For those who don’t know, the Arts and Faith Film Critics Circle is a fellowship of critics applying Christian perspectives to film through reviews and discussion, seeking to encourage revealing and intelligent dialogue about the human experience.
Formely the Promontory Film Critics Circle, this four-year-old association changed its name, updated its membership requirements, and revised its mission statement this year. Now under the name The Arts and Faith Film Critics Circle … due to our debates and discussions at www.ArtsandFaith.com … we’ve voted and chosen our nominees for our fourth annual film awards.
Many, many thanks to the critics who participated in the reformation of the [AFC]2 this year, and who contributed their votes for the best things they saw this year. (To see a current list of participating critics, click here.)
Here are the results, listed alphabetically.
Now, [AFC]2 critics have two weeks to try and catch up with those that they have missed before the final votes are collected.
NOMINEES FOR THE ARTS AND FAITH FILM CRITICS CIRCLE’S 2005 FILM AWARDS
MOST SIGNIFICANT EXPLORATION OF SPIRITUAL ISSUES
(Due to a four-way tie for fifth place, there are EIGHT nominees instead of five.)
Dogville
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Finding Neverland
The Passion of the Christ
The Return
The Sea Inside
Time of the Wolf
Twilight Samurai
BEST NARRATIVE FILM
Dogville
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
The Incredibles
The Passion of the Christ
Vera Drake
BEST DOCUMENTARY
(Due to a tie, there are six nominees instead of five.)
Control Room
Fahrenheit 9/11
The Five Obstructions
The Story of the Weeping Camel
Supersize Me
Touching the Void
BEST ACTOR
Jim Carrey – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Don Cheadle – Hotel Rwanda
Leonardo DiCaprio – The Aviator
Jamie Foxx – Ray
Paul Giamatti – Sideways
BEST ACTRESS
Julie Delpy- Before Sunset
Nicole Kidman – Dogville
Imelda Stauton – Vera Drake
Hilary Swank – Million Dollar Baby
Kate Winslett- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
(Due to a tie, there are six nominees instead of five.)
Morgan Freeman – Million Dollar Baby
John Hurt – Dogville (narrator)
Nick Nolte – Hotel Rwanda
Clive Owen – Closer
Mark Wahlberg – I Heart Huckabees
Peter Wight – Vera Drake
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett – The Aviator
Alex Kelly – Vera Drake
Maia Morgenstern – The Passion of the Christ
Sophie Okenodo – Hotel Rwanda
Sharon Warren – Ray
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
Dogville
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Mean Creek
Sideways
Vera Drake
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Brad Bird – The Incredibles
Charlie Kaufman – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Mike Leigh, et al. – Vera Drake
Vladimir Moiseyenko and Aleksandr Novototsky – The Return
Lars Von Trier – Dogville
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Paul Haggis – Million Dollar Baby
Richard Linklater – Before Sunset
David Magee- Finding Neverland
Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor – Sideways
Daniel Pyne and Dean Georgaris – The Manchurian Candidate
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Hero
The Passion of the Christ
The Return
The Saddest Music in the World
Spring Summer Fall Winter … and Spring
BEST DIRECTOR
Mel Gibson – The Passion of the Christ
Michel Gondry – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Michael Haneke – Time of the Wolf
Mike Leigh – Vera Drake
Lars Von Trier – Dogville
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Jon Brion – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
T Bone Burnett (and various artists) – The Ladykillers
Andrei Dergachyov – The Return
David Holmes – Ocean’s Twelve
John Powell – The Bourne Supremacy
BEST FAMILY FILM
(Due to a tie, there are six nominees instead of five.)
Finding Neverland
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The Incredibles
Miracle
The Polar Express
The Story of the Weeping Camel
I’m very pleased with this list, although it’s always hard to see favorites fall short by one or two votes. But this list represents a healthy diversity of interests and, um, “passions.”
I’m sure you’ll be stunned, as I am, by some inclusions AND some exclusions. But there they are. Such is the way of critics’ lists. (A narrator for Best Supporting Actor? Wow! No “Flying Daggers” for cinematography? Wow!)
But I’m excited that I now have extra motivation to seek out some of the things I’ve missed. Anybody know if “Twilight Samurai” is readily available on DVD yet?
If you have any questions, let me know: LookingCloserReview@msn.com.