Founded in 1935, the prestigious New York Film Critics Circle, grouping together the critics of various New York daily and weekly newspapers and magazines, has just announced its 2001awards list.

Although many American films are among the frontrunners, including David Lynch’s “Mullholland Drive,” awarded Best Film of the Year, French productions have not been left behind. Agnès Varda’s “The Gleaners and I” was named Best Documentary, while the late Jacques Demy, whose “Lola” (1961) and “Bay of Angels” have been re-released in restored prints, was given a special prize.

New Yorkers’ appreciation for Varda was echoed by the Los Angeles Critics Circle, who also awarded her film the Best Documentary accolade. The Best Foreign Film went to a French co-production, “No Man’s Land” by Danis Tanovic.