Toronto Film Critics Association gives ‘Carol’ best picture, best director

TORONTO – The Toronto Film Critics Association has named “Carol” the best picture of 2015.

The TFCA also gave the 1950s love-affair drama starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara a directing prize for Todd Haynes.

The critics group also announced the finalists for the $100,000 Rogers Best Canadian Film Award.

They are “The Forbidden Room,” directed by Guy Maddin and Evan Johnson; “My Internship In Canada,” directed by Philippe Falardeau; and “Sleeping Giant,” directed by Andrew Cividino.

The winner will be named at the TFCA’s awards gala on Jan. 5 in Toronto.

Germany’s Nina Hoss won the TFCA award for best actress for playing a concentration camp survivor who has facial reconstruction surgery in “Phoenix,” which also won best foreign-language film.

Tom Hardy won best actor for the second consecutive year, this time for his role as twin crime lords in “Legend.”

Prizes for supporting acting roles went to Mark Rylance for “Bridge of Spies” and Alicia Vikander for “Ex Machina,” which won best first feature.

Adam McKay and Charles Randolph won best screenplay for “The Big Short.”

“Shaun The Sheep Movie” took the prize for best animated feature.

Nabbing the Allan King Documentary Award was “The Look of Silence” by Joshua Oppenheimer, who also won the prize in 2013 for “The Act of Killing.”

The TFCA voted on the awards at a meeting on Sunday.