TORONTO - Toronto film critics have chosen the crime thriller "No Country for Old Men" as the best film of 2007 while Sarah Polley's "Away from Her" was named best Canadian film and its star, Julie Christie, tied for best actress of the year with Halifax's Ellen Page.
"No Country," the latest from Ethan and Joel Coen, dominated the annual awards, winning a total of four. The Coens, who adapted the film from the acclaimed Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name, shared the awards for best director and best screenplay while Spanish actor Javier Bardem, who plays a soulless serial killer in the film, won for best supporting actor.
Viggo Mortensen was chosen as best actor for his role in David Cronenberg's bloody mob drama "Eastern Promises," which was a runner-up as best film to "No Country for Old Men." Mortensen portrays a Russian mobster playing a dangerous game in London.
In addition to the awards "Away From Her" garnered for Christie and for best Canadian film, Polley was cited in the category of best first feature film.
The final acting award went to Australian Cate Blanchett. She was cited for best supporting actress for her portrayal of Bob Dylan in "I'm Not There."
"Ratatouille," the story of a French rat who yearns to become a top chef in Paris, won as best animated feature.
The best foreign-language film award went to Romanian director Cristian Mungiu's "4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days."
American filmmaker Charles Ferguson's "No End In Sight," an exploration of how the U.S. is conducting the war in Iraq, was named best documentary.
The Toronto Film Critics Association is comprised of critics from the major print and electronic media of the city.
The complete list of winners and runners-up:
BEST PICTURE
"No Country for Old Men"
Runners-up:
"Eastern Promises"
"Zodiac"
BEST PERFORMANCE, MALE
Viggo Mortensen, "Eastern Promises"
Runners-up:
George Clooney, "Michael Clayton"
Gordon Pinsent, "Away From Her"
BEST PERFORMANCE, FEMALE - TIE
Julie Christie, "Away From Her"
and
Ellen Page, "Juno"
Runner-up:
Laura Dern, "Inland Empire"
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE, MALE
Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men"
Runners-up:
Casey Affleck, "The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Charlie Wilson's War"
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE, FEMALE
Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There"
Runners-up:
Amy Ryan, "Gone Baby Gone"
Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton"
BEST DIRECTOR
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"
Runners-up:
David Cronenberg, "Eastern Promises"
David Fincher, "Zodiac"
BEST SCREENPLAY
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"
Runners-up:
Diablo Cody, "Juno"
Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton"
BEST CANADIAN FILM
"Away From Her"
Runners-up:
"Eastern Promises"
"Radiant City"
BEST FIRST FEATURE
"Away From Her," directed by Sarah Polley
Runners-up:
"Gone Baby Gone," directed by Ben Affleck
"Michael Clayton," directed by Tony Gilroy
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
"Ratatouille"
Runners-up:
"Paprika"
"The Simpsons Movie"
BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
"4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days"
Runners-up:
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
"The Lives of Others"
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
"No End in Sight"
Runners-up:
"Iraq in Fragments"
"My Kid Could Paint That"
