Act of Killing picks up Best film at Guardian Film Awards

Chris Hill March 7, 2014 0

The winners of the inaugural Guardian Film Awards were announced at a ceremony in tonight (Thursday 6 March).

In contrast to other awards this season, which have been dominated by Gravity and 12 Years a Slave, the award for best film went to The Act of Killing, Joshua Oppenheimer’s controversial and acclaimed documentary about the Indonesian killings of 1965–1966.

12 Years a Slave and Gravity were, however, recognized in other categories, with Steve McQueen awarded the gong for best director, and Gravity winning biggest game-changer – a category unique to Guardian Film Awards, which celebrates innovation.

Elsewhere among the new categories, Behind the Candelabra won the award for best line of dialogue for the memorable quip from Michael Douglas, ‘What a story; everything but a fire in the orphanage.’; best scene went to the first party in The Great Beauty; best marketing campaign went to Philomena; and best film festival to Cannes.

The Guardian Film Awards also included two categories which were wholly chosen by readers’ votes – best cinema and so-bad-it’s-good film – which went to The Rex cinema in Berkhamsted and Only God Forgives, respectively.

The awards for lifetime achievement and outstanding contribution, which were solely chosen by judges, went to Dame Judi Dench and Jeremy Thomas.

Guardian film editor Catherine Shoard said:

“We’re proud to give the top honour to a film we all felt so passionately about; it’s the embodiment of what these awards are trying to do – celebrate brilliant, boundary-pushing cinema, regardless of genre, language or box office, and put our readers at the heart of the debate.”

Full list of winners:

Winner

Best film

The Act of Killing

Winner

Best actor

Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine

Winner

Best supporting actor

June Squibb, Nebraska

Winner

Best director