Reflecting its meteoric critical success worldwide, a silent, black and white film from Belgium clearly won the hearts of the Vancouver Film Critics Circle this year. Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist, which recreates Hollywood’s silent era to tell the story of a movie star whose career is upended by the talkies, received the most nominations in the international category of the 12th annual VFCC awards, announced on Monday (January 2).

Along with best film—a category it shares with Terence Malick’s less unanimously praised The Tree of Life and the Alexander Payne drama The Descendants—The Artist scored two nominations for Hazanavicius (best director and best screenplay), and a best actor nod for Jean Dujardin (who goes up against Michael Shannon for Take Shelter, and Michael Fassbender for Shame).

Both The Tree of Life and The Descendants follow with three nominations apiece. The VFCC recognized Jessica Chastain’s otherworldly supporting performance in The Tree of Life, a nomination she shares with Shailene Woodley for The Descendants, and Melissa McCarthy for the gross-out comedy Bridesmaids (a film that's turning out to be a dark horse critical fave this year).

Terence Malick and Martin Scorsese round out the best director category (the latter for Hugo), while Alexander Payne and his co-writers join Hazanavicius, Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris), and Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin (Moneyball) for best screenplay.

Oddly enough, the three leading international films were blocked in the best actress category, which includes Elizabeth Olsen’s cult-survivor in Martha Marcy May Marlene, Meryl Streep’s controversial turn as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady—a film that Vancouverites won’t get to see until January 13—and Michelle Williams channeling Monroe in the fluffy My Week with Marilyn (which also scored a nomination for Kenneth Branagh’s hilarious take on Laurence Olivier).

Williams also shows up on the Canadian side of the ballot, this time in Sarah Polley’s Take This Waltz, a film that also brings Seth Rogan a nomination in the supporting actor category. Three Canadian films all received four nominations each: Café de flore, Small Town Murder Songs (both of which compete with Starbuck for best film), and David Cronenberg’s highly anticipated A Dangerous Method (which doesn’t). Notably, this year’s Canadian Oscar entry, Monsieur Lazhar, received a single best actor nomination for Mohamed Fellag.

Daydream Nation, People of a Feather and Sisters&Brothers all compete for the best film from BC. Meanwhile, the great Marv Newland will receive this year’s achievement award for his 40-plus years in animation when the VFCC meets to announce the winners at the Railway Club, on Monday (January 9)

BEST FILM
The Artist
The Descendants
The Tree of Life

BEST ACTOR
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Michael Shannon, Take Shelter

BEST ACTRESS
Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
Albert Brooks, Drive
Christopher Plummer, Beginners

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Jessica Chastain, The Tree of Life
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

BEST DIRECTOR
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Terence Malick, The Tree of Life
Martin Scorsese, Hugo

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
The Interrupters
Project Nim
Surviving Progress
Nostalgia for the Night

BEST SCREENPLAY
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash, The Descendants
Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, Moneyball

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
A Separation
Poetry
The Kid with a Bike

BEST CANADIAN FILM
Café de flore
Small Town Murder Songs
Starbuck

BEST ACTOR IN A CANADIAN FILM
Mohamed Fellag, Monsieur Lazhar
Patrick Huard, Starbuck
Peter Stormare, Small Town Murder Songs

BEST ACTRESS IN A CANADIAN FILM
Kiera Knightley, A Dangerous Method
Vanessa Paradis, Café de flore
Ingrid Veninger, i am a good person/i am a bad person
Rachel Weisz, The Whistleblower Michelle Williams, Take This Waltz

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A CANADIAN FILM
Vincent Cassel, A Dangerous Method
Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method
Seth Rogan, Take this Waltz

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A CANADIAN FILM
Hélène Florent, Café de flore
Jill Hennessy, Small Town Murder Songs
Hallie Switzer, I am a good person/I am a bad person

BEST DIRECTOR OF A CANADIAN FILM
David Cronenberg, A Dangerous Method
Ed Gass-Donnelly, Small Town Murder Songs
Ken Scott, Starbuck
Jean-Marc Vallée, Café de flore

BEST BRITISH COLUMBIA FILM
Daydream Nation
People of a Feather
Sisters&Brothers

ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR CONTRIBUTION TO THE FILM INDUSTRY IN BRITISH COLUMBIA
Marv Newland