The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) selected Moonlight as the best film of 2016. The group also recognized the indie drama’s director Barry Jenkins with the Best Director award, Mahershala Ali won in the Best Supporting Actor category, and cinematographer James Laxton earned top honors for his work on the critically acclaimed film. The LAFCA, which is made up of critics working in Los Angeles in print and electronic media, also threw their support behind Adam Driver (Paterson) for Best Actor, an usual but worthy choice that should help advance his odds at earning a Best Actor Oscar nomination.
LAFCA previously announced Shirley MacLaine has earned their Career Achievement Award and will receive the award along with all of this year’s winners during the January 14, 2017 awards dinner in Century City, CA.
BEST PICTURE
Winner: Moonlight
Runner up: La La Land
Best Director
Winner: Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
Runner-Up: Damien Chazelle, La La Land
Best Actress
Winner: Isabelle Huppert, Elle and Things to Come
Runner-Up: Rebecca Hall, Christine
Best Actor
Winner: Adam Driver, Paterson
Runner-Up: Casey Affleck, Manchester By The Sea
Best Animated Film
Winner: Your Name
Runner-Up: The Red Turtle
Best Screenplay
Winner: Efthymis Filippou and Yorgos Lanthimos, The Lobster
Runner-Up: Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester By The Sea
Documentary/Non-Fiction
Winner: I Am Not Your Negro
Runner-up: OJ: Made In America
Best Foreign-Language Film
Winner: The Handmaiden
Runner-Up: Toni Erdmann
Supporting Actress
Winner: Lily Gladstone, Certain Women
Runner-up: Michelle Williams, Manchester By The Sea
Editing
Winner: Bret Granato, Maya Mumma, Ben Sozanski, OJ: Made In America
Runner-up: Tom Cross, La La Land
Production Design
Winner: Ryu Seong-hee, The Handmaiden
Runner-up: David Wasco, La La Land
Supporting Actor
Winner: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Runner-up: Issey Ogata, Silence
Music/Score
Winner: Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, La La Land
Runner-up: Mica Levi, Jackie
Cinematography
Winner: James Laxton, Moonlight
Runner-up: Linus Sandgren, La La Land
The Douglas Edwards Independent/Experimental Film/Video Prize
Winner: The Illinois Parables
