2007 Awards
December 20, 2007 (Austin, TX) -- The Austin Film Critics Association announces its 2007 end-of-the-year awards with 8 films covering the 16 various awards.
THERE WILL BE BLOOD, the gripping tale of an oil-man overtaken with greed, packed a punch as it led all contenders with five awards including the top honor, Best Film. Paul Thomas Anderson, who directed, produced and scripted the epic film based on the Upton Sinclair novel Oil! was awarded Best Director while Daniel Day Lewis took home Best Actor for his breathtaking portrayal of the lead character Daniel Plainview. Best Original Score went to multi-instrumentalist Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead fame for his musical creation and Best Cinematography went to Robert Elswit for his photography of the historic Marfa, Texas desert.
Ellen Page, the teenager who upset royalty last year, moved "away from" another veteran frontrunner and for the second consecutive year took home the award for Best Actress, this time for JUNO. As the title role Page plays an offbeat 16 year-old who decides to keep her unborn child and seek adoptive parents. The acting seemed to strike a chord with voters all-around as Allison Janney won Best Supporting Actress as Juno's supportive stepmother and Michael Cera was named the Breakthrough Artist of the Year for his performances in both JUNO and SUPERBAD. Diablo Cody, a pseudonymous first time screenwriter, won Best Original Screenplay for her innovative story filled with quirky, hipster dialogue.
Javier Bardem was given Best Supporting Actor for his role as a cruel, ruthless killer in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN and the Coen Brothers, who also directed, grabbed Best Adapted Screenplay for their reconstruction of Pulitzer Prize Winner Cormac McCarthy's 2005 novel of the same name.
Best Foreign Film went to Paul Verhoeven's BLACK BOOK (ZWARTBOEK), the Dutch World War II resistance film. Best Animated Film went to a Pixar production for the second year in a row for Brad Bird's RATATOUILLE. THE KING OF KONG: A FISTFUL OF QUARTERS won Best Documentary and Ben Affleck, who transitioned from actor to director, received Best First Film for his crime drama GONE BABY GONE.
The Austin Film Award, which goes to the best film made locally, went to GRINDHOUSE directors Quentin Tarantino and Austinite Robert Rodriguez, who also won the award in 2005 for SIN CITY.
2007 Award Summary
Top Ten:
1. There Will Be Blood
2. No Country For Old Men
3. Juno
4. Into the Wild
5. 3:10 to Yuma
6. Knocked Up
7. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
8. Atonement
9. American Gangster
10. Eastern Promises
Best Film:
There Will Be Blood
Best Director:
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Best Actor:
Daniel Day Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Best Actress:
Ellen Page, Juno
Best Supporting Actor:
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Best Supporting Actress:
Allison Janney, Juno
Best Original Screenplay:
Diablo Cody, Juno
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country For Old Men
Best Cinematography:
Robert Elswit, There Will Be Blood
Best Original Score:
Jonny Greenwood, There Will Be Blood
Best Foreign Film:
Black Book (Zwartboek)p>
Best Documentary:
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
Best Animated Film:
Ratatouille
Best First Film:
Ben Affleck, Gone Baby Gone
Breakthrough Artist:
Michael Cera, Superbad/Juno
Austin Film Award:
Grindhouse, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino