A scene from The Master. 

As the year winds to a close, film critics in cities around the country continue to gather to name the best movies and performances of the year. Today in Southern California the Los Angeles Film Critics Association is meeting to vote on the best of 2012. 

Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master has been recognized in a numerous categories today, winning awards both above and below the line including Best Director. Kathryn Bigelow was the runner-up for her work on Zero Dark Thirty.

Yet, it was Michael Haneke’s Amour that took the top prize. The winner of the Palme d’Or in Cannes was named Best Picture of the year by LAFCA. It also won the Best Picture prize at the European Film Awards in Malta last weekend.

The award for Best Foreign Language Film went to Leos Carax for his latest, Holy Motors. 

Israeli documentary The Gatekeepers was named the best non-fiction movie of 2012. Directed by Dror Moreh, the film takes a unprecedented look inside Israel’s Shin Bet national security agency. 

Performers from an array of films were honored with acting prizes. Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook and Emmanuelle Riva in Amour shared the award for best actress, while Joaquin Phoenix was voted best actor for his role in The Master and Amy Adams was awarded the best supporting actress award for her role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s film. The prize for best supporting actor went to Dwight Henry for his performance in Beasts of the Southern Wild.

Argo won a couple of awards today in LA including the prize for best screenplay. Written by Chris Terrio, the film was directed by Ben Affleck. 

In the newly created editing category, William Goldenberg was a big winner. He was the runner-up for his work on Argo and shared the new prize with Dylan Tichenor for their work together on Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty.

Last week, the New York Film Critics Circle voted Zero Dark Thirty the best movie of the year and filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow was named best director.

Here’s the final list of winners out of Southern California:

Best Picture: Amour, directed by Michael Haneke
Runner-up: The Master, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Best Director, Paul Thomas Anderson, The Master
Runner-up: Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty

Best Screenplay: Chris Terrio, Argo
Runner-up: David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook

Best Foreign Language Film: Holy Motors, directed by Leos Carax
Runner-up: Footnote, directed by Joseph Cedar

Best Documentary: The Gatekeepers
Runner-up: Searching for Sugar Man

Best Animation: Frankenweenie
Runner-up: It’s Such a Beautiful Day

Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
Runner-up: Denis Lavant, Holy Motors

Best Actress (tie): Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook & Emmanuelle Riva, Amour

Best Supporting Actor: Dwight Henry, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Runner-up: Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, The Master
Runner-up: Anne Hathaway, The Dark Knight Rises and Les Miserables

New Generation Award: Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild

Douglas Edwards Experimental/Independent Film/Video Award: Leviathan

Best Cinematography: Roger Deakins, Skyfall
Runner-up: Mihai Malaimare Jr., The Master

Best Editing: Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg, Zero Dark Thirty
Runner-up: William Goldenberg, Argo

Best Music Score: Dan Romer and Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Runner-up: Jonny Greenwood, The Master

Best Production Design: David Crank and Jack Fisk, The Master
Runner-up: Adam Stockhausen, Moonrise Kingdom