San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

I am a founding member of this critics' organization, and these are the results of our annual voting. I can't say I approve of every choice -- and I've included links to my own reviews for reference -- but the process and the results are nothing if not fascinating. (Updated 12/14/09)

2009
BEST PICTURE: The Hurt Locker
BEST DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
BEST ACTOR: Colin Firth, A Single Man
BEST ACTRESS: Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christian McKay, Me and Orson Welles
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Mo'Nique, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
BEST SCREENPLAY (ORIGINAL): Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
BEST SCREENPLAY (ADAPTED): Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach, Fantastic Mr. Fox
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Roger Deakins, A Serious Man
BEST ANIMATED FILM: Coraline
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: You, the Living (Sweden)
BEST DOCUMENTARY: Anvil! The Story of Anvil
MARLON RIGGS AWARD: Frazer Bradshaw, Everything Strange and New
MARLON RIGGS AWARD: Barry Jenkins, Medicine for Melancholy
SPECIAL CITATION: Sita Sings the Blues
IN MEMORIUM: Rose Kaufman

And the past awards...

2008
BEST PICTURE: Milk
BEST DIRECTOR: Gus Van Sant, Milk
BEST ACTOR: (TIE) Sean Penn, Milk & Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
BEST ACTRESS: Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
BEST SCREENPLAY (ORIGINAL): Dustin Lance Black, Milk
BEST SCREENPLAY (ADAPTED): Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Wally Pfister, The Dark Knight
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: Let the Right One In (Sweden)
BEST DOCUMENTARY: My Winnipeg
MARLON RIGGS AWARD: Rob Nilsson
SPECIAL CITATION: None Given

2007
BEST PICTURE: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
BEST DIRECTOR: Ethan Coen & Joel Coen, No Country for Old Men
BEST ACTOR: George Clooney, Michael Clayton
BEST ACTRESS: Julie Christie, Away from Her
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
BEST SCREENPLAY (ORIGINAL): Tamara Jenkins, The Savages
BEST SCREENPLAY (ADAPTED): Sarah Polley, Away from Her
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (France)
BEST DOCUMENTARY: No End in Sight
MARLON RIGGS AWARD: Lynn Hershman Leeson, Strange Culture
SPECIAL CITATION: Colma: The Musical

2006
BEST PICTURE: Little Children
BEST DIRECTOR: Paul Greengrass, United 93
BEST ACTOR: Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat
BEST ACTRESS: Helen Mirren, The Queen
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Adriana Barraza, Babel
BEST SCREENPLAY (ORIGINAL): Rian Johnson, Brick
BEST SCREENPLAY (ADAPTED): Todd Field/Tom Perrotta, Little Children
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: Pan's Labyrinth (Mexico/Spain)
BEST DOCUMENTARY: An Inconvenient Truth
MARLON RIGGS AWARD: Stephen Salmons, SF Silent Film Festival
SPECIAL CITATION, honoring former SFFCC member Arthur Lazere: The Death of Mr. Lazarescu

2005
BEST PICTURE: Brokeback Mountain
BEST DIRECTOR: Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain
BEST ACTOR: Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain
BEST ACTRESS: Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Kevin Costner, The Upside of Anger
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Amy Adams, Junebug
BEST SCREENPLAY: George Clooney & Grant Heslov, Good Night, and Good Luck
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: Caché (a.k.a. Hidden)
BEST DOCUMENTARY: Grizzly Man
MARLON RIGGS AWARD: Jenni Olson, The Joy of Life

2004
BEST PICTURE: Sideways
BEST DIRECTOR: Alexander Payne, Sideways
BEST ACTOR: Paul Giamatti, Sideways
BEST ACTRESS: Julie Delpy, Before Sunset
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Thomas Haden Church, Sideways
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Virginia Madsen, Sideways
BEST SCREENPLAY: Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Sideways
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: Maria Full of Grace (Colombia)
BEST DOCUMENTARY: Fahrenheit 9/11
MARLON RIGGS AWARD: Anita Monga, Film Programmer Extraordinaire

2003
BEST PICTURE: Lost in Translation
BEST DIRECTOR: Peter Jackson, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
BEST ACTOR: Bill Murray, Lost in Translation
BEST ACTRESS: Charlize Theron, Monster
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Peter Sarsgaard, Shattered Glass
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Patricia Clarkson, Pieces of April
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: The Son (Belgium)
BEST DOCUMENTARY: Capturing the Friedmans
MARLON RIGGS AWARD: The Weather Underground
SPECIAL CITATION (Better Late Than Never): Russian Ark

2002
BEST PICTURE: The Pianist
BEST DIRECTOR: Todd Haynes, Far From Heaven
BEST ACTOR: Michael Caine, The Quiet American
BEST ACTRESS: Isabelle Huppert, The Piano Teacher
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Chris Cooper, Adaptation
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Miranda Richardson, Spider
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: Y Tu Mama Tambien (Mexico)
BEST DOCUMENTARY: Rivers and Tides
MOST PROMISING DEBUT: Dylan Kidd, Roger Dodger
SPECIAL CITATION: Jay Rosenblatt and Caveh Zahedi, Underground Zero
SPECIAL CITATION: Phillip Noyce, The Quiet American and Rabbit-Proof Fence