camel (Davaa Myambasuren and Luigi Falorni) 3. Bright Leaves (Ross McElwee)

Screenplay
1. Sideways (Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor) 2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Charlie Kaufman) 3. Before Sunset (Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, and Ethan Hawke)

Cinematography
1. House of Flying Daggers (Xiaoding Zhao) 2. Hero (Christopher Doyle) 3. Collateral (Dion Beebe and Paul Cameron)

Actress — tie
1. Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake) 1. Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby) 2. Julie Delpy (Before Sunset)

Supporting Actress
1. Virginia Madsen (Sideways) 2. Cate Blanchett (The Aviator and Coffee and Cigarettes) 3. Laura Linney (Kinsey)

Actor
1. Jamie Foxx (Ray and Collateral) 2. Paul Giamatti (Sideways) 3. Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby)

Supporting Actor
1. Thomas Haden Church (Sideways) 2. Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby) 3. Peter Sarsgaard (Kinsey)

Special Citation
To Richard Schickel, Brian Jamieson, and Warner Bros. Home Video for their reconstruction of Samuel Fuller's The Big Red One.

Special Citation
To Turner Classic Movies for the breadth and intelligence of its film programming and its commitment to film history.

Film Heritage Awards to new DVD's
The Leopard (Criterion) - for assembling a stunning edition for the home video debut of Visconti's masterpiece.
John Cassavetes - Five Films (Criterion) - for bringing together a core collection of work from America's most influential independent filmmaker
Fritz Lang Epic Collection and M - for the ongoing, revelatory work of the German Film Archives and making it available to Kino and Criterion for excellent editions
"More Treasures from American Film Archives" (National Film Preservation Foundation) - for drawing much deserved attention to the excellent work of America's national and regional film archives.

Norway. The Norwegian Film Critics' Association (Norsk Filmkritikerlag) awarded as best Norwegian film of 2004 Kitchen Stories (Salmer fra kjokkenet) by Bent Hamer. Best Norwegian film of 2005: Hawaii, Oslo by Erik Poppe.

Croatia. The Croatian Society of Film Critics (Hrvatsko drustvo filmskih kriticara) presented the National Critics' Prize "Oktavijan" to A Wonderful Night in Split (Ta divna splitska noc) by Arsen Anton Ostojic.

Uruguay

The Uruguayan Critics (Seccíon Uruguaya de FIPRESCI) voted The Barbarian Invasions (Les invasions barbares) by Denys Arcand best film. Best Latin American Film: Whisky by Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll.

The prize "José María Podestá" for a contribution to film culture went to Hugo Rocha, a pioneer in film crticism in Uruguay. He started to write critics in 1936 in the newspaper "El País". After many years working as a chemical engeneer and also as diplomat in United Nations, he returned to his country. At the age of 85 he's still very active and sporadically writes articles about cinema in weekly magazines like "Brecha" and "El País".

The prize "Salon Rouge" went to Mario Benedetti, the internationally acclaimed Uruguayan writer, who in the early sixties worked as film critic in a local newspaper, before becoming a celebrity for his fiction and poems. Many of his books were adapted to cinema, specially "La tregua", directed by Sergio Renan in 1974. Benedetti was also the subject of the documentary True Words (Palabras verdaderas) directed by Ricardo Casas and released in 2004.

The Netherlands. Dutch film critics, assembled in the "Kring van Nederlandse Filmjournalisten" (KNF), voted for two Best Films of 2004. Best Foreign Language Film: Head On (Gegen die Wand) by Fatih Akin. Best Dutch Film: Simon by Eddy Terstall.

Cuba

The "Asociación Cubana de la Prensa Cinematográfica" (Cuban Film Press Association) selected the ten best films shown in Cuba in 2004.

1. Vosvrachenie (The Return), Andrei Zvyagintsev
2. 21 Grams, Alejandro González Iñárritu
3. Kill Bill, Quentin Tarantino
4. Tres veces dos, Pavel Giroud, Lester Hamlet,
    Esteban Insausti
5. Swimming Pool, François Ozon
6. Whisky, Juan Pablo Rebella, Pablo Stoll
7. Russian Ark, Alexander Sokurov
8. Mooladé, Ousmane Sembene
9. Gohatto, Nagisa Oshima
10. Machuca, Andrés Wood

Most Significant Feature Length Documentary Films
Social Genocide (Memoria del saqueo), Fernando Solanas
Fahrenheit 9/11, Michael Moore

Poland

The Film Critics Section FIPRESCI of the Association of Polish Filmmakers awarded the annual prizes of "Golden Reel" for the best feature films released in 2004 in Polish cinemas.

