Toronto critics vote for Cronenberg's 'Violence'

David Cronenberg's drama A History Of Violence has been named best picture of 2005 by the Toronto Film Critics Association.

The film, based on a DC Comics graphic novel of the same name, played at both the Cannes and Toronto film festivals. It explores inherent violent behaviour and unwanted celebrity.

The Toronto critics also named Cronenbergbest director and chose Violence as thebest Canadian film.

A History of Violence, which was shot in Toronto,also has a Golden Globe nomination and was named one of the year's 10 best films by the American Film Institute.

Capote, a film about Truman Capote researching his book In Cold Blood, earned three nominations from the Torontofilm critics. Philip Seymour Hoffman was cited for best male performance for his portrayal of Capote, and Catherine Keener, who plays Harper Lee, was acknowledged for best supporting performance. Bennett Miller was named best director of a first feature.

Laura Linney won best female performance for her role in The Squid and the Whale and Paul Giamatti won best male supporting performance for Cinderella Man.

Other honours from the Toronto film critics:

• Best screenplay: The Squid and the Whale, Noah Baumbach
• Best animated feature: Wallace & Gromit in The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit, Nick Park and Steve Box
• Best foreign-language film: The World, Zhang Ke Jia
• Best documentary feature: Grizzly Man, Werner Herzog

Actor Andy Serkis received a special citation "for his unprecedented work helping to realize the main character in King Kong." Serkis, a character actor who brought Gollum to life in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, performed a similar role with the giant ape. "Performance capture" technology was used to translate the actor's movements and emotions into the giant digital image that viewers see.

Journalist and film critic Robin Woodwon the Clyde Gilmour Award, named for the late CBC journalist who pioneered film criticism in this country. Wood is a film historian, author and academic.