The nation’s movie critics have spoken. The members of the Dublin Film Critics Circle have, for the 11th year, selected their favourite works of 2017. In common with many awarding bodies, ‘Dunkirk’ was a clear favourite, as was Christopher Nolan, who was named Best Director. Second placed ‘Get Out’ polled strongly in the Best Film category, with a tally that, numerically, would have won any of the previous annual polls.
The biggest landslide victory, however, was scored by Emer Reynolds’ ‘The Farthest’, which was named Best Documentary. The same film was cited for Kate McCullough’s cinematography and Reynolds’ direction. Across all categories, ‘The Farthest’ received votes from more than 90 percent of critics.
‘Sanctuary’ was named Best Irish Feature Film, pipping ‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer’, ‘Cardboard Gangsters’ and ‘Handsome Devil’ at the post. The DFCC once again demonstrated its eclecticism by longlisting some 45 films for Best Screenplay: Jordan Peele was ultimately (and emphatically) victorious against the spread.
Barry Keoghan was named Breakthrough Artist of the year; other Irish nominees shortlisted for the award included Emer Reynolds, Caoilfhionn Dunne, and Tom Ryan. Despite an extended deadline to accommodate ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’, that film received just one vote across all categories: for Steve Yedlin’s cinematography. ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ placed joint fifth for Best Film in 2015.
This year’s DFCC panel included: Aedín Gormley, Áine O’Connor, Ben O’Reilly, Brian Lloyd, Brogen Hayes, Cara O’Doherty, Celina Murphy, Chris Wasser, Daniel Anderson, Darren Mooney, David Turpin, Declan Burke, Deirdre Molumby, Donald Clarke, Esther McCarthy, Gavin Burke, Gordon Hayden, Graham Day, Hilary White, Jason Coyle, John Maguire, Kevin Fennell, Lisa Cannon, Michael Doherty, Niall Murphy, Nicola Timmins, Paul Whitington, Roe McDermott, Stephen Coffey, and DFCC president Tara Brady.
Read all the winners below…
BEST FILM
1. Dunkirk
2. Get Out
3. Moonlight
4. Blade Runner 2049
5. Manchester By The Sea
6. Wind River
7. The Florida Project / Call Me by Your Name
8. La La Land
9. Logan / God’s Own Country
10. Jackie / Lady Macbeth
Runners up: The Handmaiden, Aquarius, Paddington 2
BEST DIRECTOR
1. Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk
2. Denis Villeneuve, Blade Runner 2049
3. Jordan Peele, Get Out
4. Damien Chazelle, La La Land
5. Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea
6. Julia Ducournau, Raw/ Emer Reynolds, The Farthest
7. Yorgos Lanthimos, The KIlling of a Sacred Deer / Paul Verhoeven, Elle
8. Pablo Larraín, Jackie
9. Sean Baker, The Florida Project
10. James Mangold, Logan
Runners up: Pat Collins, Song of Granite; James Franco, The Disaster Artist; Patty Jenkins, Wonder Woman
BEST IRISH FEATURE FILM
1. Sanctuary
2. The Killing of a Sacred Deer
3. Cardboard Gangsters / Handsome Devil
4. Song of Granite
5. Pilgrimage
6. Twice Shy
7. Maze
8. The Drummer and the Keeper
9. In View
10. Halal Daddy
Runners up: Property of the State, The Man Who Invented Christmas, A Dark Song
BEST DOCUMENTARY
1. The Farthest
2. I Am Not Your Negro
3. It’s Not Yet Dark
4. Condemned to Remember
5. Whitney: Can I Be Me
6. Meetings with Ivor
7. Kedi / An Inconvenient Sequel
8. City of Ghosts
9. Dancer / Kevin Roche: The Quiet Architect
10. The Work / Cameraperson / The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson
Runners up: Casting JonBenet, Jane, Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press, The Prince of Nothingwood
BEST ACTOR
1. James Franco, The Disaster Artist
2. Barry Keoghan, The Killing of a Sacred Deer
3. Robert Pattinson, Good Time
4. Timothée Chalamet, Call Me by Your Name
5. Denzel Washington, Fences / James McAvoy, Split
6. Armie Hammer, Call Me by Your Name
7. Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out
8. Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
9. Hugh Jackman, Logan
10. Mahershala Ali, Moonlight / John Connors, Cardboard Gangsters
Runners up: Ryan Gosling, Blade Runner 2049; Andy Serkis, War for the Planet of the Apes; Sherwan Haji, The Other Side of Hope; Adrian Titieni, Graduation
BEST ACTRESS
1. Natalie Portman, Jackie / Isabelle Huppert, Elle
2. Sally Hawkins, Maudie
3. Florence Pugh, Lady Macbeth
4. Sonia Braga, Aquarius
5. Viola Davis, Fences / Emma Stone, La La Land
6. Garance Miller, Raw
7. Kristen Stewart, Personal Shopper
8. Ruth Negga, Loving
9. Emma Stone, Battle of the Sexes
10. Cynthia Nixon, A Quiet Passion / Anne Hathaway, Colossal
Runners up: Annette Bening, Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool; Zoe Kazan, The Big Sick; Jessica Chastain, Miss Sloane
BEST SCREENPLAY
1. Jordan Peele, Get Out
2. Taylor Sheridan, Wind River / Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
3. Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester By The Sea
4. Emily V. Gordon, Kumail Nanjiani, The Big Sick
5. Park Chan-wook, Chung Seo-kyung, The Handmaiden
6. Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthymis Filippou, The Killing of a Sacred Deer
7. Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk
8. Rebecca Blunt, Logan Lucky / Armando Iannucci, The Death of Stalin
9. Damien Chazelle, La La Land / Makoto Shinkai, Your Name
10. Terence Davies, A Quiet Passion
Runners up: Hampton Fancher, Michael Green, Blade Runner 2049, James Gray, The Lost City of Z; Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch, The Florida Project
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
1. Roger Deakins, Blade Runner 2049
2. Hoyte Van Hoytema, Dunkirk
3. Chung Chung-hoon, The Handmaiden
4. Linus Sandgren, La La Land
5. M. David Mullen, The Love Witch
6. Alexis Zabe, The Florida Project
7. Kate McCullough, The Farthest
8. Richard Kendrick, Song of Granite
9. Ben Richardson, Wind River / Stéphane Fontaine, Jackie
10. Thimios Bakatakis, The Killing of a Sacred Deer / Philippe Le Sourd, The Beguiled
Runners up: James Laxton, Moonlight; Michael Seresin, War for the Planet of the Apes; Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, Call Me by Your Name
BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST OF THE YEAR: SHORTLIST
**Barry Keoghan, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Dunkirk** (Winner)
Brooklynn Prince, The Florida Project
Caoilfhionn Dunne, In View
Dafne Keen, Logan
Emer Reynolds, The Farthest
Florence Pugh, Lady Macbeth
Jordan Peele, Get Out
Julia Ducournau, Raw
Sunny Pawar, Lion
Tom Ryan, Twice Shy