Women Film Critics Circle bestows its highest honors on 'Hidden Figures,' '13th'

NEW YORK, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- The Women Film Critics Circle declared Hidden Figures the year's Best Movie About Women on Sunday.

Starring Taraji P. Henson and Octavia Spencer, the film is about brilliant African American women working at NASA in the 1960s.

The feature also won the prizes for Best Ensemble and Best Female Images in a Movie. Additionally, it scored the Josephine Baker Award "for best expressing the woman of color experience in America," the Karen Morley Award "for best exemplifying a woman's place in history or society, and a courageous search for identity" and the Invisible Woman Award for a "performance by a woman whose exceptional impact on the film dramatically, socially or historically, has been ignored."

Ava Duvernay's prison-system documentary 13th was named Best Movie By a Woman and Best Documentary By or About Women. DuVernay was deemed Best Woman Storyteller and was further recognized with the group's Courage in Filmmaking Award.

Loving -- which stars Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton -- won the prizes for Best Screen Couple, Best Equality of the Sexes and Best Male Images.

The Best Actress prize went to Natalie Portman for her work in Jackie and Casey Affleck won the Best Actor title for his performance in Manchester By the Sea.

Hailee Steinfeld earned the accolade for The Edge of Seventeen and Kate McKinnon won the prize for Best Comedic Actress for her role in Ghostbusters. McKinnon and her co-stars also shared the honor for Best Female Action Hero.

The titular heroine in Moana was named Best Animated Female and Queen of Katwe Best Family Movie.

The organization also gave its Acting and Activism Award to Emma Watson and its Life Achievement Award to Annette Bening.