"Boyhood" and "Birdman" Dominate This Year's Washington DC Film Critics Awards

Taking home five awards, "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)" was the big winner with The Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), announced this morning. The organization announced its top picks for the year, including "Boyhood," which won the "Best Film" spot, along with Best Director (Richard Linklater), Best Supporting Actress (Patricia Arquette), and Best Youth Performance by Ellar Coltrane, the young boy who literally becomes a man before audiences' eyes.

"Birdman," directed by Alejandro G. Inarritu, and marking the explosive return of '80s star Michael Keaton (winner of this year's Best Actor award), also received Best Acting Ensemble, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing awards. The film is about a onetime movie star hoping to prove his ability as an artist with an ambitious Broadway play.

WAFCA awarded Best Actress to Julianne Moore for her turn as a woman slowly disintegrating under the effects of Alzheimer's disease in "Still Alice." Best Supporting Actor went to J.K. Simmons for "Whiplash," the story of a musical prodigy whose mentor will stop at nothing to make him the best he can be.

Best animated film went to "The LEGO Movie" and best documentary was awarded to "Life Itself," about the life and career of the late dean of film criticism, Roger Ebert.  "Force Majeure," a Swedish film about a family confronting their relationship demons while on a skiing holiday, won for Best Foreign Language Film.

Best Adapted Screenplay went to Gillian Flynn, the author and screenwriter of the wildly popular David Fincher crime drama, "Gone Girl." Mica Levi won Best Original Score for her creepy accompaniment to the mind-bending Scarlett Johannson sci-fi indie, "Under the Skin." Best Art Design went to Wes Anderson's confection, "The Grand Budapest Hotel."

The Joe Barber Award for Best Portrayal of Washington, DC, given each year in honor of one of WAFCA's cherished late members, went to the Marvel blockbuster, "Captain America: The Winter Soldier."

The Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics Association comprises 55 DC-VA-MD-based film critics from television, radio, print and the Internet. Voting was conducted from December 5-7, 2014.

THE 2014 WAFCA AWARD WINNERS ARE:

Best Film: Boyhood

Best Director: Richard Linklater (Boyhood)

Best Actor: Michael Keaton (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))

Best Actress: Julianne Moore (Still Alice)

Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)

Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)

Best Acting Ensemble: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Best Youth Performance: Ellar Coltrane (Boyhood)

Best Adapted Screenplay: Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl)

Best Original Screenplay: Alejandro G. Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr., Armando Bo (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))

Best Animated Feature: The LEGO Movie

Best Documentary: Life Itself

Best Foreign Language Film: Force Majeure

Best Art Direction: Production Designer: Adam Stockhausen, Set Decorator: Anna Pinnock (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, AMC (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))

Best Editing: Douglas Crise, Stephen Mirrione, ACE (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))

Best Original Score: Mica Levi (Under the Skin)

The Joe Barber Award for Best Portrayal of Washington, DC: Captain America: The Winter Soldier