Heath Ledger Posthumously Named Best Supporting Actor
Mickey Rourke Honored as Best Actor
Meryl Streep Wins Best Actress
WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Washington, DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) today announced its selection of the surprise indie hit Slumdog Millionaire as Best Film of 2008. In total, the Fox Searchlight film won four awards including Best Director for
Danny Boyle, Best Breakthrough Performance for Dev Patel and Best Adapted Screenplay for
Simon Beaufoy.
Comeback master
Mickey Rourke took home the belt for Best Actor for his gritty, raw portrayal of a washed up professional wrestler who can’t give up the spotlight in Fox Searchlight’s The Wrestler, while Meryl Streep was awarded her first WAFCA award by winning Best Actress for her turn as a strict Catholic school nun seeking the truth in Miramax’s Doubt.
“In the face of massive marketing for big studio films, it is the ultimate underdogs who have emerged as critic’s darlings and fan favorites,” said
Tim Gordon, president of WAFCA.
In other categories, the late
Heath Ledger won Best Supporting Actor for his stunning, captivating portrayal of The Joker in The Dark Knight from Warner Brothers Pictures, while Disney/Pixar’s lovable, Chaplin-esque Wall*E was named Best Animated Feature, and Paramount’s The Curious Case of
Benjamin Button was honored for Best Art Direction.
The cast of Doubt also walked away with Best Acting Ensemble, while
Rosemarie DeWitt won Best Supporting Actress for Rachel Getting Married from SONY Pictures Classics.
The Washington, DC Area Film Critics Association is comprised of 46 DC-VA-MD based film critics from television, radio, print and the internet. Voting was conducted from December 5 – 7, 2008.
Best Film: Slumdog Millionaire/Fox Searchlight
Best Director:
Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)
Best Actor:
Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)
Best Actress:
Meryl Streep (Doubt)
Best Ensemble: Doubt/Miramax
Best Supporting Actor:
Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)
Best Supporting Actress:
Rosemarie DeWitt (Rachel Getting Married)
Best Breakthrough Performance: Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire)
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire)
Best Original Screenplay:
Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married)
Best Animated Feature: Wall*E /Disney & Pixar
Best Foreign Language Film: Let The Right One In/Magnolia Pictures and Magnet Releasing
Best Documentary:
Man On Wire/Magnolia
Best Art Direction: The Curious Case of
Benjamin Button/Paramount
On the Web: www.wafca.com
SOURCE The Washington DC Area Film Critics Association
