This is the latest ballot in indieWIRE’s 2008 Critics Poll, continuing the tradition of a national survey of critics by calling attention to the year’s best — and, in many cases, most overlooked — films, providing a meaningful counterpoint to much of the year-end hoopla. Note that some lists are unranked at the discretion of the critic. For all categories except Best Undistributed Film, eligible feature films had first-run theatrical engagements in the U.S. during 2008. Films without a U.S. distributor, screened anywhere (festival circuit, one-off screenings, etc.), are eligible in the Best Undistributed Film category. The full list of critics poll ballots is available here at indieWIRE and tabulated results are being published by indieWIRE later this month.
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Best Film
1 – WALL-E
2 – The Flight of the Red Balloon
3 – Wendy and Lucy
4 – Paranoid Park
5 – Silent Light
6 – A Christmas Tale
7 – Ballast
8 – Burn After Reading
9 – Synecdoche, New York
10 – Chop Shop
Best Performance
1 – Michelle Williams, Wendy and Lucy
2 – Tarra Riggs, Ballasy
3 – Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
4 – Juliette Binoche, Flight of the Red Balloon
5 – Sean Penn, Milk
Best Supporting Performance
1 – Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
2 – Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
3 – Samantha Morton, Synecdoche, New York
4 – Alexis Zegerman, Happy-Go-Lucky
5 – Brad Pitt, Burn After Reading
Best Director
Hou Hsiao-hsien, The Flight of the Red Balloon
Best Screenplay
Arnaud Desplechin and Emmanuel Bourdieu, A Christmas Tale
Best First Feature
Ballast
Best Documentary
My Winnipeg
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