Movies

Women Film Critics Circle hails 'Harriet,' 'Portrait' as best films of 2019

By Karen Butler   |   Dec. 9, 2019 at 7:38 PM
Cast member Cynthia Erivo attends the premiere of "Harriet" in Los Angeles on October 29. The actress and the movie were honored Monday with awards from the Women Film Critics Circle. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI Filmmaker Celine Sciamma arrives at the photocall after receiving the Best Screenplay award for "Portrait of a Lady on Fire" during the 72nd annual Cannes International Film Festival in France on May 25. File Photo by David Silpa/UPI Filmmaker Greta Gerwig arrives on the red carpet at the "Marriage Story" New York premiere on November 10. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

Dec. 9 (UPI) -- The Women Film Critics Circle has voted director Kasi Lemmons' Harriet Tubman biopic Harriet as the Best Movie by a Woman in 2019.

The film also earned the Karen Morley Award for best exemplifying a woman's place in history or society, and the Josephine Baker Award for best expressing the woman of color experience in America.

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Cynthia Erivo, who plays the titular heroine in Harriet, shared the Best Actress honor with Us star Lupita Nyong'o.

Adam Driver scored the Best Actor prize for his performance in the breakup tale Marriage Story, which also won the group's award for Best Equality of the Sexes.

Celine Sciamma's French historical drama Portrait of a Lady on Fire won the awards for Best Foreign Film By or About Women and Best Movie About Women.

Two sets of stars tied for the Best Screen Couple accolade: Noemie Merlant and Adele Haenel in Portrait of a Lady on Fire, and Driver and Scarlett Johnasson in Marriage Story.

The Best Woman Storyteller screenwriting award went to Greta Gerwig for Little Women and Agnes Varda's Varda by Agnes was deemed the year's Best Documentary By or About Women.

Jane Fonda won the Acting and Activism Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed upon Alfre Woodard.

There was a tie between Bombshell and Nightingale for the Adrienne Shelly Award for a film that most passionately opposes violence against women.

Anna from Frozen II was chosen Best Animated Female.

The winners of the WFCC Awards were announced the same day as nominations for the Golden Globe Awards for TV and film were revealed.

No women were nominated in the Best Film Director category for the Globes.