Skip to content

Zero Dark Thirty picks up four VFCC awards

Beyond the Black Rainbow and Rebelle lead Canadian winners

Kathryn Bigelows Zero Dark Thirty has won Best Film at the 13th Annual Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards, held at the Railway Club in Vancouver on Jan. 7. Bigelows controversial account of the hunt for Osama bin Laden also earned Best Director, Best Actress (Jessica Chastain) and Best Screenplay (Mark Boal).

The remainder of the acting awards in the international category went to the cast of Paul Thomas Andersons The Master. The story of a lost soul falling in with a charismatic manipulator scored Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix), Best Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams). Leos Caraxs Holy Motors was named Best Foreign Language Film, while Malik Bendjellouls Searching For Sugar Man was selected as Best Documentary.

The locally-shot Beyond The Black Rainbow won three awards in the Canadian section, a feat equalled by Quebecs Rebelle (released internationally as War Witch). Black Rainbow, a mind-bending journey into a distorted reality, earned accolades for Best British Columbia Film, Best Director of a Canadian Film (Vancouver-based Panos Cosmatos) and Best Actor in a Canadian Film (Michael Rogers).

Meanwhile, Kim Nguyens soulful drama concerning a teenager turned unwilling guerrilla soldier won Best Canadian Film, Best Actress in a Canadian Film (Rachel Mwanza) and Best Supporting Actor in a Canadian Film (Serge Kanyinda). Best Supporting Actress in a Canadian film went to Sarah Gadon for Cosmopolis, while Nisha Pahujas The World Before Her won Best Canadian Documentary.

The evening also featured numerous tributes to the late Ian Caddell, the VFCCs cofounder who passed away in November after a lengthy battle with cancer. The recently rechristened Ian Caddell Award for Achievement was presented to Alan Franey, the longtime Festival Director of the Vancouver International Film Festival for his ongoing contributions to the British Columbia film industry.

The Vancouver Film Critics Circle is composed of Vancouver-based film writers and critics from print, radio, online and television.

A complete list of winners follows.

INTERNATIONAL AWARDS

BEST FILM

Zero Dark Thirty

BEST ACTOR

Joaquin Phoenix, The Master

BEST ACTRESS

Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams, The Master

BEST DIRECTOR

Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty

BEST SCREENPLAY

Mark Boal, Zero Dark Thirty

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Holy Motors

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Searching for Sugar Man

CANADIAN AWARDS

BEST CANADIAN FILM

Rebelle (a.k.a. War Witch)

BEST ACTOR IN A CANADIAN FILM

Michael Rogers, Beyond the Black Rainbow

BEST ACTRESS IN A CANADIAN FILM

Rachel Mwanza, Rebelle

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A CANADIAN FILM

Serge Kanyinda, Rebelle

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A CANADIAN FILM

Sarah Gadon, Cosmopolis

BEST DIRECTOR OF A CANADIAN FILM

Panos Cosmatos, Beyond the Black Rainbow

BEST CANADIAN DOCUMENTARY

The World Before Her

BEST BRITISH COLUMBIA FILM

Beyond the Black Rainbow

IAN CADDELL AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT

Alan Franey, Vancouver International Film Festival