Battle Wins Again at the LAFCA

Teyana Taylor in One Battle After Another.
Credit: Warner Brothers

One Battle After Another continues to dominate the pre-Oscar film Award season, winning three awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association including Best Picture, Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson and Best Supporting Performance for Teyana Taylor as Perfidia Beverly Hills, a violent revolutionary. Battle has already won the top award from the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Board of Review. The LA critics met on Dec. 7 to vote for their 51st awards. 

The gender-neutral Leading Performance Awards went to Ethan Hawke of Blue Moon and Rose Byrne of If I Had Legs, I'd Kick You, who also won Best Actress from the New York Film Critics and the NBR. The LAFCA began gender-neutral acting categories four years ago with the top two vote-getters declared winners regardless of their sex. (The Drama Desk does that too.) In the Supporting Acting category, the winning pair were Taylor and Stellan Skarsgård of Sentimental Value. 

Battle's dominance with the critics' groups is not a guarantee of an Oscar win. LA Confidential and The Social Network similarly took the top three critics' prizes as well as the Best Picture slot from the National Society of Film Critics, but ultimately lost the top Oscar. Schindler's List is the only film to win all four critics' awards and the Oscar.

A complete list of winners follows:

Best Picture: “One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)
Runner-up: “The Secret Agent” (Neon)

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, “One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)
Runner-up: Ryan Coogler, “Sinners” (Warner Bros.)

Leading Performances: Rose Byrne, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” (A24) and Ethan Hawke, “Blue Moon” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Runners-up: Timothée Chalamet, “Marty Supreme” (A24) and Wagner Moura, “The Secret Agent” (Neon)

Supporting Performances: Stellan Skarsgård, “Sentimental Value” (Neon) and Teyana Taylor, “One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)
Runners-up: Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, “Sentimental Value” (Neon) and Andrew Scott, “Blue Moon” (Sony Pictures Classics)

Screenplay: “It Was Just an Accident” (Neon) — Jafar Panahi
Runner-up: “Sorry, Baby” (A24) — Eva Victor

Animation: “Little Amélie or the Character of Rain” (GKids)
Runner-up: “KPop Demon Hunters” (Netflix)

Cinematography: “Train Dreams” (Netflix) — Adolpho Veloso
Runner-up: “Sinners” (Warner Bros.) — Autumn Durald Arkapaw

Editing: “Marty Supreme” (A24) — Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie
Runner-up: “One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.) — Andy Jurgensen

Production Design: “Sinners” (Warner Bros.) — Hannah Beachler
Runner-up: “Frankenstein” (Netflix) — Tamara Deverell

Music Score: “Sirāt” (Neon) — Kangding Ray
Runner-up: “Sinners” (Warner Bros.) — Ludwig Göransson

Film Not in the English-Language: “The Secret Agent” (Neon)
Runner-up: “It Was Just an Accident” (Neon)

Documentary/Non-Fiction Film: “My Undesirable Friends: Part 1 — Last Air in Moscow” (Self-Distributed)
Runner-up: “The Perfect Neighbor” (Netflix)

New Generation Award: Eva Victor, “Sorry, Baby” (A24)

Douglas Edwards Experimental Film Prize: Albert Serra, “Afternoons of Solititude” (Grasshopper Films)

Douglas Edwards Special Award: Thom Andersen for his body of work

Career Achievement Award: Philip Kaufman

Special Citation: Judy Kim of Gardena Cinema, a historic 800-seat, single-screen movie palace that has operated as an independent cinema and beacon of community since the Kim family took ownership in 1976.