The 16th San Diego Film Critics Society Awards were announced on December 14, 2011.

Winners and nominees

Best Actor

Michael Shannon – Take Shelter as Curtis LaForche

• George Clooney – The Descendants as Matt King
• Jean Dujardin – The Artist as George Valentin
• Brendan Gleeson – The Guard as Gerry Boyle
• Brad Pitt – Moneyball as Billy Bean

Best Actress

Brit Marling – Another Earth as Rhoda Williams

• Viola Davis – The Help as Aibileen Clarke
• Elizabeth Olsen – Martha Marcy May Marlene as Martha
• Tilda Swinton – We Need to Talk About Kevin as Eve Khatchadourian
• Michelle Williams – My Week with Marilyn as Marilyn Monroe

Best Animated Film

Arthur Christmas

• Happy Feet Two
• Kung Fu Panda 2
• Rango
• Winnie the Pooh

Best Cinematography

The Tree of Life – Emmanuel Lubezki

• The Artist – Guillaume Schiffman
• Drive – Newton Thomas Sigel
• Hugo – Robert Richardson
• Take Shelter – Adam Stone

Best Director

Nicolas Winding Refn – Drive

• Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris
• Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
• Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life
• Martin Scorsese – Hugo

Best Documentary

Project Nim

• Buck
• Cave of Forgotten Dreams
• Into the Abyss
• Page One: Inside the New York Times

Best Editing

Beginners – Olivier Bugge Coutté

• The Artist – Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius
• Drive – Mat Newman
• Hugo – Thelma Schoonmaker
• The Tree of Life – Hank Corwin, Jay Rabinowitz, Daniel Rezende, Billy Weber and Mark Yoshikawa

Best Ensemble Performance

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2

• Carnage
• The Help
• Margin Call
• Midnight in Paris

Best Film

The Artist

• Drive
• Hugo
• Midnight in Paris
• The Tree of Life

Best Foreign Language Film

Le Quattro Volte • Italy

• The Double Hour (La doppia ora) • Italy
• Happy, Happy (Sykt lykkelig) • Norway
• Of Gods and Men (Des hommes et des dieux) • France
• A Somewhat Gentle Man (En ganske snill mann) • Norway

Best Production Design

Hugo – Dante Ferretti

• The Artist – Laurence Bennett
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 – Stuart Craig
• Midnight in Paris – Anne Seibel
• The Tree of Life – Jack Fisk

Best Score

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 – Alexandre Desplat

• The Artist – Ludovic Bource
• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – Alexandre Desplat
• Hugo – Howard Shore
• The Tree of Life – Alexandre Desplat

Best Original Screenplay

Midnight in Paris – Woody Allen

• 50/50 – Will Reiser
• The Artist – Michel Hazanavicius
• Beginners – Mike Mills
• Win Win – Tom McCarthy

Best Adapted Screenplay

Moneyball – Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin

• The Descendants – Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash
• Drive – Hossein Amini
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 – Steve Kloves
• Hugo – John Logan

Best Supporting Actor

Nick Nolte – Warrior as Paddy Conlon

• Albert Brooks – Drive as Bernie Rose
• Christopher Plummer – Beginners as Hal Fields
• Andy Serkis – Rise of the Planet of the Apes as Caesar
• Max von Sydow – Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close as The Renter

Best Supporting Actress

Shailene Woodley – The Descendants as Alexandra King

• Bérénice Bejo – The Artist as Peppy Miller
• Jessica Chastain – The Help as Celia Foote
• Mélanie Laurent – Beginners as Anna
• Carey Mulligan – Shame as Sissy Sullivan

Body of Work

• Jessica Chastain