The Utah Film Critics Association is proud to announce its list of the best features and performances of 2005, led by Best Film winner "Brokeback Mountain."
Ang Lee was also voted Best Director for his work on the movie, an adaptation of Annie Proulx's award-winning novella about the lifelong love affair that develops between two cowboys.
And Heath Ledger, who stars in the movie, was a runner-up in the Best Actor category.
Lead acting awards went to Philip Seymour Hoffman, for "Capote," and Reese Witherspoon, for "Walk the Line." And the group recognized the work of Andy Serkis, the motion-capture "model" for the titular beast in "King Kong," awarding him Best Supporting Actor. (In addition to that role, Serkis plays Lumpy, the ship's cook, in the film.)
The association's members provided lists of their top five choices in all the selected categories, and finalists in each were voted on by a majority Dec. 21.
Members chose winners and runners-up in most of the categories. In one, Best Screenplay, there was a tie and the award was shared. And the membership felt that one category, Best Animated Feature, did not have enough viable choices to merit an award this year.
"It was a spirited and lively debate and discussion, and the winners do reflect the best performances and work that the cinematic year had to offer. There were a lot of tough choices," said president Jeff Vice of the Deseret Morning News in Salt Lake City.
The full list of award winners includes:
Best Film: "Brokeback Mountain"; runner-up: "Me and You and Everyone We Know."
Best Director: Ang Lee, "Brokeback Mountain"; runner-up: Woody Allen, "Match Point."
Best Screenplay (tie): Shane Black, "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" and Miranda July, "Me and You and Everyone We Know."
Best Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Capote"; runner-up: Heath Ledger, "Brokeback Mountain."
Best Actress: Reese Witherspoon, "Walk the Line"; runner-up: Maria Bello, "A History of Violence."
Best Supporting Actor: Andy Serkis, "King Kong"; runner-up: Paul Giamatti, "Cinderella Man."
Best Supporting Actress: Rachel Weisz, "The Constant Gardener"; runner-up: Amy Adams, "Junebug."
Best Documentary: "Murderball"; runner-up: "Grizzly Man."
Best Foreign Film: "Kung-Fu Hustle"; runner-up: "Downfall."
The Utah Film Critics Association is a group of 11 journalists and professionals working in newspaper, radio, television and other media outlets.
Members include vice president Scott Renshaw, City Weekly; Cody Clark, Provo Daily Herald; Jeremy Mathews, The Salt Shaker; Sean Means, The Salt Lake Tribune; Audrey Rock, Tooele Transcript Bulletin; Steve Salles, Ogden Standard-Examiner; Tony Toscano, Talking Pictures TV; and Doug Wright, KSL Radio, as well as representatives from the collegiate publications The College Times (Utah Valley State College) and The Daily Utah Chronicle (University of Utah).