The New York Film Critics Circle Have Spoken, & They’ve Said Carol

Earlier today we told you about the exciting surprise win for Mad Max: Fury Road as the National Board of Review's film of the year, and now it's another slightly surprising and equally exciting film, Todd Haynes' excellent Carol, which has nabbed top honors from the New York Film Critics Circle. Haynes adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's lesbian love drama "The Price of Salt" has garnered high praise from critics since it bowed at the BFI London Film Festival in mid-October, and now this win puts the film firmly in Best Picture hunt come Academy Awards time next year. The film not only took the NYFCC's best film of the year, but Haynes was awarded best director, Ed Lachman best cinematography, and Phyllis Nagy's adaptation won for best script. 

Here's the full list of winners, which included a few surprises, including Michael Keaton for best actor. Keaton is excellent in Spotlight, but the film is an ensemble (one of the best in years, as a matter of fact), so that one caught us off guard. Hats off to Kristen Stewart, who was fabulous in Clouds of Sils Maria, and to the Pixar team for the inspired, wholly original Inside Out:

BEST FILM
Carol

BEST DIRECTOR
Todd Haynes, Carol

BEST SCREENPLAY
Phyllis Nagy, Carol

BEST ACTRESS
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

BEST ACTOR
Michael Keaton, Spotlight

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Kristen Stewart, Clouds of Sils Maria

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Ed Lachman, Carol

BEST NON-FICTION FILM
In Jackson Heights

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Timbuktu

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Inside Out

BEST FIRST FILM
László Nemes, Son of Saul

SPECIAL AWARDS
William Becker and Janus Films
Ennio Morricone