The New York Film Critics Circle has announced its awards for 2017. While they’re hardly the only critics group on the circuit, they’re arguably the most influential/notable one. They have a history of singling out somewhat underrated/shadowed performances and films that get a visibility boost in the race, sometimes leading to an Oscar nomination (see:Isabelle HuppertforEllelast year).

This year,Lady Birdtook top honors as Best Picture, also picking up a much-deserved Best Actress award for starSaoirse Ronan. But the rest of the picks were delightfully diverse.Sean Bakerwon Best Director for his stunning work onThe Florida Project, which also won Best Supporting Actor for maybeWillem Dafoe’s best performance ever.Paul Thomas Andersonwon Best Screenplay forPhantom Thread, while critical darlingCall Me by Your Namepicked up Best Actor forTimothée Chalametover heavy hitterGary Oldman. The group even wentveryfar into left field and namedTiffany HaddishBest Supporting Actress for her scene-stealing work in the comedy hitGirls Trip, which was a swell recognition. If only the Academy took comedy as seriously.

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The win I’m most happy about, however, isRachel Morrisonfor Best Cinematography with her jaw-dropping work onMudbound. FilmmakerDee Rees’ Southern epic is a Netflix Original Film so it’s been sidelined a bit, but it should absolutely be at the forefront of the awards race, and Morrison’s work as DP is simply phenomenal. Here’s hoping this raise in profile leads to a much-deserved Oscar nomination, which would make history as the first female ever nominated for Best Cinematography. For more on Morrison’s work on that film,check out my interview.

Take a look at the full list of New York Film Critics Circle awards below, and stay tuned as the other critics group weigh in over the next few weeks.

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Best Picture:Lady Bird

Best Director: Sean Baker,The Florida Project

Best Actor: Timothee Chalamet,Call Me by Your Name

Best Actress: Saoirse Ronan,Lady Bird

Best Supporting Actor: Willem Dafoe,The Florida Project

Best Supporting Actress: Tiffany Haddish,Girls Trip

Best Screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson,Phantom Thread

Best Cinematography: Rachel Morrison,Mudbound

Best Foreign Language Film:BPM (Beats Per Minute)

Best Non-Fiction Film:Faces Places

Best Animated Film:Coco

Best First Film:Get Out, Jordan Peele

Special Award for Career Achievement: Molly Haskell

For my full Oscar predictions at this current point in time,click here.

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