NEW YORK - The New York Film Critics Circle has named "The Artist" the year's best film.
The black-and-white ode to silent film, which itself is silent, also earned best director for Michel Hazanavicius. The nods for "The Artist" are likely to give a boost to its already promising Oscars prospects as the fall award season begins in earnest.
The critics otherwise spread the awards around, as they usually do. Brad Pitt won best actor for his performance in the baseball film "Moneyball" and in Terrence Malick's cosmic drama "Tree of Life."
Both of those films also earned other awards: "Tree of Life" for best cinematography and "Moneyball" for best screenplay.
The New York critics announced their annual vote Tuesday on Twitter. The awards will be handed out at a ceremony Jan. 9.
