Detroit-area film critics go gaga for ‘La La Land’

The movie musical “La La Land” charmed Detroit-area critics and was the winner of four best-of-2016 awards, including Best Picture, the Detroit Film Critics Society announced Monday.

“La La Land’s” Emma Stone was named the group’s Best Actress for her role as Mia, an aspiring actress who falls for Ryan Gosling’s jazz-loving musician Sebastian. “La La Land” writer-director Damien Chazelle, the group’s choice for Breakthrough artist for 2014’s “Whiplash,” was also named Best Director and was awarded Best Screenplay honors as well.

Elsewhere, the 1970s-set drama “20th Century Women” won a pair of awards, for Best Ensemble and for Best Supporting Actress, an honor Greta Gerwig shares with “Fences’” Viola Davis.

Casey Affleck was named Best Actor for “Manchester by the Sea,” and Jeff Bridges took home Best Supporting Actor for his craggy lawman in “Hell or High Water.”

Breakthrough honors went to Kelly Fremon Craig, the writer-director of “The Edge of Seventeen,” and the five-part, 10-hour documentary “O.J.: Made in America” was named the group’s Best Documentary.

The DFCS, now in its 10th awards cycle, is comprised of 17 film critics who work and reside within a 150-mile radius of Detroit.

The 2016 Detroit Film Critics Society winners, listed in bold, are as follows:

Best Picture:

The Edge of Seventeen

Hell or High Water

La La Land

Manchester by the Sea

Moonlight

Best Actor:

Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea

Joel Edgerton, Loving

Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge

Ryan Gosling, La La Land

Denzel Washington, Fences

Best Actress:

Amy Adams, Arrival

Annette Bening, 20th Century Women

Rebecca Hall, Christine

Ruth Negga, Loving

Natalie Portman, Jackie

Emma Stone, La La Land

Best Supporting Actor:

Mahershala Ali, Moonlight

Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water

Alden Ehrenreich, Hail, Caesar!

Ralph Fiennes, A Bigger Splash

Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea

Best Supporting Actress:

(tie) Viola Davis, Fences

Elle Fanning, 20th Century Women

(tie) Greta Gerwig, 20th Century Women

Felicity Jones, A Monster Calls

Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea

Best Director:

Damien Chazelle, La La Land

Barry Jenkins, Moonlight

Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea

David Mackenzie, Hell or High Water

Denzel Washington, Fences

Best Ensemble:

20th Century Women

Everybody Wants Some!!

Hell or High Water

Manchester by the Sea

Moonlight

Best Breakthrough:

Mahershala Ali, “Moonlight” and “Hidden Figures”

Kelly Fremon Craig, Edge of Seventeen (writer-director)

Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea

Barry Jenkins, Moonlight (writer-director)

Trevante Rhodes, Moonlight

Trey Edward Shults, Krisha (writer-director)

Best Screenplay:

Damien Chazelle, La La Land

Eric Heisserer, Arrival

Barry Jenkins, Moonlight

Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea

Taylor Sheridan, Hell or High Water

Best Documentary:

13th

Gleason

Life, Animated

O.J.: Made in America

Tickled

Weiner

agraham@detroitnews.com

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@grahamorama