2008 Awards
December 16, 2008 (Austin, TX) -- The Austin Film Critics Association announces its 2008 end-of-the-year awards in 16 categories.In a city known for its population of over 1 million bats, the Austin Film Critics Association honored the Batman thriller THE DARK KNIGHT with 5 awards, including the top honor, Best Film. Christopher Nolan won for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay (with his brother Jonathan) and Heath Ledger was posthumously awarded Best Supporting Actor. The film was also honored in the Best Original Score category.
Sean Penn took Best Actor for his performance as gay rights activist Harvey Milk in MILK, and Anne Hathaway won Best Actress as a recovering drug addict in the indie hit RACHEL GETTING MARRIED. Taraji P. Henson clinched Best Supporting Actress as the title character's mother in THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON.
Charlie Kaufman's script for his directorial debut SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK wrapped up Best Original Screenplay, while the critics fell for Colin Watkinson's cinematography in THE FALL.
WALL*E won Best Animated Film, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN won Best Foreign Language Film, and MAN ON WIRE won Best Documentary.
The group chose Danny McBride as their Breakthrough Artist for his comedic roles in PINEAPPLE EXPRESS, THE FOOT FIST WAY and TROPIC THUNDER. Best First Film went to Nacho Vigalondo for the Spanish time-traveling thriller Timecrimes (Los Cronocrímenes).
CRAWFORD won the award for best film made in the Austin-area or by an Austinite. After making its world premiere in the capital city during the 2008 South by Southwest Film Festival, director David Modigliani chose to distribute the documentary through Hulu.com after being picked up by B-Side Entertainment.
2008 Award Summary
Top 10 Films:The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire
Milk
Synecdoche, New York
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Wrestler
WALL*E
Frost/Nixon
Let the Right One In
Gran Torino
Best Picture:
The Dark Knight
Best Director:
Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight
Best Actor:
Sean Penn, Milk
Best Actress:
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Best Supporting Actor:
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Best Supporting Actress:
Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Original Screenplay:
Charlie Kaufman, Synecdoche, New York
Best Adapted Screenplay:
The Dark Knight, Jonathan Nolan & Christopher Nolan
Best Cinematography:
The Fall, Colin Watkinson
Best Original Score:
The Dark Knight, James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer
Best Foreign Language Film:
Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in) - Sweden
Best Documentary Film:
Man on Wire
Best Animated Feature:
WALL*E
Breakthrough Artist Award:
Danny McBride, Pineapple Express/The Foot Fist Way/Tropic Thunder
Best First Film:
Nacho Vigalondo, Timecrimes (Los Cronocrímenes)
Best Austin Film:
Crawford, David Modigliani