African-American Film Critics name 'Zero Dark Thirty' best film

African-American Film Critics name ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ best film

By Susan King

Dec. 16, 2012 12 AM PT

“Zero Dark Thirty,” Kathryn Bigelow’s chronicle of the search for terrorist Osama bin-Laden, continued its winning ways Sunday evening when it was named best film of 2012 by the African-American Film Critics Association.

The film, which opens Wednesday, has already won best film honors from the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Board of Review, and it received best film nominations last week for the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards and the Golden Globes.

But it was Ava DuVernay’s drama about how a marriage is affected when the husband goes to prison, “Middle of Nowhere,” that was the big winner Sunday, receiving four awards: actress for Emayatzy Corinealdi, screenplay for DuVernay, independent film and music for Kathryn Bostic & Morgan Rhodes.

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Ben Affleck was named best director for “Argo,” while actor honors went to Denzel Washington for “Flight.” Sally Field was named best supporting actress for “Lincoln,” and Nate Parker earned the supporting actor award for “Arbitrage.”

France’s “The Intouchables” was named best foreign film, while young Quvenzhane Wallis received breakout performance for “Beasts of the Southern Wild.”

Animation honors went to “Rise of the Guardians.” There was a tie for documentary between “The House I Live In” and “Versailles ’73.”

The organization also selected 10 films of distinction for 2012: “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Argo,” “Lincoln,” “Middle of Nowhere,” “Life of Pi,” “Les Miserables,” “Django Unchained,” “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” “Moonrise Kingdom” and “Think Like a Man.”

Billy Dee Williams, Cicely Tyson, Clint Culpepper and Rainforest Films were Special Achievement Award recipients.

The African-American Film Critics Assn. will present the awards in a private ceremony Feb. 8 at the Taglyan Complex in Hollywood.

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