Seattle Film Critics (SFCS) go for ‘ROMA,’ Ethan Hawke, Toni Collette

The Seattle Film Critics Society (SFCS) announced the winners in 19 categories for the 2018 Seattle Film Critics Society Awards on Monday, December 17, 2018.

Winning the top prize of Best Picture of the Year was Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma, a semi-autobiographical film that follows the life of a live-in housekeeper during a politically turbulent time in Mexico City. Roma also won three other awards, including Best Director.

“In a year of far-ranging, deeply personal films made by many of the industry’s most respected filmmakers, Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma struck a chord with SFCS members, who found its look, tone, and introspective nature something that spoke to them,” said Seattle Film Critics Society President Mike Ward. “With the films honored this year, 2018 proves to be a powerful year of representation, the emergence of new voices in the stories being brought to the big screen, and images and moments we will be talking about for years to come.”

The Favourite, Yorgos Lanthimos’ critically acclaimed period comedy, won two awards, including Best Screenplay for Deborah Davis & Tony McNamara, and Best Production Design for Fiona Crombie and Alice Felton.

For First Reformed, Ethan Hawke’s performance as Reverend Ernst Toller, a man struggling to come to terms with his faith in modern society, earned this year’s Best Actor award.

Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther won two prizes: Best Costume Design for the visionary work of designer Ruth E. Carter, and Villain of the Year for Michael B. Jordan’s memorable portrayal of Erik Killmonger.

Christopher McQuarrie’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout, the sixth film in the action-packed franchise, won awards for Best Editing by Eddie Hamilton and Best Visual Effects by Jody Johnson.

Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade, a personal and heartfelt examination of adolescence,earned the Best Youth Performance award for newcomer Elsie Fisher.

Other winners include: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which won Best Animated Feature; Free Solo, which picked up the prize for Best Documentary Feature; Mandy, honoring the late composer,Jóhann Jóhannsson, with the Best Original Score prize, and Widows, which won Best Ensemble Cast.

After formation in the fall of 2016, The Seattle Film Critics Society officially became a non-profit organization in 2017, with a membership consisting of 25 film critics, representing print, broadcast, podcasting, and online film criticism. This year’s awards are the third held under the banner of the SFCS, honoring the best films and performances of the year.

The full list of recipients of the 2018 Seattle Film Critics Society Awards are as follows:

BEST PICTURE OF THE YEAR: Roma

BEST DIRECTOR: Alfonso Cuarón, Roma

BEST ACTOR: Ethan Hawke, First Reformed

BEST ACTRESS: Toni Collette, Hereditary

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST: Widows

BEST SCREENPLAY: The Favourite – Deborah Davis & Tony McNamara

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse –Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, directors

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: Roma – Alfonso Cuarón, director

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: Free Solo – Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, directors

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Roma – Alfonso Cuarón

BEST COSTUME DESIGN: Black Panther – Ruth E. Carter

BEST FILM EDITING: Mission: Impossible – Fallout – Eddie Hamilton

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: Mandy – Jóhann Jóhannsson

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN: The Favourite – Fiona Crombie (Production Designer); Alice Felton (Set Decoration)

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: Mission: Impossible – Fallout – Jody Johnson

BEST YOUTH PERFORMANCE: Elsie Fisher, Eighth Grade

VILLAIN OF THE YEAR: Erik Killmonger – Black Panther – portrayed by Michael B. Jordan