Michael Haneke’s Amour got its biggest take yet, nabbing the Best Picture, Director and Actress prize from the NSFC. None of the selections below were particularly original, but it was clear that a handful of films were very well liked this year.

Award Tallies

(3) Amour
(2) The Master

The Awards

Best Picture

1. Amour (28 points)
2. The Master (25 points)
3. Zero Dark Thirty (18 points)

Best Director

1. Michael Haneke – Amour (27 points)
2. Kathryn Bigelow – Zero Dark Thirty (24 points)
3. Paul Thomas Anderson – The Master (24 points)

Best Actor

1. Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln (59 points)
2. Denis Lavant – Holy Motors (49 points)
3. Joaquin Phoenix – The Master (49 points)

Best Actress

1. Emmanuelle Riva – Amour (50 points)
2. Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook (42 points)
3. Jessica Chastain – Zero Dark Thirty (32 points)

Best Supporting Actor

1. Matthew McConaughey – Magic Mike, Bernie (27 points)
2. Tommy Lee Jones – Lincoln (22 points)
3. Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Master (19 points)

Best Supporting Actress

1. Amy Adams – The Master (34 points)
2. Sally Field – Lincoln (23 points)
3. Anne Hathaway – Les Miserables (13 points)

Best Screenplay

1. Lincoln (59 points)
2. The Master (27 points)
3. Silver Linings Playbook (19 points)

Best Cinematography

1. The Master (60 points)
2. Skyfall (30 points)
3. Zero Dark Thirty (21 points)

Best Non-Fiction Film

1. The Gatekeepers (53 points)
2. This Is Not a Film (45 points)
3. Searching for Sugar Man (23 points)

Experimental Film

This Is Not a Film

National Society of Film Critics Data

Year Founded: 1966
First Awards: 1966 (47)