Central Ohio Film Critics Go Up in the Air

(Columbus, January 7, 2010) Jason Reitman's Up in the Air was named Best Film in the Central Ohio Film Critics Association’s 8th annual awards, which recognize excellence in the film industry for 2009. The film also won three other awards, including Best Director (Reitman), Best Adapted Screenplay (Reitman and Sheldon Turner), and Best Actor (George Clooney). Clooney was also honored as Actor of the Year for his exemplary work in Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Men Who Stare at Goats, and Up in the Air.

Inglourious Basterds, which finished fifth on the Best Film list, was also awarded four prizes: Best Supporting Actor (Christoph Waltz), Best Ensemble, Best Original Screenplay (Quentin Tarantino), and Best Cinematography (Robert Richardson).

Up in the Air and Inglourious Basterds’ four wins match No Country for Old Men’s tally in 2007 for the most awards given to an individual film in the eight years the Columbus-area critics organization has been in existence.

Other films winning multiple awards include Up and An Education. Best Film runner-up Up received awards for Best Score (Michael Giacchino) and Best Animated Film. An Education’s lead performer Carey Mulligan won Best Actress and Breakthrough Film Artist for the coming-of-age film, which placed third on the Best Films List.

Other individual winners include Best Supporting Actress Mo’Nique in Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.

Other honored films include: Anvil! The Story of Anvil for Best Documentary; Waltz with Bashir (Valz Im Bashir) for Best Foreign Language Film; and Goodbye Solo for Best Overlooked Film.

Founded in 2002, the Central Ohio Film Critics Association is comprised of film critics based in Columbus, Ohio and the surrounding areas. Its membership consists of more than 20 print, radio, television, and new media critics. COFCA's official website at www.cofca.org contains links to member reviews and past award winners.

Winners were announced at a private party on January 7.

Complete list of awards:

Best Films

1. Up in the Air

2. Up

3. An Education

4. Fantastic Mr. Fox

5. Inglourious Basterds

6. The Hurt Locker

7. In the Loop

8. (500) Days of Summer

9. A Serious Man

10. A Single Man

Best Director

-Jason Reitman, Up in the Air

-Runner-up: Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

Best Actor

-George Clooney, Up in the Air

-Runner-up: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart

Best Actress

-Carey Mulligan, An Education

-Runner-up: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Antichrist

Best Supporting Actor

-Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

-Runner-up: Peter Capaldi, In the Loop

Best Supporting Actress

-Mo’Nique, Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire

-Runner-up: Mélanie Laurent, Inglourious Basterds

Best Ensemble

-Inglourious Basterds

-Runner-up: Up in the Air

Actor of the Year (for an exemplary body of work)

-George Clooney, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Men Who Stare at Goats, and Up in the Air

-Runner-up: Woody Harrelson, The Messenger and Zombieland

Breakthrough Film Artist

-Carey Mulligan, An Education (for acting)

-Runner-up: Neill Blomkamp, District 9 (for directing and screenwriting)

Best Cinematography

-Robert Richardson, Inglourious Basterds

-Runner-up: Anthony Dod Mantle, Antichrist

Best Adapted Screenplay

-Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air

-Runner-up: Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach, Fantastic Mr. Fox

Best Original Screenplay

-Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

-Runner-up: Pete Docter and Bob Peterson, Up

Best Score

-Michael Giacchino, Up

-Runner-up: Carter Burwell and Karen O., Where the Wild Things Are

Best Documentary

-Anvil! The Story of Anvil

-Runner-up: The Cove

Best Foreign Language Film

-Waltz with Bashir (Vals Im Bashir)

-Runner-up: Summer Hours (L’heure d’été)

Best Animated Film

-Up

-Runner-up: Fantastic Mr. Fox

Best Overlooked Film

-Goodbye Solo

-Runner-up: Moon

COFCA offers its congratulations to the winners.

Previous Best Film winners:

2002: Punch-Drunk Love

2003: Lost in Translation

2004: Million Dollar Baby

2005: A History of Violence

2006: Children of Men

2007: No Country for Old Men

2008: WALL·E

For more information about the Central Ohio Film Critics Association, please visit www.cofca.org or e-mail info@cofca.org.

The complete list of members and their affiliations:

Kevin Carr (www.7mpictures.com, FilmSchoolRejects.com) ; Nick Chordas (The Columbus Dispatch), Bill Clark (www.fromthebalcony.com); John DeSando (90.5 WCBE); Johnny DiLoretto (Fox 28 WTTE); Chad Dull (The Other Paper); Frank Gabrenya (The Columbus Dispatch); Brad Keefe (Columbus Alive); Kaizaad Kotwal (C Magazine, Gay Peoples Chronicle); Kristin Dreyer Kramer (NightsAndWeekends.com, 90.5 WCBE); Joyce Long (WOSU Public Media); Rico Long (WOSU Public Media); Colin Mack (Mack at the Movies.com); Hope Madden (The Other Paper); Shelley Mann (Columbus Alive); Paul Markoff (WOCC-TV3); David Medsker (Bullz-Eye.com, Premium Hollywood); Lori Pearson (Kids-in-Mind.com, critics.com); Mark Pfeiffer (Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema; WOCC-TV3); Dave Redelberger (WBWR-The Brew @ 105.7, WXRS-Radio 106.7); Melissa Starker (Columbus Alive); George Wolf (The Other Paper); Jason Zingale (Bullz-Eye.com).