The Southeastern Film Critics Association has named “Moonlight” the best film of 2016. The film was also the winner or runner-up in seven of the nine other categories in which it was eligible.
The Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA) represents print, broadcast and online journalists in nine Southern states, including Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Virginia and North and South Carolina.
The organization’s Gene Wyatt Award, dedicated to the film that best represents “the spirit of the South,” went to Arkansas-born writer-director Jeff Nichols’ “Loving,” a drama based on the true-life story of the Virginia couple whose interracial marriage led to the Supreme Court’s ruling against “miscegenation” laws. Nichols — the brother of Ben Nichols, frontman of the Memphis rock band Lucero — previously won the Wyatt for “Mud” (2012) and his debut feature, “Shotgun Stories” (2007). “Moonlight,” set mostly in Florida, was the Wyatt runner-up.
The complete results of 2016 Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards:
Top 10 Films
1. “Moonlight.”
2.”Manchester by the Sea.”
3. “La La Land.”
4. “Hell or High Water.”
5. “Loving.”
6. “Arrival.”
7. “Fences” and “Jackie” (tie).
8. “Nocturnal Animals.”
9. “Hidden Figures.”
Best Actor:
Winner — Casey Affleck, “Manchester by the Sea.”
Runner-up — Denzel Washington, “Fences.”
Best Actress:
Winner — Natalie Portman, “Jackie.”
Runner-up — Ruth Negga, “Loving.”
Best Supporting Actor:
Winner — Mahershala Ali, “Moonlight.”
Runner-up — Jeff Bridges, “Hell or High Water.”
Best Supporting Actress:
Winner – Viola Davis, “Fences.”
Runner-up – Naomie Harris, “Moonlight.”
Best Ensemble:
Winner — “Moonlight.”
Runner-up — “Manchester by the Sea.”
Best Director:
Winner (tie) — Damien Chazelle, “La La Land,” and Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight.”
Best Original Screenplay:
Winner — Kenneth Lonergan, “Manchester by the Sea.
Runner-up — “Hell or High Water.”
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Winner — Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight” (from the play by Tarell Alvin McCraney).
Runner-up — Eric Heisserer, “Arrival” (from the short story by Ted Chiang).
Best Documentary:
Winner — “I Am Not Your Negro.”
Runner-up — “OJ: Made in America.”
Best Foreign Language Film:
Winner — “The Handmaiden” (South Korea).
Runner-up — “Elle” (France).
Best Animated Film:
Winner — “Zootopia.”
Runner-up — “Kubo and the Two Strings.”
Best Cinematography:
Winner — Linus Sandgren, “La La Land.”
Runner-up — James Laxton, “Moonlight.”
The Gene Wyatt Award:
Winner — “Loving.”
Runner-up — “Moonlight.”