Greengrass's United 93 Kicks off Awards Season with double win

"these images of a bloody struggle for the controls of a plane that’s plunging to the earth is an image that speaks to where we’re going if we’re not very careful"

Working Title's United 93 has been named by the New York Critic Circle as best film of the year in one of the first nods of the  awards season. Directed by Paul Greengrass (Stephen Applebaum interview), a relative unknown before Paul Trijbits at the New Cinema Fund backed him for Bloody Sunday, the film has been widely acclaimed since its release in opposition to Oliver Stone's largely panned World Trade Centre. Stephen Frear's The Queen came a close second.

It was the second award for Greengrass this week, having taken the best director prize from the LA Film Critics Association, who awarded Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima best film. 

From the BBC: 

Hijack drama United 93 has been named best film of the year by the New York Film Critics' Circle.

The film beat The Queen, which itself won best actress for Helen Mirren's portrayal of Elizabeth II and best screenplay for Peter Morgan.

Forest Whitaker took the best actor award for his portrayal of Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland.

Martin Scorsese won best director for his mafia drama The Departed starring Leonardo DiCaprio as an undercover cop.

Marshall Fine, chairman of the critics' circle, said of United 93: "I think everybody agrees it was an amazing film in terms of telling the story without pushing a political point of view.

"It puts you right in the middle of the scene without telling you what to think or what to feel. It was really one of the most harrowing films of the year."

Jennifer Hudson, who found fame as a finalist on television talent show American Idol, picked up the best supporting actress award for her performance in the screen adaptation of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls.

Deliver Us From Evil, a documentary tackling child abuse in the Roman Catholic Church won the category for best non-fiction film, while the penguin-filled cartoon Happy Feet walked away with best animated film.