National Society of Film Critics Name Michael B. Jordan "Best Actor of 2015;" "Spotlight Named "Best Picture"

The National Society of Film Critics was founded in New York City in 1966 and its membership is currently comprise of 56 of the country’s most prominent movie critics.  Known for their highbrow tastes, these critics form one of the most prestigious film groups on the United States.  Current members include some of my favorite film critics, like David Edelstein and J. Hoberman, among others.  The late Roger Ebert, my favorite critic, was also a member.  The society has produced several anthologies about movies, including the must-have for film fans, Produced and Abandoned: The Best Films You’ve Never Seen (1990).

The National Society of Film Critics gathered on Sunday, January 3, 2016 to vote on their annual film awards.  The group chose Tom McCarthy’s film, Spotlight, as Best Picture of the Year 2015.

The group dedicated this meeting to the late Richard Corliss, longtime critic at TIME magazine, writing that Corliss was “not just a writer of extraordinary intelligence, wit, and energy, but also a generous friend and colleague.”

Here is a list of the National Society of Film Critics 2015 winners and runners-up, with vote counts from the final round.

BEST PICTURE:
*1. Spotlight (Tom McCarthy) 23
    Carol (Todd Haynes) 17
    Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller) 13

BEST DIRECTOR:
*1.Todd Haynes (Carol) 21
    Tom McCarthy (Spotlight) 21 (because he was on fewer ballots; a winner must be on a majority of ballots, which are weighted)
    George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road) 20

BEST ACTOR:
*1. Michael B. Jordan (Creed) 29 points
    Geza Rohrig (Son of Saul) 18
    Tom Courtenay (45 Years) 15

BEST ACTRESS:
*1. Charlotte Rampling (45 Years) 57
    Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn) 30
    Nina Hoss (Phoenix) 22

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
*1. Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies) 56
    Michael Shannon (99 Homes) 16
    Sylvester Stallone (Creed) 14

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
*1. Kristen Stewart (Clouds of Sils Maria) 53
    Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina) 23
    Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs) 17 and Elizabeth Banks (Love & Mercy) 17

BEST SCREENPLAY:
*1. Spotlight (Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy) 21
    Anomalisa (Charlie Kaufman) 15  and The Big Short (Charles Randolph and Adam McKay) 15

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
*1. Carol (Ed Lachman) 25
    The Assassin (Mark Lee Ping-bin) 22
    Mad Max: Fury Road (John Seale) 12

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM:
*1. Timbuktu (Abderrahmane Sissako) 22
    Phoenix (Christian Petzold) 20
    The Assassin (Hou Hsiao-hsien) 16

BEST NON-FICTION FILM:
*1. Amy (Asif Kapadia) 23
    In Jackson Heights (Frederick Wiseman) 18
    Seymour: An Introduction (Ethan Hawke) 15

FILM HERITAGE AWARDS:

Film Society of Lincoln Center and the programmers Jake Perlin and Michelle Materre, for the series Tell It Like It Is: Black Independents in New York, 1968-1986

The Criterion Collection and L’Immagine Ritrovata for the restoration and packaging of the reconstructed version of The Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Ray

Lobster Films and Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna/L’Immagine Ritrovata for the restoration of Charlie Chaplin’s Essanay Films

SPECIAL CITATION for a film awaiting American distribution:   One Floor Below, a Romanian film directed by Radu Muntean.

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