Split Decision for Austin Film Critics Association

Get Out, The Shape of Water top local critic awards


Get Out gets the top award from the Austin Film Critics Association in their 2017 poll

What was 2017's top movie? According to the Austin Film Critics Association, the honor is divided between Get Out and The Shape of Water: Jordan Peele's breakout socio-horror was voted the best film of the year, while Guillermo del Toro's Cold War fantasy heads up the AFCA Top 10 list, as compiled from the individual top 10 lists of the 37 members of the association. If that math leaves your head in a spin, just take it as a sign of the amazing strength and diversity of cinema in 2017.

Just as Peele (who also won for best original screenplay and best first film) and best director winner del Toro split those top awards, so no single film dominated the performance categories. Frances McDormand's burning performance as a grieving, furious mother in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri stood in counterpoint to Allison Janney's icily sardonic turn as the world's least supportive mom in I, Tonya, but both took home prizes, as did Willem Dafoe's expectation-busting role as the kindhearted motel manager in The Florida Project. The three veterans were joined by a fresh newcomer, as Timothée Chalamet took not only the best actor award for his role in Call Me by Your Name, but also the Robert R. "Bobby" McCurdy Memorial Breakthrough Artist Award, named after the late co-founder of the AFCA, for his extraordinary body of work last year.

The AFCA represents film critics for Austin print and online publications, TV, and radio. Chronicle reviewers Marjorie Baumgarten, Kimberley Jones, Josh Kupecki, Marc Savlov, and Richard Whittaker are all members. Now here's the full list of winners:


AFCA 2017 Top 10 Films

1) The Shape of Water

2) Call Me by Your Name

3) Lady Bird

4) Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

5) The Florida Project

6) Dunkirk

7) Get Out

8) I, Tonya

9) The Big Sick

10) Logan


Best Film: Get Out (D: Jordan Peele)

Best Director: Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water

Best Actor: Timothée Chalamet, Call Me by Your Name

Best Actress: Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Supporting Actor: Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project

Best Supporting Actress: Allison Janney, I, Tonya

Best Original Screenplay: Jordan Peele, Get Out

Best Adapted Screenplay: James Ivory, Call Me by Your Name

Best Cinematography: Roger Deakins, Blade Runner 2049

Best Score: Alexandre Desplat, The Shape of Water

Best Foreign-Language Film: Okja (D: Bong Joon-ho)

Best Documentary: Faces Places (D: Agnès Varda and JR)

Best Animated Film: Coco (D: Lee Unkrich)

Best First Film: Get Out (D: Jordan Peele)

The Robert R. "Bobby" McCurdy Memorial Breakthrough Artist Award: Timothée Chalamet

Austin Film Award: I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore (D: Macon Blair)

Special Honorary Award: To The Shape of Water's Doug Jones and War for the Planet of the Apes' Andy Serkis for their exemplary body and motion-capture performances, respectively

Special Honorary Award: To honor Harry Dean Stanton, for his body of work

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KEYWORDS FOR THIS STORY

Austin Film Critics Association, AFCA Awards, Get Out, The Shape of Water, Jordan Peele, Guillermo del Toro

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