On the eve of taking the Golden Globe Awards nod for best foreign language picture, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was named best film of the year by the Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA).

The picture's closest rival was Steven Soderbergh's Traffic, for which Soderbergh was named best director. Although Traffic came in as runner-up for best film, the picture's Benecio Del Toro came away with best actor.

The journalists association also judged Crouching Tiger's young star Zhang Ziyi best supporting actress. The film's Ang Lee was the runner-up for best director.

Kenneth Lonergan won the screenplay title for his film You Can Count On Me. The film's star, Laura Linney, was named best actress.

The best supporting actor award saw a tie between Wonder Boys' Tobey Maguire and Shaft's Jeffrey Wright. Gary Burns' waydowntown was named best Canadian film of 2000.

To be eligible for a TFCA award, a film must make its theatrical debut in Toronto during the calendar year.