NEW YORK (AP) — The National Society of Film Critics
selected Lars von Trier’s drama "Melancholia" as the best picture of
2011 during its annual meeting Saturday.
The society also named the movie’s star, Kirsten Dunst, as 2011’s best actress. The
film ponders the end of the world.
The
group, comprised of 58 prominent movie critics from around the country,
met Saturday at Sardi’s Restaurant in New York City to make its picks.
Society
members chose Brad Pitt as best actor for his performances in
"Moneyball" and "The Tree of Life." Albert Brooks, in
"Drive," and
Jessica Chastain, in "The Tree of Life" and two other movies, received
nods for supporting roles.
Terrance Malick was picked as best
director, also for "The Tree of Life," and Werner Herzog’s "Cave of

Forgotten Dreams" was selected as best nonfiction film.
The society, founded in 1966, also works to promote film preservation and
historically important movies.
This
year, it recognized Brooklyn’s BAMcinematek for its retrospective of
films by Vincente Minnelli, known for musicals and dramas; and the
Criterion Collection for its DVD package of "The Complete Jean Vigo."
The
group’s picks can help galvanize interest in films ahead of the Academy
Awards in February, but are not known to heavily influence who gets
picked for the Oscars.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.