SANTA MONICA (AFP).- Hollywood's award season was in full swing late Sunday, with Alfonso Cuaron's "Roma" - an ode to the director's childhood in 1970s Mexico City - the big winner at the Critics' Choice Awards.

"Roma" won trophies for best picture, best foreign-language film, and for both director and cinematography for Cuaron.

"This bunch of Mexicans are not as bad as sometimes they are portrayed," said Cuaron, a reference to President Donald Trump's hardline rhetoric on immigration.

Shot in black and white, and filmed in Spanish and the indigenous Mixtec language, "Roma" is a semi-autobiographical chronicle of a year in the life of Cuaron's family and his childhood nanny.

"Roma" - the title a reference to a posh Mexico City neighborhood -- earlier won two Golden Globes and is a leading contender for an Oscar at the Academy Awards ceremony in February.

Christian Bale, who portrayed former US vice president Dick Cheney in "Vice," won awards in the Best Actor and Best Actor in a Comedy categories, while Glenn Close ("The Wife") and Lady Gaga ("A Star is Born") jointly won in the Best Actress category.

Mahershala Ali ("Green Book") walked away with a Best Supporting Actor win, while Regina King ("If Beale Street Could Talk") won for Best Supporting Actress.

'Crazy Rich Asians' wins
Offbeat 18th century royal romp "The Favourite," which entered the ceremony with 14 nominations, won the award for Best Acting Ensemble, while its star Olivia Colman won the Best Actress in a Comedy award.

"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" won the Best Animated Feature award, beating out stiff competition from Pixar-Disney's "The Incredibles 2," Disney's "Ralph Breaks the Internet," and director Wes Anderson's quirky "Isle of Dogs."

Tom Cruise vehicle "Mission: Impossible -- Fallout" won the Best Action Movie award, beating Marvel-Disney box office blockbusters "Black Panther" and "Avengers: Infinity War."

The multi-nominated "Black Panther" however won awards for Best Visual Effects, Best Costume Design and Best Production Design.

"Crazy Rich Asians" won in the Best Comedy category, beating out "The Favourite" and "The Death of Stalin," among others, while John Krasinski's hair-raising post-apocalyptic movie "A Quiet Place" won in the Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie category.

In the music categories, "Shallow" sung by Lady Gaga in "A Star Is Born" won Best Song, while Justin Hurwitz won in the Best Score category for "First Man." The film "Mary Poppins Returns" was nominated for awards in several categories, including the latter two, but walked away empty handed.

Seen as a barometer for the Oscars, the Critics' Choice Awards also includes prizes for the best of television.

"The Americans" took the award for Best Drama Series, while "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" took the Best Comedy Series award, with its star Rachel Brosnahan winning in the Best Actress in a Comedy Series category.

The annual event is was held by the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association. The Sunday show was hosted by actor Taye Diggs.


© Agence France-Presse