Sideways forges ahead

Low-budget comedy Sideways has swept the board at the Critics' Choice Awards in Los Angeles, winning five awards.

15:17 11 January 2005

Low-budget comedy Sideways has swept the board at the Critics' Choice Awards in Los Angeles, winning five awards.

The road trip movie won best picture, best writer and best acting ensemble, and Thomas Haden Church and Virginia Madsen were both honoured with best supporting actor and actress respectively.

However, director Alexander Payne missed out on the best director award, which went to Martin Scorsese for biopic The Aviator.

Hilary Swank was given the best actress award for Clint Eastwood's boxing drama, Million Dollar Baby. Collateral star Jamie Foxx was named best actor for Ray, in which he plays the late blind musician Ray Charles.

Finding Neverland, which details the life of Peter Pan creator JM Barrie, picked up the award for best family film and young star Freddie Highmore picked up the young actor award.

The awards, given by the Broadcast Film Critics' Association, are generally a good indicator of who will win the much-coveted Oscars.

For the past five years both panels have picked the same best film, while they have agreed on the best director in eight out of the past nine years.