Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards 2008

The Vancouver Film Critics Circle nominated both Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts (above) for their performances in the violent drama Eastern Promises, in addition to nominations for director David Cronenberg and the film itself.

Mortensen, who went on to win the best actor in a Canadian film award, has received numerous nominations in the English-speaking world (or at least in English-speaking Canada, the United States, and Britain). Strangely, Watts has been all but ignored by those same English-speaking people. In fact, Mortensen nabbed a best actor Genie nomination, but Watts was snubbed by the (Anglo-Francophone) Canadian Academy of Film and Television.

Besides the American Mortensen and the Australian-raised Watts, other non-Canadian nominees in the Canadian section include Americans Ellen Burstyn (for The Stone Angel) and Danny Glover (for Poor Boy's Game).

On the international front, No Country for Old Men, Juno, and There Will Be Blood proved as popular among Vancouver film critics as they've been with critics south of the border. All three were up for the best film and best director awards. No Country for Old Men ended up winning in both categories.

Canadian Ellen Page was up for two best actress awards: in the Canadian section, for The Tracey Fragments; in the international section for Juno. She won in the former category, but lost out in the latter to Marion Cotillard's Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose.

Away from Her and Julie Christie are nowhere to be found in this year's list because film and actress were nominated for last year's Vancouver critics' awards.

("*" denotes the winner in each category)

CANADIAN FILMS

BEST CANADIAN FILM
* Eastern Promises
My Winnipeg
Up the Yangtze

BEST BRITISH COLUMBIA FILM
* American Venus
Confessions of an Innocent Man
The Union: The Business Behind Getting High

BEST DIRECTOR OF A CANADIAN FILM
* David Cronenberg, Eastern Promises
Guy Maddin, My Winnipeg
Roger Spottiswoode, Shake Hands with the Devil

BEST ACTOR IN A CANADIAN FILM
Roy Dupuis, Shake Hands with the Devil
* Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
Rossif Sutherland, Poor Boy's Game

BEST ACTRESS IN A CANADIAN FILM
Ellen Burstyn, The Stone Angel
* Ellen Page, The Tracey Fragments
Naomi Watts, Eastern Promises

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A CANADIAN FILM
Danny Glover, Poor Boy's Game
* Greg Bryk, Poor Boy's Game
Rade Serbedzija, Fugitive Pieces

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A CANADIAN FILM
* Sonja Bennett, Young People Fucking
Christine Horne, The Stone Angel
Ann Savage, My Winnipeg

ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR CONTRIBUTION TO BRITISH COLUMBIA FILM
Casting director Stuart Aikins

INTERNATIONAL FILMS

BEST FILM
Juno
* No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
* 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Persepolis

BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
* Joel & Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Jason Reitman, Juno

BEST ACTOR
* Daniel Day Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Emile Hirsch, Into the Wild
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises

BEST ACTRESS
* Marion Cotillard, La Vie en rose
Anamaria Marinca, 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days
Ellen Page, Juno

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
* Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
* Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

Alt Film Guide thanks Ian Caddell for the Vancouver Film Critics' list.

Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards: 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Film Awards: 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009