The Florida Film Critics Circle has announced its winners for the best films and cinematic performances of 2016 and the awards were pretty fairly spread out among an array of films. During the nomination phase, Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight dominated most categories with ten nominations and hardly no one else as close. But after the final votes came in for the 2016 Florida Film Critics Circle Awards, Moonlight was a runner-up in two categories, ceding to other movies in the top categories and coming away with two other wins, albeit in some special categories.

Taking the Best Picture prize was The Lobster with La La Land coming in as the runner-up. Best Director, however, was flipped, with director Damien Chazelle winning for La La Land and Yorgos Lanthimos coming in as the runner-up. Lanthimos and co-screenwriter Efthymis Filippou won the Best Original Screenplay prize for The Lobster. Then, La La Land won in three smaller categories, including Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction/Production and Best Score.

Manchester by the Sea was recognized in two acting categories. Casey Affleck won Best Actor and Michelle Williams Best Supporting Actress. The Best Actress, according to the FFCC, was Isabelle Huppert for Elle. She edged out runner-up Emma Stone for her performances in La La Land. Winning Best Supporting Actor was Jeff Bridges for Hell or High Water. Best Ensemble went to the cast of American Honey. Here, Moonlight, was a runner-up.

In other categories, Whit Stillman’s Love & Friendship won the Best Adapted Screenplay award for his film based on the writing of Jane Austen. Moonlight was a runner-up for this prize. The winner in Best Documentary was Cameraperson, which edged out OJ: Made In America. Though snubbed by the Academy for the Oscar race in the foreign language category, Paul Verhoeven’s Elle edged out Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden, another film you won’t see in the Oscar contest. Stop motion animation upset digital craft as Kubo and the Two Strings beat Disney’s Zootopia for top honors in the Best Animated Film category.

The winner of the FFCC’s new category, Best First Film, was won by The Edge of Seventeen by writer/director Kelly Fremon Craig. In the runner up position was writer/director Robert Eggers’ The Witch. Finally of note, director/writer Barry Jenkins took the Breakout award for his second movie, Moonlight. Lucas Hedges was runner up for that prize for his acting in Manchester by the Sea.

This year, the Florida Film Critics Circle bestowed its annual Golden Orange Award on the cast and crew of Moonlight. Made up of mostly home-grown filmmakers, from director Jenkins and writer Tarell Alvin McCraney to producer Andrew Hevia, not to mention the young actors Alex R. Hibbert and Jaden Piner, their movie is undoubtedly 2016’s surprise breakout hit. Tanisha Cidel, who played the principal in the film was key to the film’s casting process and the local knowledge of Jennifer Radzikowski, the film’s unit production manager, was instrumental to facilitating the film’s production. Buzz began in October with its astonishing limited release opening in four theaters where it pulled in close to $500,000 in its first weekend and has continued on the current awards circuit that will very likely last into Oscar season. Genuine and real, Moonlight speaks to the importance of locally made filmmaking by local talents.

Congratulations to all this year’s winners!

The Florida Film Critics Circle is an organization of 27 writers from Florida-based print and online publications. Founded in 1996, the FFCC strives to recognize outstanding work in film, further the cause of good movies, and maintain the highest level of professionalism among film critics in Florida. Bill Gibron of PopMatters.com and FilmRacket.com has served as chairman since March 2013.

COMPLETE LIST OF WINNERS:

BEST PICTURE

The Lobster

Runner-Up: La La Land

 

BEST DIRECTOR

Damien Chazelle – La La Land

Runner-Up: Yorgos Lanthimos – The Lobster

 

BEST ACTOR

Casey Affleck – Manchester by the Sea

Runner-Up:  Joel Edgerton – Loving

 

BEST ACTRESS

Isabelle Huppert – Elle

Runner-Up: Emma Stone – La La Land

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Jeff Bridges – Hell or High Water

Runner-Up: Ralph Fiennes – A Bigger Splash

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Michelle Williams – Manchester by the Sea

Runner-Up: Viola Davis – Fences

 

BEST ENSEMBLE

American Honey

Runner-Up: Moonlight

 

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

The Lobster

Runner-Up: Manchester by the Sea

 

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Love & Friendship

Runner-Up:  Moonlight

 

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

La La Land

Runner-Up: The Handmaiden

 

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Arrival

Runner-Up: Doctor Strange

 

BEST ART DIRECTION/PRODUCTION

La La Land

Runner-Up: Jackie

 

BEST SCORE

La La Land

Runner-Up: Jackie

 

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Cameraperson

Runner-Up: OJ: Made In America

 

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Elle

Runner-Up: The Handmaiden

 

BEST ANIMATED FILM

Kubo and the Two Strings

Runner-Up: Zootopia

 

BEST FIRST FILM

The Edge of Seventeen

Runner-Up: The Witch

 

PAULINE KAEL BREAKOUT AWARD:

Barry Jenkins – Moonlight

Runner-Up: Lucas Hedges – Manchester by the Sea

 

GOLDEN ORANGE

The Cast and Crew of Moonlight