Austin Film Critics Association

History

The Austin Film Critics Association was founded in 2005 by local film critics Cole Dabney and Robert “Bobby” McCurdy while attending Bowie High School in Austin. The organization grew exponentially in its first eight years, expanding from 3 members in 2005 to 25 members in 2013.

On January 12, 2007, after only one year in existence, Entertainment Weekly called the AFCA “wildly contrarian” for naming Ellen Page Best Actress for her role in Hard Candy over Helen Mirren for her performance in The Queen, as Mirren had swept the category so far during awards season.

The association chose to name the group’s Breakthrough Artist Award to honor Robert “Bobby” McCurdy starting in 2010. McCurdy died on December 19, 2010 while training to become a Naval Aviator.

Films

5 awards:

There Will Be Blood (2007): Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score

The Dark Knight (2008): Best Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Score, Best Adapted Screenplay

Black Swan (2010): Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography

Moonlight (2016): Best Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Special Honorary Award

4 awards:

Juno (2007): Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Breakthrough Artist Award

Take Shelter (2011): Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Austin Film Award, Breakthrough Artist Award*

Her (2013): Best Film, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, Special Honorary Award

Boyhood (2014): Best Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, Austin Film Award

Tower (2016): Best Documentary, Austin Film Award, Breakthrough Artist Award, Special Honorary Award

3 awards

The Hurt Locker (2009): Best Film, Best Director, Best Cinematography

Inglourious Basterds (2009): Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay

The Master (2012): Best Director, Best Actor, Best Cinematography

12 Years a Slave (2013): Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay

Nightcrawler (2014): Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best First Film

Room (2015): Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Breakthrough Artist Award

2 awards

Crash (2005): Best Film, Best Director

Hustle & Flow (2005): Breakthrough Artist Award, Best First Film

Sin City (2005): Best Animated Film, Austin Film Award

The Departed (2006): Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor

Children of Men (2006): Best Director, Best Cinematography

Pan's Labyrinth (2006): Best Foreign Film, Best Original Screenplay

No Country for Old Men (2007): Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay

Up (2009): Best Original Score, Best Animated Film

Up in the Air (2009): Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay

Me and Orson Welles (2009): Breakthrough Artist Award, Austin Film Award

Drive (2011): Best Director, Best Supporting Actor

Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012): Best First Film, Breakthrough Artist Award

Gravity (2013): Best Director, Best Cinematography

Short Term 12 (2013): Best Actress, Breakthrough Artist Award

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014): Best Cinematography, Best Score

Gone Girl (2014): Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay

Ex Machina (2015): Best Supporting Actress, Best First Film

Inside Out (2015): Best Original Screenplay, Best Animated Film

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015): Best Film, Best Director

La La Land (2016): Best Cinematography, Best Score

Producers, Directors & Cinematographers

6 Awards

Richard Linklater

Best Film

2014 – Boyhood

Best Director

2014 – Boyhood

Best Austin Film

2006 – A Scanner Darkly

2009 – Me and Orson Welles

2012 – Bernie

2014 – Boyhood

4 Awards

Emmanuel Lubezki

Best Cinematography

2006 – Babel

2011 – The Tree of Life

2013 – Gravity

2014 – Birdman

Keith Maitland

Best Documentary

2016 – Tower

Bobby McCurdy Memorial Breakthrough Artist Award

2016 – Tower

Austin Film Award

2016 – Tower

Special Honorary Award

2016 – Tower

3 Awards

Paul Thomas Anderson

Best Film

2007 – There Will Be Blood

Best Director

2007 – There Will Be Blood

2012 – The Master

Kathryn Bigelow

Best Film

2009 – The Hurt Locker

2012 – Zero Dark Thirty

Best Director

2009 – The Hurt Locker

Robert Rodriguez

Best Austin Film

2005 – Sin City

2007 – Grindhouse (Shared with Quentin Tarantino)

Best Animated Film

2005 – Sin City

2 Awards

Mark Boal

Best Film

2009 – The Hurt Locker

2012 – Zero Dark Thirty

Alfonso Cuarón

Best Director

2006 – Children of Men

Best Adapted Screenplay

2006 – Children of Men

Megan Ellison

Best Film

2012 – Zero Dark Thirty

2013 – Her

Paul Haggis

Best Film

2005 – Crash

Best Director

2005 – Crash

Quentin Tarantino

Best Original Screenplay

2009 – Inglourious Basterds

Best Austin Film

2007 – Grindhouse (Shared with Robert Rodriguez)

Rian Johnson

Best First Film

2006 – Brick

Best Original Screenplay

2012 – Looper

Barry Jenkins

Best Director

2016 – Moonlight

Best Original Screenplay

2016 – Moonlight

Actors

3 Awards

Brie Larson

Best Actress

2013 – Short Term 12

2015 – Room

Bobby McCurdy Breakthrough Artist Award

2013 – Short Term 12

2 Awards

Jessica Chastain

Best Supporting Actress

2011 – Take Shelter

Bobby McCurdy Breakthrough Artist Award

2011 – for her work in The Debt, The Help, Take Shelter, and The Tree of Life

Colin Firth

Best Actor

2009 – A Single Man

2010 – The King's Speech

Anne Hathaway

Best Actress

2008 – Rachel Getting Married

Best Supporting Actress

2012 – Les Misérables

Ellen Page

Best Actress

2006 – Hard Candy

2007 – Juno

Christoph Waltz

Best Supporting Actor

2008 – Inglourious Basterds

2012 – Django Unchained

Top 10 Films of the Decade (2000s)

1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
2. There Will Be Blood (2007)
3. The Lord of the Rings (2001–2003)
4. The Dark Knight (2008)
5. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
6. Kill Bill (2003/4)
7. No Country for Old Men (2007)
8. The Incredibles (2004)
9. Children of Men (2006)
10. Memento (2000) / The Departed (2006) (TIE)