AWARDS WATCH 2008: "WALL-E" "MILK" TOP L.A., NEW YORK CRITICS

Disney Pixar's critical and box office hit "WALL-E" (pictured, left)becomes the first animated feature to win Best Picture from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.

Gus Van Sant's biopic of America's first openly gay mayor, Harvey Milk was cited as Best Film of 2008 by the New York Film Critics Circle. Oscar winner Sean Penn was honored by both L.A. and New York critics for his acclaimed portrayal of the ill-fated politician, while "Happy Go Lucky's" Sally Hawkins and "Vicky Christina Barcelona" star Penelope Cruz were singled out as Best Lead Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively.

NYFCC WINNERS
Best Picture - Milk
Best Director - Mike Leigh (Happy-Go-Lucky)
Best Actor - Sean Penn (Milk)
Best Actress - Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky)
Best Supporting Actor - Josh Brolin (Milk)
Best Supporting Actress - Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
Best Screenplay - Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married)
Best Cinematographer - Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire)
Best Foreign Film - 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
Best Animated Film - WALL-E
Best First Film - Courtney Hunt (Frozen River)
Best Documentary - Man on Wire

LAFCC WINNERS
Picture: “Wall-E”
Runner-up: “The Dark Knight”
Director: Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”
Runner-up: Christopher Nolan, “The Dark Knight”
Actor: Sean Penn, “Milk”
Runner-up: Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”
Actress: Sally Hawkins, “Happy-Go-Lucky”
Runner-up: Melissa Leo, “Frozen River”
Supporting actor: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”
Runner-up: Eddie Marsan, “Happy-Go-Lucky”
Supporting actress: Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and “Elegy”
Runner-up: Viola Davis, “Doubt”
Screenplay: Mike Leigh, “Happy-Go-Lucky”
Runner-up: Charlie Kaufman, “Synecdoche, New York”
Foreign-language film: “Still Life”
Runner-up: “The Class”
Documentary: “Man on Wire”
Runner-up: “Waltz With Bashir”
Animation: “Waltz With Bashir”
Cinematography: Yu Lik Wai, “Still Life”
Runner-up: Anthony Dod Mantle, “Slumdog Millionaire”
Production design: Mark Friedberg, “Synecdoche, New York”
Runner-up: Nathan Crowley, “The Dark Knight”
Music/score: A.R. Rahman, “Slumdog Millionaire”
Runner-up: Alexandre Desplat, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
New Generation: Steve McQueen, “Hunger”
Douglas E. Edwards independent/experimental film/video: James Benning, “RR” and “Casting a Glance”