FIPRESCI (Federation International de Presse Cinematographique), the international film critics association, has announced its film of the year voting results for the year, naming Aki Kaurismaki's Man Without A Past the best film of the year and Lynne Ramsay best new director for Morvern Callar.

1. Man Without A Past, Aki Kaurismaki (137 votes)
2. Dog Days, Ulrich Seidl (89 votes)
3. Monday Morning, Otar Iosseliani (57 votes)
4. Divine Intervention, Elia Suleiman (54 votes) (tie)
4. Habla con ella, Pedro Almodovar (54 votes) (tie)
5. Time Out, Laurent Cantet (51 votes)
6. Gosford Park, Robert Altman (43 votes)
7. Russian Ark, Alexander Sokurov (36 votes)
8. The Son, Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne (34 votes)
9. And Your Mother Too (Y Tu Mama Tambien), Alfonso Cuarón (30 votes)
10. Monster's Ball, Marc Foster (28 votes)
11. The Lady and the Duke, Eric Rohmer (26 votes)
12. 8 Femmes, François Ozon (25 votes)

Of the top 12 films, it is still possible to see Man Without A Past, Divine Intervention, 8 Women and Russian Ark at the Film Festival. (Check the Festival Listings for times.)

Gosford Park and Monster's Ball are available on video, and Time Out, The Lady And The Duke and Y Tu Mama Tambien will be out on video next month.

And while we're on the subject of Awards....

Toronto festivalgoers can get a look at Venice Film Festival Golden Lion winner The Magdalene Sisters at Thursday and Friday screenings at the Varsity, with the bonus that the film has already been denounced by the Catholic Church.

This, from the Internet Movie Database

http://us.imdb.com/StudioBrief/#3

U.S. Critics Barred From Toronto Film Fest Screenings

"Several top U.S. critics attending the Toronto International Film Festival have expressed outrage after being barred from attending screenings when theaters filled too quickly, the Toronto Star reported today (Tuesday). The newspaper said that at one theater on Saturday, Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert "lost his temper and yelled at festival staff" when he was refused admittance to a screening, prompting one person who was ahead of him in line to yell back, "Why don't you go back to America and start your own film festival?" Festival press director Gabrielle Free said that she shared the journalists' frustration over not being able to see films that they need to review. "And I'm frustrated, too. There was a problem, and we're doing our best to solve it."

What's interesting is the astonishing inaccuracy of the headline. It should read U.S. Critics Whine After Being Denied Entrance To Full Theatres.

The problem, of course, is Ebert's exaggerated sense of self-importance. Ebert has been pulling this shit for years. At the premiere press screening of Ed Harris' Pollock, a festival staffer came in and asked a theatre full of journos, some of whom had arrived more than an hour before the screening to be sure of a seat, if anyone would be willing to give up their seat for Roger. The request was met with howls of laughter.