London Film Critics' Circle

Critics' Circle Film Awards

The Critics' Circle Film Awards were instituted in 1980 and 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. From 1995 to 2010 the awards ceremony was a charity event in aid of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).

Award categories

Over the years, the Award categories have gradually changed with some categories being added and others dropped. For some categories this means that winners were not necessarily declared or listed in each of the Awards year.

In 2007, it was decided that Irish filmmakers, actors and others involved in the film industry would be eligible in what had previously been called "British" award categories. To that end, the titles of several of the awards were amended as "British/Irish".

Special awards include: The Attenborough Award, which goes to the British/Irish film of the year; The Philip French Award, which goes to the breakthrough British/Irish filmmaker of the year, and The Dilys Powell Award, which is awarded for excellence in cinema.

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 (1990–present)
• Actress of the Year (1991–present)
• Supporting Actor of the Year (2011–present)
• Supporting Actress of the Year (2011–present)
• International Newcomer of the Year
• The Attenborough Award: British/Irish Film of the Year (1991–present)
• Animated Feature of the Year
• Documentary of the Year
• British/Irish Director of the Year
• British/Irish Screenwriter of the Year
• British/Irish Producer of the Year
• Technical Achievement (2011–present)
• British/Irish Performer of the Year
• Young British/Irish Performer of the Year
• Breakthrough British/Irish Filmmaker
• Breakthrough Performer
• Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film
• Derek Malcolm Award for Innovation
• British/Irish Short Film of the Year
• British/Irish Actor of the Year (1991–2022)
• British/Irish Actress of the Year (1993–2022)

Awards ceremonies

• 1990
• 1991
• 1992
• 1993
• 1994
• 1995
• 1996
• 1997
• 1998
• 1999
• 2000
• 2001
• 2002
• 2003
• 2004
• 2005
• 2006
• 2007
• 2008
• 2009
• 2010
• 2011
• 2012
• 2013
• 2014
• 2015
• 2016
• 2017
• 2018
• 2019
• 2020
• 2021
• 2022
• 2023
• 2024
• 2025

1986–1990 winners

1986 winners

• Actor of the Year (TIE) :William Hurt – Kiss of the Spider Woman :Bob Hoskins – Mona Lisa
• Screenwriter of the Year :Woody Allen – Hannah and Her Sisters
• Director of the Year :Akira Kurosawa – Ran
• Film of the Year :A Room with a View

1987 winners

• Actor of the Year (TIE) :Sean Connery – The Untouchables :Gary Oldman – Prick Up Your Ears
• Screenwriter of the Year :Alan Bennett – Prick Up Your Ears
• Director of the Year :Stanley Kubrick – Full Metal Jacket
• Film of the Year :Hope and Glory

1988 winners

• Actor of the Year (TIE) :Stephane Audran – Babette's Feast :Leo McKern – Travelling North
• Screenwriter of the Year :David Mamet – House of Games
• Director of the Year :John Huston – The Dead
• Film of the Year :House of Games

1989 winners

• Actor of the Year :Daniel Day-Lewis – My Left Foot
• Screenwriter of the Year :Christopher Hampton – Dangerous Liaisons
• Director of the Year :Terence Davies – Distant Voices, Still Lives
• Film of the Year :Distant Voices, Still Lives

1990 winners

• Actor of the Year :Philippe Noiret – Cinema Paradiso
• Screenwriter of the Year :Woody Allen – Crimes and Misdemeanors
• Director of the Year :Woody Allen – Crimes and Misdemeanors
• Film of the Year :Crimes and Misdemeanors

1991–1996 winners

1991 winners

• Actor of the Year :Gérard Depardieu – Cyrano de Bergerac
• Actress of the Year :Susan Sarandon – Thelma & Louise, White Palace
• 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 :Alan Parker – The Commitments
• British Screenwriter of the Year :Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais, Roddy Doyle – The Commitments
• British Film of the Year :Life Is Sweet
• Screenwriter of the Year :David Mamet – Homicide
• Director of the Year :Ridley Scott – Thelma & Louise
• Film of the Year :Thelma & Louise