Best feature film: The Return (Wozvrashchenye) by Andrey Zwiagintzew
Honorary Mention: Lost in Translation by Sofia Coppola
Best Polish Film: The Welts (Pregi) by Magdalena Piekorz

For the first time, a Golden Reel for the most important film event in Poland was awarded and went to "DKF Kwant" — organizer of the "Festival of Films under Special Control", a retrospective of Czechoslovakian films from the 60s.

Brazil

The members of the "Associacao de Criticos de Cinema do Rio de Janeiro" (Association of Film Critics of Rio de Janeiro) voted Dogville by Lars Von Trier best film released in Rio in 2004. The other films are, in alphabetical order: Contra Todos (Roberto Moreira), Elephant (Gus Van Sant), Entreatos (João Moreira Salles), Fahrenheit 11/9 (Michael Moore), La Ciénaga (Lucrecia Martel), La Mala Educación (Pedro Almodóvar), Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola), Kill Bill Vol. 2 (Quentin Tarantino) and The Dreamers (Bernardo Bertolucci).

Hungary

Hungarian Film Critic Awards 2004:
Lifetime Achievement Award: Károly Makk
Best Picture: Dealer (Benedek Fliegauf)
Special Prize: Tamara (Szabolcs Hajdu)
Special Prize to Mihály Ráday for his cultural tv-programs
Best Director: Ferenc Török (Eastern Sugar)
Best Cinematographer: István Szaladják (Tamara)
Best Production Designer: Mónika Esztán (Tamara)
Best Original Music: Balázs Zságer (Eastern Sugar)
Best Short Film: Fluxus (László Csáki)
Best Documentary: New Eldorado (Tibor Kocsis)
Best Young Documentarist: Bojána Papp (The TV and Me)
Best Actor: Tibor Gáspár (After the Day Before)
Best Supporting Actress: Edina Balogh (Dealer)
Best Supporting Actor: György Cserhalmi (The Unburied Man)

Turkey

SIYAD — Sinema Yazarlari Dernegi, the Association of Turkish Cinema Critics, presented the best films of 2004.
Turkish films: Karpuz Kabugundan Gemiler Yapmak (Boats out of Watermelon Rinds) (Ahmet Uluçay) / Yazi-Tura (Pile ou Face) (Ugur Yücel) / Bekleme Odasi (The Waiting Room) (Zeki Demirkubuz) / Mustafa Hakkinda Hersey (All About Mustafa) (Cagan Irmak) / Vizontele Tuuba (Yilmaz Erdogan)
Foreign films: Kill Bill (Quentin Tarantino) / Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola) / Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (Sprited Away) (Hayao Miyazaki) / Elephant (Gus Van Sant) / 21 Grams (Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu) / Hero ( Zhang Yimou) / Old Boy ( Chan-wook Park) / The Village (M. Night Shyamalan) / Odishon (Audition) (Takashi Miike) / Gegen die Wand (Head On) (Fatih Akin)

Australia

Awards for Australian Film, given by FCCA — The Film Critics Circle of Australia:
Best film: Somersault
Best director: Cate Shortland (Somersault)
Best actor: Colin Friels (Tom White)
Best actress: Abbie Cornish (Somersault)
Best feature documentary: The Men Who Would Conquer China
Best foreign language film: The Barbarian Invasions
Best foreign film - English language: Lost In Translation
Best documentary (under 60 mins): Mr Patterns
Best short film: Birthday Boy (Sejong Park)
Best actress in a supporting role: Lynette Curran
(Somersault)
Best actor in a supporting role: Dan Spielman (Tom White)
Best adapted screenplay: Rolf De Heer (The Old Man Who Told Love Stories)
Best music score: David Hobson, Josh Abrahams, Lisa Gerrard (One Perfect Day)
Acknowledgement of emerging talent: Sejong Park
Best cinematography: Robert Humphreys (Somersault)
Best editor: Ken Sallows (Tom White)
Best original screenplay: Daniel Keene (Tom White)

Great Britain

The UK Critics' Circle Film Awards for 2004:
Best Foreign Film: The Motorcycle Diaries
British Screenwriter: Mike Leigh (Vera Drake)
Screenwriter: Charlie Kaufman (Eternenal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
British Newcomer: Natalie Press (My Summer of Love)
British Actress in Supporting Role: Romola Garai (Inside I'm Dancing)
British Actor in Supporting Role: Phil Davis (Vera Drake)
British Actress: Kate Winslett (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
   and Eva Birthistle (Ae Fond Kiss)
British Actor: Daniel Craig (Enduring Love)
British Actress: Imelda Staunton ( Vera Drake)
Actor: Jamie Foxx (Ray)
British Director: Mike Leigh (Vera Drake)
Director: Martin Scorsese (The Aviator)
Attenborough Award/ British Film of the Year: Vera Drake
Film of the Year: Sideways
25th Silver Anniversary Award: Norma Heyman
Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film: Ken Loach

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