London Film Critics' Circle
The London Film Critics' Circle is the name by which the Film Section of The Critics' Circle is known internationally.
The word London was added because it was thought the term Critics' Circle Film Awards did not convey the full context of the awards' origins; the LFCC wished its annual Awards to be recognised on film advertising, especially in the United States, and in production notes.
The Critics' Circle, founded in 1913, is an association for working British critics. Film critics first became eligible for membership of the Circle in 1926. The Film section now has more than 120 members drawn from publications and the broadcasting media throughout the United Kingdom.
Film section members of the Critics' Circle will have worked as a critic or have written or broadcast informed analytical features or programmes about film for British publications and media for at least a year, their income mostly derived from reviewing and writing about film.
Critics' Circle Film Awards
The Critics' Circle Film Awards, instituted in 1980 and known for several years as they are awarded annually by the Film section of the Critics' Circle.
Voted for by all members of the Film section, the Awards have become a major event in London, presented at a dinner dance held in a large West End hotel. Since 1995 they have been a charity event in aid of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).
Award categories
Over time the Award categories have gradually changed, some added, some dropped. For some categories this means that winners were not necessarily declared or listed in each of the Awards year.
In 2007, following widespread objections from Irish actors and filmmakers at being nominated for "Best British" awards, it was decided that Irish filmmakers, actors and others involved in the film industry would be eligible for awards which do not have the word "British" in the title. To that end the titles of several of the awards were amended to exclude the word "British". The Attenborough Award now goes to the best "British" and/or "Irish" film of the year, while the two British Supporting Actor awards lost the word "British" so that actors who regard themselves as either British and Irish (or both) are eligible for the supporting acting awards. The policy of including Irish candidates in certain "British" categories continues to generate controversy and ridicule.[1]
Since 2007, the Newcomer Award was divided into two Breakthrough Awards, one for Acting, the other for Filmmaking. Previously filmmakers and actors had competed against each other for the Newcomer award.
Past and present award categories include:
- Film of the Year (1980–present)
- Foreign Language Film of the Year (1980–present)
- Director of the Year (1980–present)
- Screenwriter of the Year (1980–present)
- Actor of the Year
- Actress of the Year
- Supporting Actor of the Year
- Supporting Actress of the Year
- International Newcomer of the Year
- The Attenborough Award for the Best British or Irish Film of the Year
- British or Irish Film of the Year (1991–present)
- British or Irish Director of the Year
- British or Irish Screenwriter of the Year
- British of Irish Producer of the Year
- British Technical Achievement of the Year
- British or Irish Actor of the Year
- British of Irish Actress of the Year
- The Dilys Powell Award
- British Newcomer of the Year (now divided into two Breakthrough awards for Acting and Filmmaking)
Awards ceremonies
1986–1990 winners
1986 winners
- Actor of the Year (TIE)
- Screenwriter of the Year
- Director of the Year
- Film of the Year
1987 winners
- Actor of the Year (TIE)
- Screenwriter of the Year
- Director of the Year
- Film of the Year
1988 winners
- Actor of the Year (TIE)
- Stephane Audran – Babette's Feast
- Leo McKern – Traveling North
- Screenwriter of the Year
- Director of the Year
- Film of the Year
1989 winners
- Actor of the Year
- Screenwriter of the Year
- Film of the Year
1990 winners
- Actor of the Year
- Screenwriter of the Year
- Director of the Year
- Film of the Year
1991–1996 winners
1991 winners
- Actor of the Year
- Actress of the Year
- British Actor of the Year
- Alan Rickman – Close My Eyes, Truly, Madly, Deeply, Quigley Down Under, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
- British Director of the Year
- British Screenwriter of the Year
- British Film of the Year
- Screenwriter of the Year
- Director of the Year
- Film of the Year
1992 winners
- Actor of the Year
- Actress of the Year
- British Actor of the Year
- British Director of the Year
- British Film of the Year
- British Screenwriter of the Year
- Director of the Year
- Film of the Year
- Newcomer of the Year
- Screenwriter of the Year
1993 winners
- Actor of the Year
- Actress of the Year
- British Actor of the Year
- British Actress of the Year
- British Director of the Year
- British Film of the Year
- British Screenwriter of the Year
- Director of the Year
- Film of the Year
- Newcomer of the Year
- Screenwriter of the Year
- Special Award
1994 winners
- Actor of the Year
- Actress of the Year
- British Actor of the Year
- British Actressof the Year
- British Director of the Year
- British Film of the Year
- British Producer of the Year
- British Screenwriter of the Year
- Director of the Year
- Film of the Year
- Newcomer of the Year
- Screenwriter of the Year
- Special Award
1995 winners
- Actor of the Year
- Actress of the Year
- British Actor of the Year
- British Actress of the Year
- British Director of the Year
- British Film of the Year
- British Newcomer of the Year
- British Screenwriter of the Year
- Director of the Year
- Film of the Year
- Screenwriter of the Year
1996 winners
- Actor of the Year
- Actress of the Year
- British Actor of the Year
- British Actress of the Year
- British Director of the Year
- British Newcomer of the Year
- British Producer of the Year
- British Screenwriter of the Year
- Director of the Year
- Film of the Year
- Screenwriter of the Year