'Carol' Takes Home Four New York Film Critics Circle Awards

By Paula Mejia On 12/2/15 at 2:07 PM EST

carolcast — Director Todd Haynes (C), cast members Rooney Mara (R) and Cate Blanchett pose on the red carpet as they arrive for the screening of "Carol" at the 68th Cannes Film Festival in southern France on May 17. Eric Gaillard/Reuters

Culture Awards Oscars Academy award Best picture

Predicting Oscar winners is usually a fool's errand, but historically the winners of the New York Film Critics Circle Awards (NYFCC) serve as a relatively reliable indicator of who might take home the year's top prizes.

Deadline reports that the NYFCC has a 43 percent bellwether rate for predicting the Best Picture winner at the Oscars, evidenced by picking Richard Linklater's Boyhood for their Best Picture in 2014—the film that went on to take home the Oscar that same year. Back in 2011, the NYFCC awarded the best picture award to The Artist, and did the same in 2009 for The Hurt Locker, in 2008 for No Country for Old Men and in 2003 for the final Lord of the Rings picture—all of which went on to win big at the Oscars.

It also had the foresight to select Boyhood's Patricia Arquette as best supporting actress, J.K. Simmons in Whiplash as best supporting actor and Ida for best foreign film last year.

This year, the NYFCC jurors made some pretty shocking selections for some of their top awards—notably Kristen Stewart in her turn as Valentine in Olivier Assayas's Clouds of Sils Maria. Meanwhile, the unexpected NYFCC documentary winner, In Jackson Heights, wasn't on the shortlist for the Oscars this year. Standout drama Carol swept the awards, taking home the prizes for best film, best cinematography, best screenplay and best director for Todd Haynes.

Below, the full list of winners for the 2015 NYFCC:

Best foreign film: Timbuktu (Mauritania)

Best first film: Son of Saul

Best animated film: Inside Out

Best screenplay: Phyllis Nagy, Carol

Best cinematography: Edward Lachman, Carol

Best documentary: In Jackson Heights

Best film: Carol

Best supporting actress, Kristen Stewart, Clouds of Sils Maria

Best supporting actor: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies

Best actor: Michael Keaton, Spotlight

Best actress: Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

Best director: Todd Haynes, Carol

Special Award: Ennio Morricone, composer (The Hateful Eight)

Special Award: Honoring the posthumous William Becker (Janus Films)

Request Reprint & Licensing, Submit Correction or view Editorial Guidelines