For those who don’t know, the Arts and Faith Film Critics Circle is a fellowship of critics applying Christian perspectives to film through reviews and discussion, seeking to encourage revealing and intelligent dialogue about the human experience.

Formely the Promontory Film Critics Circle, this four-year-old association changed its name, updated its membership requirements, and revised its mission statement this year. Now under the name The Arts and Faith Film Critics Circle … due to our debates and discussions at www.ArtsandFaith.com … we’ve voted and chosen our nominees for our fourth annual film awards.

Many, many thanks to the critics who participated in the reformation of the [AFC]2 this year, and who contributed their votes for the best things they saw this year. (To see a current list of participating critics, click here.)

Here are the results, listed alphabetically.

Now, [AFC]2 critics have two weeks to try and catch up with those that they have missed before the final votes are collected.

NOMINEES FOR THE ARTS AND FAITH FILM CRITICS CIRCLE’S 2005 FILM AWARDS

MOST SIGNIFICANT EXPLORATION OF SPIRITUAL ISSUES

(Due to a four-way tie for fifth place, there are EIGHT nominees instead of five.)

Dogville

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Finding Neverland

The Passion of the Christ

The Return

The Sea Inside

Time of the Wolf

Twilight Samurai

BEST NARRATIVE FILM

Dogville

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

The Incredibles

The Passion of the Christ

Vera Drake

BEST DOCUMENTARY

(Due to a tie, there are six nominees instead of five.)

Control Room

Fahrenheit 9/11

The Five Obstructions

The Story of the Weeping Camel

Supersize Me

Touching the Void

BEST ACTOR

Jim Carrey – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Don Cheadle – Hotel Rwanda

Leonardo DiCaprio – The Aviator

Jamie Foxx – Ray

Paul Giamatti – Sideways

BEST ACTRESS

Julie Delpy- Before Sunset

Nicole Kidman – Dogville

Imelda Stauton – Vera Drake

Hilary Swank – Million Dollar Baby

Kate Winslett- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

(Due to a tie, there are six nominees instead of five.)

Morgan Freeman – Million Dollar Baby

John Hurt – Dogville (narrator)

Nick Nolte – Hotel Rwanda

Clive Owen – Closer

Mark Wahlberg – I Heart Huckabees

Peter Wight – Vera Drake

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett – The Aviator

Alex Kelly – Vera Drake

Maia Morgenstern – The Passion of the Christ

Sophie Okenodo – Hotel Rwanda

Sharon Warren – Ray

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST

Dogville

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Mean Creek

Sideways

Vera Drake

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Brad Bird – The Incredibles

Charlie Kaufman – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Mike Leigh, et al. – Vera Drake

Vladimir Moiseyenko and Aleksandr Novototsky – The Return

Lars Von Trier – Dogville

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Paul Haggis – Million Dollar Baby

Richard Linklater – Before Sunset

David Magee- Finding Neverland

Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor – Sideways

Daniel Pyne and Dean Georgaris – The Manchurian Candidate

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Hero

The Passion of the Christ

The Return

The Saddest Music in the World

Spring Summer Fall Winter … and Spring

BEST DIRECTOR

Mel Gibson – The Passion of the Christ

Michel Gondry – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Michael Haneke – Time of the Wolf

Mike Leigh – Vera Drake

Lars Von Trier – Dogville

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Jon Brion – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

T Bone Burnett (and various artists) – The Ladykillers

Andrei Dergachyov – The Return

David Holmes – Ocean’s Twelve

John Powell – The Bourne Supremacy

BEST FAMILY FILM

(Due to a tie, there are six nominees instead of five.)

Finding Neverland

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

The Incredibles

Miracle

The Polar Express

The Story of the Weeping Camel

I’m very pleased with this list, although it’s always hard to see favorites fall short by one or two votes. But this list represents a healthy diversity of interests and, um, “passions.”

I’m sure you’ll be stunned, as I am, by some inclusions AND some exclusions. But there they are. Such is the way of critics’ lists. (A narrator for Best Supporting Actor? Wow! No “Flying Daggers” for cinematography? Wow!)

But I’m excited that I now have extra motivation to seek out some of the things I’ve missed. Anybody know if “Twilight Samurai” is readily available on DVD yet?

If you have any questions, let me know: LookingCloserReview@msn.com.