Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky was among the big winners in the annual US National Film Critics Awards.
The film - about an open-hearted optimist - scooped awards for best director and screenwriter, while star Sally was named best actress and co-star Eddie Marsden picked up best supporting actor for his role as a grumpy driving instructor.
Israeli animation Waltz With Bashir and James Marsh's crowdpleasing Man On Wire continued their award runs, scooping best film and best documentary, respectively.
Completing the performing gongs were Sean Penn - named best actor for his role in biopic Milk - and Hannah Schygulla - who was named best supporting actress for her role in German/Turkish drama The Edge Of Heaven.
The full list of winners is below:
BEST PICTURE: Waltz With Bashir - Dir: Ari Folman (26)
2. Happy-Go-Lucky (20)
3. WALL-E (20)
BEST NON-FICTION FILM: Man On Wire - Dir: James Marsh (55)
2. Trouble The Water (34)
3. Encounters At The End Of The World (26)
BEST DIRECTOR: Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky (36)
2. Gus Van Sant, Milk & Paranoid Park (20)
3. Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire (16)
BEST ACTOR: Sean Penn, Milk (87)
2. Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler (40)
3. Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino (38)
BEST ACTRESS: Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky (65)
2. Melissa Leo, Frozen River (33)
3. Michelle Williams, Wendy And Lucy (31)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Eddie Marsan, Happy-Go-Lucky (41)
2. Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight (35)
3. Josh Brolin, Milk (29)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Hanna Schygulla, The Edge Of Heaven (29)
2. Viola Davis, Doubt (29, on fewer ballots)
3. Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona (24)
BEST SCREENPLAY: Happy-Go-Lucky - Mike Leigh (29)
2. A Christmas Tale - Emmanuel Bourdieu, Arnaud Desplechin (24)
3. Synecdoche, New York - Charlie Kaufman (17)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Slumdog Millionaire - Anthony Dod Mantle (29)
2. The Flight Of The Red Balloon - Mark Lee Ping Bing (22)
3. The Dark Knight - Wally Pfister (18)
4. Still Life - Wai Yu Lik
BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM: Razzle Dazzle, directed by Ken Jacobs
FILM HERITAGE AWARDS
- The Criterion Collection for making Samuel Fuller’s suppressed White Dog (1982) available to a wide American audience via DVD release.
- The Exiles, Kent Mackenzie’s 1961 independent film about Native Americans in Los Angeles. (Restored by Ross Lipman of UCLA Television and Film Archives; distributed by Milestone.)
- Flicker Alley, for releasing DVD collections of rare early US and foreign silent films.
- Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment for DVD set Murnau, Borzage and Fox.
