The Artist cemented itself as the Oscar frontrunner at last night’s London Critics’ Circle awards, picking up prizes for film of the year, best director for Michael Hazanavicus and best actor for Jean Dujardin.
It continues the run of awards success that the silent film has enjoyed in recent weeks, having scooped three Golden Globes last weekend. Its only apparent competition for Academy glory, the Alexander Payne film The Descendants, which also scored three globes, drew a telling blank.
The other big winner of the night was Iranian sleeper hit and critical darling A Separation, which won foreign language film of the year, screenwriter of the the year for Asghar Farhadi and supporting actress of the year for Sareh Bayat.
Perhaps sensing that BAFTA drew a few clangers in their nominations that were announced earlier this week, London’s critics seemed determined to make amends.
Olivia Colman, so brazenly overlooked by BAFTA picked up the British actress of the year award for her work in Tyrannosaur and The Iron Lady, whilst Michael Fassbender, who is enjoying a Ryan Gosling-esque year of greatness deservedly won British actor of the year for Shame and A Dangerous Method.
One suspects more so for the former, a performance that the Academy are bound to recognise in terms of a nom, but that is probably too challenging for overall success.
That contest is likely to turn into a two way slog between Dujardin and George Clooney for The Descendants.
Jean Dujardin with his best actor award for The Artist (Picture: PA)
There were splendid wins too for the incredible Senna for documentary of the year, which beat stiff competition from the excellent Dreams of a Life, and for Andrew Haigh who won breakthrough British film-maker for the much admired Weekend. This was a particularly commendable achievement, considering he was up against Paddy Considine for Tyrannosaur and Richard Ayoade for Submarine.
The biggest and perhaps most pleasant surprise of the evening came in the very strong actress of the year category, where Meryl Streep added to her globes and presumably Oscar success, but only in the form of a tie with Anna Paquin, whose turn in Margaret had spawned a Team Margaret campaign amongst critics to ensure she was duly recognised.
So, a faultless ceremony? Well, almost.
The only real blemish came in the British film of the year category, where somehow the ludicrous We need to Talk about Kevin triumphed over the far superior Shame, The Guard, Kill List and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
One can only hope BAFTA make up for this one slight oversight.
The full list of winners and nominees follows:
FILM OF THE YEAR
The Artist
Drive
A Separation
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
The Tree of Life
BRITISH FILM OF THE YEAR
The Guard
Kill List
Shame
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
We Need to Talk About Kevin
FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
Mysteries of Lisbon
Poetry
Le Quattro Volte
A Separation
The Skin I Live In
DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Dreams of a Life
Pina
Project Nim
Senna
DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Asghar Farhadi – A Separation
Michel HazanaviciHus – The Artist
Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life
Lynne Ramsay – We Need to Talk About Kevin
Nicolas Winding Refn – Drive
SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR
Asghar Farhadi – A Separation
Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
Kenneth Lonergan – Margaret
Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon & Jim Rash – The Descendants
BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH FILM-MAKER
Richard Ayoade – Submarine
Paddy Considine – Tyrannosaur
Joe Cornish – Attack the Block
Andrew Haigh – Weekend
John Michael McDonagh – The Guard
ACTOR OF THE YEAR
George Clooney – The Descendants
Jean Dujardin – The Artist
Michael Fassbender – Shame
Ryan Gosling – Drive
Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Kirsten Dunst – Melancholia
Anna Paquin – Margaret
Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton – We Need to Talk About Kevin
Michelle Williams – My Week With Marilyn
SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Simon Russell Beale – The Deep Blue Sea
Kenneth Branagh – My Week With Marilyn
Albert Brooks – Drive
Christopher Plummer – Beginners
Michael Smiley – Kill List
SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Sareh Bayat – A Separation
Jessica Chastain – The Help
Vanessa Redgrave – Coriolanus
Octavia Spencer – The Help
Jacki Weaver – Animal Kingdom
BRITISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Tom Cullen – Weekend
Michael Fassbender – A Dangerous Method , Shame
Brendan Gleeson – The Guard
Peter Mullan – Tyrannosaur , War Horse
Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
BRITISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Olivia Colman – The Iron Lady , Tyrannosaur
Carey Mulligan – Drive , Shame
Vanessa Redgrave – Anonymous , Coriolanus
Tilda Swinton – We Need to Talk About Kevin
Rachel Weisz – The Deep Blue Sea
YOUNG BRITISH PERFORMER OF THE YEAR
John Boyega – Attack the Block
Jeremy Irvine – War Horse
Yasmin Paige – Submarine
Craig Roberts – Submarine
Saoirse Ronan – Hanna
crash/burn 
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