1992 winners

• Actor of the Year :Robert Downey Jr. – Chaplin
• Actress of the Year :Judy Davis – Husbands and Wives, Barton Fink, Naked Lunch
• British Actor of the Year :Daniel Day-Lewis – The Last of the Mohicans
• British Director of the Year :Neil Jordan – The Crying Game
• British Film of the Year :Howards End
• British Screenwriter of the Year :Neil Jordan – The Crying Game
• Director of the Year :Robert Altman – The Player
• Film of the Year :Unforgiven
• Newcomer of the Year :Baz Luhrmann – Strictly Ballroom
• Screenwriter of the Year :Michael Tolkin – The Player

1993 winners

• Actor of the Year :Anthony Hopkins – The Remains of the Day
• Actress of the Year :Holly Hunter – The Piano
• British Actor of the Year :David Thewlis – Naked
• British Actress of the Year :Miranda Richardson – Fatale
• British Director of the Year :Ken Loach – Raining Stones
• British Film of the Year :The Remains of the Day
• British Screenwriter of the Year :Roddy Doyle – The Snapper
• British Technical Achievement of the Year :Ken Adam – Addams Family Values
• Director of the Year :James Ivory – The Remains of the Day
• Film of the Year :The Piano
• Newcomer of the Year :Quentin Tarantino – Reservoir Dogs
• Screenwriter of the Year :Harold Ramis, Danny Rubin – Groundhog Day
• Special Award :Kate Maberly – The Secret Garden

1994 winners

• Actor of the Year :John Travolta – Pulp Fiction
• Actress of the Year :Linda Fiorentino – The Last Seduction
• British Actor of the Year :Ralph Fiennes – Schindler's List
• British Actress of the Year :Crissy Rock – Ladybird, Ladybird
• British Director of the Year :Mike Newell – Four Weddings and a Funeral
• British Film of the Year :Four Weddings and a Funeral
• British Producer of the Year :Duncan Kenworthy – Four Weddings and a Funeral
• British Screenwriter of the Year :Richard Curtis – Four Weddings and a Funeral
• Director of the Year :Steven Spielberg – Schindler's List
• Film of the Year :Schindler's List
• Newcomer of the Year :Jim Carrey – The Mask, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
• Screenwriter of the Year :Quentin Tarantino – Pulp Fiction
• Special Award :Hugh Grant – Four Weddings and a Funeral

1995 winners

• Actor of the Year :Johnny Depp – Ed Wood, Don Juan DeMarco
• Actress of the Year :Nicole Kidman – To Die For
• British Actor of the Year :Nigel Hawthorne – The Madness of King George
• British Actress of the Year :Kate Winslet – Heavenly Creatures
• British Director of the Year :Michael Radford – Il Postino: The Postman
• British Film of the Year :The Madness of King George
• British Newcomer of the Year :Danny Boyle – Shallow Grave
• British Screenwriter of the Year :Alan Bennett – The Madness of King George
• Director of the Year :Peter Jackson – Heavenly Creatures
• Film of the Year :Babe
• Screenwriter of the Year :Paul Attanasio – Quiz Show, Disclosure

1996 winners

• Actor of the Year :Morgan Freeman – Seven
• Actress of the Year :Frances McDormand – Fargo
• British Actor of the Year :Ian McKellen – Richard III :Ewan McGregor – Trainspotting, Brassed Off, Emma, The Pillow Book
• British Actress of the Year :Brenda Blethyn – Secrets & Lies
• British Director of the Year :Mike Leigh – Secrets & Lies
• British Newcomer of the Year :Emily Watson – Breaking the Waves
• British Producer of the Year :Andrew Macdonald – Trainspotting
• British Screenwriter of the Year :Emma Thompson – Sense and Sensibility
• Director of the Year :Joel Coen – Fargo
• Film of the Year :Secrets & Lies
• Screenwriter of the Year :Joel Coen and Ethan Coen – Fargo

References