Via IFC Films.

Yes, it’s that time of year again: awards season! While you won’t know which films will be nominated for this year’s Oscars and Golden Globes for a little while longer, regional film critics associations have begun announcing their winners, which should give you a good idea of this year’s top contenders.

This morning, the Washington Area Film Critics Association, of which your faithful associate editor and DCist film critic Pat Padua are members of, decided on the best in film for the year. The results? D.C.-area film critics really, really liked Boyhood and Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), which won four and five awards, respectively.

Richard Linklater’s touching, audacious film, which was filmed over the course of 12 years, was named the Best Film of 2014 by WAFCA and Linklater himself was named Best Director. Additionally, both Patricia Arquette and the film’s star, Ellar Coltrane won acting awards. Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Birdman won awards for Best Actor (Michael Keaton), Best Acting Ensemble, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing.

Elsewhere, Julianne Moore was named Best Actress for her role as a psychologist diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s in Still Alice (which doesn’t open in D.C. until January), and J.K. Simmons was named Best Supporting Actor for his role in Whiplash. You can see the full results below and stay tuned for Pat and I’s list of our favorite films of the year, coming next week. Spoiler: it’ll probably look a lot different than the WAFCA awards!

THE 2014 WAFCA AWARD WINNERS:

Best Film:
Boyhood

Best Director:
Richard Linklater (Boyhood)

Best Actor:
Michael Keaton (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))

Best Actress:
Julianne Moore (Still Alice)

Best Supporting Actor:
J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)

Best Supporting Actress:
Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)

Best Acting Ensemble:
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Best Youth Performance:
Ellar Coltrane (Boyhood)

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl)

Best Original Screenplay:
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr., Armando Bo (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))

Best Animated Feature:
The LEGO Movie

Best Documentary:
Life Itself

Best Foreign Language Film:
Force Majeure

Best Art Direction:
Production Designer: Adam Stockhausen, Set Decorator: Anna Pinnock (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Best Cinematography:
Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, AMC (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))

Best Editing:
Douglas Crise, Stephen Mirrione, ACE (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))

Best Original Score:
Mica Levi (Under the Skin)

The Joe Barber Award for Best Portrayal of Washington, DC:
Captain America: The Winter Soldier