THE MASTER image courtesy of the Weinstein Company

Oscars and Golden Globes are one breed of animal — critics' groups are another beast entirely (hopefully, of the more free-thinking, out-of-the-box type). At the lively annual meeting of the San Francisco Film Critics' Circle Sun/16, several races came down to just one or two votes' difference. But we muddled through (there was wine, there were cookies) and came up with a slate of winners I'm proud to report here.

Best picture: The Master

Best director: Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty

Best original screenplay: Mark Boal for Zero Dark Thirty

Best adapted screenplay: Tony Kushner for Lincoln

Best actor: Joaquin Phoenix for The Master

Best actress: Emmanuelle Riva for Amour

Best supporting actor: Tommy Lee Jones for Lincoln

Best supporting actress: Helen Hunt for The Sessions

Best animated feature: ParaNorman

Best foreign language film: Amour

Best documentary: The Waiting Room (director Peter Nicks was also the winner of the Marlon Riggs Award, for "courage and vision in the Bay Area film community")

Best cinematography: Claudio Miranda for Life of Pi

Best film editing: William Goldenberg for Argo

Best production design: Adam Stockhausen for Moonrise Kingdom

Special citation (honoring an under-appreciated indie): Girl Walk//All Day, directed by Jacob Krupnick. Watch the entire film here.