December 18, 2013: With five major wins, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, Steve McQueen’s riveting 12 Years a Slave swept the 2013 Florida Film Critic Circle Awards, beating out such highly touted contenders as American Hustle and The Wolf of Wall Street. Alfonso Cuoron’s Gravity was the only other multiple winner, earning top marks for its cinematography and special effects.

McQueen, himself a winner for director, helped Chiwetel Ejiofor earn the group’s top honor as Best Actor for his stirring work as former freeman turned plantation “property” Solomon Northup, while Jared Leto stepped away from his rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars to win the Best Supporting Actor award for his touching turn as an AIDS patient in Dallas Buyers Club.

Woody Allen again proved his skill with actresses, as Cate Blanchett won Best Actress for Blue Jasmine while newcomer Lupita Nyong’o walked away with the prize for Best Supporting Actress for her devastating work as Patsey in Slave . She was additionally acknowledged by the group, winning the prestigious Pauline Kael Breakout Award.

As stated before, Cuaron’s hit sci-fi thriller brought a Best Cinematography win for Emmanuel Lubezki as well as for its mind blowing F/X. Spike Jonze’s whimsical meditation on life, love and technology, Her, earned him the Best Original Screenplay award while John Ridley was honored with Best Adapted Screenplay for his efforts in bringing Slave to the screen.

In other awards, Cannes favorite Blue is the Warmest Color won a close race over The Hunt for Foreign Language Film, while Frozen narrowly defeated Hayao Miyazaki’s final effort, The Wind Rises for Animated Film. The Act of Killing edged out Blackfish for Best Documentary, while The Great Gatsby was touted for its Art Direction and Production Design.

The Golden Orange Award, given for outstanding contribution to film, went to Miami Beach Cinematheque director Dana Keith, a tireless champion of foreign, independent and alternative film for more than 20 years. He has consistently programmed some of the most daring films to make the art house circuit and has played host to a variety of film festivals, big and small.

Founded in 1996, the Florida Film Critics Circle is comprised of 21 writers from state publications. Bill Gibron of PopMatters.com and FilmRacket.com has served as chairman since March 2013.

 

Complete list of winners:

Best Picture

12 Years a Slave

Runner-up: American Hustle

 

Best Actor

Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 Years a Slave

Runner-up: Joaquin Phoenix – Her

 

Best Actress

Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine

Runner-up: Judi Dench – Philomena

 

Best Supporting Actor

Jared Leto – Dallas Buyers Club

Runner-up: Michael Fassbender – 12 Years a Slave

 

Best Supporting Actress

Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years a Slave

Runner-up: Jennifer Lawrence – American Hustle

 

Best Director

Steve McQueen – 12 Years a Slave

Runner-up: Alfonso Cuaron – Gravity

 

Best Adapted Screenplay

John Ridley – 12 Years a Slave

Runner-up: Terence Winter – The Wolf of Wall Street

 

Best Original Screenplay

Spike Jonze – Her

Runner-up: David O. Russell & Eric Singer – American Hustle

 

Best Cinematography

Emmanuel Lubezki – Gravity

Runner-up: Bruno Delbonnel – Inside Llewyn Davis

 

Best Visual Effects

Gravity

Runner-up: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

 

Best Art Direction/Production Design

The Great Gatsby

Runner-up: American Hustle

 

Best Foreign Language

Blue is the Warmest Color

Runner-up: The Hunt

 

Best Animated Film

Frozen

Runner-up: The Wind Rises

 

Best Documentary

The Act of Killing

Runner-up: Blackfish

 

Pauline Kael Breakout Award

Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years a Slave

Runner-up: Michael B. Jordan – Fruitvale Station

 

Golden Orange

Dana Keith of the Miami Beach Cinematheque for his tireless championing of foreign, independent and alternative film in South Florida for more than 20 years.