The Critics’ Circle film awards was a star-studded affair on Sunday night, with the likes of , , Michelle Yeoh and in attendance.
, it was Oscar-tipped Tár who were the big winners, picking up three and five awards respectively.
Psychological drama Tár, directed by Todd Field, stars Cate Blanchett as of a German orchestra at the height of her career before it begins to unravel.
It was named film of the year at The May Fair Hotel ceremony on Sunday, while Academy Award winner Cate was named actress of the year and Field director of the year.
Cate was there to pick up her gong in person, looking resplendent in a sharp black trouser suit with statement blue puff sleeves.
It marks the third time she has won the award, after Elizabeth in 1998 and Blue Jasmine in 2013.
Meanwhile, her best actress competition at the Oscars next month, Michelle Yeoh, was presented with the critics’ top prize, the Dilys Powell award for excellence in film for her role as Evelyn Wang in the action epic Everything Everywhere All At Once.
The 60-year-old Malaysian actress, who wore an elegant black belted ensemble with statement green earrings and matching nails, has already in a musical or comedy motion picture in the film about a Chinese immigrant who finds herself responsible for saving the multiverse.
She also enjoyed a sweet hug with her EEAAO co-star Ke Huy Quan, 51, who is riding high in Hollywood following his .
Florence Pugh and Bill Nighy were also present in their usual trademark style as they were named British Irish actress and actor for their body of work in 2022, which saw Bill scoop his first Academy Award nomination for h in Living.
The ceremony proved to be a reunion for Aftersun stars Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio too, who played father and daughter in writer-director Charlotte Wells’ film.
Teenager Frankie won the young British Irish performer award for her role as Sophie Paterson, while Paul was on hand to accept Wells’ Philip French award for breakthrough British Irish filmmaker.
Meanwhile, British-Irish director Martin McDonagh’s dark comedy The Banshees Of Inisherin left the ceremony with five prizes – including screenwriter of the year for McDonagh, actor of the year for Colin Farrell and both supporting actor and actress for Barry Keoghan and Kerry Condon respectively.
The win continues Farrell’s successful awards season run, after scooping his first Academy Award nomination for best actor and receiving a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) gong for his performance as Pádraic Súilleabháin.
The film about friendship, which co-stars Brendan Gleeson, also picked up the Attenborough Award for British Irish film of the year.
Another Irish title, The Quiet Girl, won foreign language film of the year in a tied win alongside Park Chan-wook’s thriller Decision To Leave.
The technical achievement award went to Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio for animation and was collected by Gregory Mann, who voiced the title character.
Meanwhile, Laura Poitras’s film All The Beauty And The Bloodshed, about the life and work of renowned photographer and activist Nan Goldin, was named documentary of the year and Keeran Anwar Blessie’s A Fox In The Night secured British Irish short film of the year.
