Toronto Film Critics Association’s 2011 awards - winners

The Toronto Film Critics Association has announced the winners for their 2011 awards. They had voted this weekend when many other critics' groups made their choices, but wisely held off on revealing their voting results until today.

Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life was the favourite and won Best Picture, while Malick was named Best Director. It was also a runner-up for Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress (Jessica Chastain).

Jessica Chastain did win Best Supporting Actress for Take Shelter as did Michael Shannon for Best Actor. Best Actress went to Michelle Williams for My Week with Marilyn, while Best Supporting Actor went to Canadian stage legend Christopher Plummer for Beginners.

Two Chilean movies received recognition as well. The late Raul Ruiz' Mysteries of Lisbon was named Best Foreign-Language Film. Best Documentary Feature was Nostalgia for the Light by Patricio Guzmán.

Joe Cornish’s Attack the Block, a British sci-fi thriller, won Best First Feature. Cornish and his executive producer Edgar Wright were co-writers of the Best Animated Feature, Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin.

The 2011 TFCA Awards will be presented at a gala dinner in the Round Room of Toronto’s historic Carlu on January 10, 2012, hosted by Cameron Bailey, co-director of the Toronto International Film Festival. There the TFCA will also reveal the winner of the Rogers Best Canadian Film Award, which carries a $15,000 cash prize. David Cronenberg will also be on hand to present a special award.

In addition, the TFCA will announce the winner of the third annual Jay Scott Prize for an emerging artist, which carries a $5,000 cheque. It will also present the Deluxe Student Film Award, which gives $5,000 in post-production services to a student filmmaker. TFCA members will select the winner from shorts submitted by film departments at Humber College, Ryerson University, Sheridan College and York University. The result will be announced at the awards dinner.

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Complete list of Toronto Film Critics Association Awards winners

BEST PICTURE

The Tree of Life (eOne Films)

Runners-up:

            The Artist (Alliance Films)

            The Descendants (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

BEST ACTOR

Michael Shannon, Take Shelter

Runners-up:

            George Clooney, The Descendants

            Michael Fassbender, Shame

BEST ACTRESS

Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

Runners-up:

            Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene

            Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Runners-up:

            Albert Brooks, Drive

            Patton Oswalt, Young Adult

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jessica Chastain, Take Shelter

            Runners-up:

            Jessica Chastain, The Tree of Life

            Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

BEST DIRECTOR

Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life

Runners-up:

            Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

            Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive

BEST SCREENPLAY

Moneyball, written by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin,

            story by Stan Chervin, based on the book by Michael Lewis

Runners-up:

            The Descendants, written by Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon

                        & Jim Rash, based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings

            The Tree of Life, written by Terrence Malick

BEST FIRST FEATURE

Attack the Block, directed by Joe Cornish

Runners-up:

            Margin Call, directed by J.C. Chandor

            Martha Marcy May Marlene, directed by Sean Durkin

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

The Adventures of Tintin (Paramount Pictures and Columbia Pictures)

Runners-up:

            Puss in Boots (DreamWorks Animation)

            Rango (Paramount Pictures)

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM

Mysteries of Lisbon (Alfama Films)

Runners-up:

            Attenberg (filmswelike)

            Le Havre (filmswelike)

            A Separation (Mongrel Media)

ALLAN KING DOCUMENTARY AWARD

Nostalgia for the Light (Icarus Films)

Runners-up:

            Into the Abyss (Mongrel Media)

            Project Nim (Mongrel Media)

ROGERS CANADIAN FILM AWARD FINALISTS

Café de Flore, directed by Jean-Marc Vallée

A Dangerous Method, directed by David Cronenberg

Monsieur Lazhar, directed by Philippe Falardeau