Winter Hollywood awards season starts

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 13 -- The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) kicked off the winter Hollywood awards season on Sunday by naming "The Hurt Locker" as best picture.

The film's director Kathryn Bigelow won the critic's award for best director. The film was shot in difficult conditions in Jordan, in a village just across the border from Iraq.

Yolande Moreau, a veteran actress from Belgium, was named best actress for her role in "Seraphine." She played the title role of a famous painter who hid from French society by becoming a cleaning woman in post-WWI France.

Jeff Bridges, won the best actor award from the local critics, for his role in "Crazy Heart." He stars as an alcoholic, emotionally-crippled country-western singer in the musical-drama.

Mo'nique was named best supporting actress for her portrayal of the mother in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' By Sapphire." Runner-up best actress was Anna Kendrick in "Up in the Air."

The best supporting actor award went to Christoph Waltz, who played Col. Hans Landa in "Inglorious Basterds." Runner-up best actor was Peter Capaldi in "In the Loop."

"Summer Hours" was named best foreign language film.

"Up In The Air" was runner-up best picture, and Michael Haneke was runner-up best director for "The White Ribbon."

The runner-up best actress was Carey Mulligan in "An Education," and runner-up best actor was Colin Firth in "A Single Man."

Other prizes awarded are:

-- New Generation Award: Neill Blomkemp, "District 9."

-- Best Animation: "Fantastic Mr. Fox." Runner-up: "Up."

-- Best Score: T-Bone Burnett and Stephen Bruton, "Crazy Heart." Runner-up: Alexandre Desplat, "Fantastic Mr. Fox."

-- Best Production Design: Philip Ivey, "District 9." Runners-up: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg, "Avatar."

-- Best Cinemamatography: Christian Berger, "The White Ribbon. "Runner-up: Barry Ackroyd, "The Hurt Locker."

-- Best screenplay: Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, "Up in theAir." Runners-up: Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci and Tony Roche, "In the Loop."

-- Best documentary or nonfiction film: "The Beaches of Agn."