Roman Polanski's The Pianist swept the board at the National Society Of Film Critics awards voted on by 55 US film critics at Sardi's Restaurant in New York City on Saturday night. The film won best picture, best director, best screenplay and best actor categories, continuing the divided awards season which has seen no one film taking the lead.

Late last year, the National Board Of Review voted for The Hours as its best film, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association voted for About Schmidt while the New York Film Critics Circle voted for Far From Heaven.

Voting for the awards is conducted using a weighted ballot system and saw The Pianist take 29 points over runner-up Y Tu Mama Tambien with 19 points and second runner-up Talk To Her with 12 points.

Adrien Brody won best actor for his part in The Pianist, Diane Lane won best actress for Unfaithful, Christopher Walken supporting actor for Catch Me If You Can and Patricia Clarkson supporting actress for Far From Heaven.

Y Tu Mama Tambien was voted best foreign language picture and Standing In The Shadows Of Motown best non-fiction picture.

A film heritage award was given "to Kino International for its theatrical release of the restored long version of Fritz Lang's Metropolis and its DVD releases of Lang's Die Nibelungen and the special boxed set of classic D. W. Griffith silent features and shorts."

A special citation was given "to the UCLA Film and Television Archives for its long-lived and heroic work in film preservation, restoration, and resurrection, including its recent rehabilitation of rehearsal and test footage from Charles Laughton's Night of the Hunter."

FULL LIST OF 2002 AWARDS NATIONAL SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS AWARDS

Best Picture

1 The Pianist 29 points

2 Y Tu Mamá Tambien 19

3 Talk to Her 12

Best Foreign Language Picture

1 Y Tu Mama Tambien (Mexico) 55 points

2 Talk To Her (Spain) 47

3 Time Out (France) 37

Best Director

1 Roman Polanski The Pianist 31 points

2 Pedro Almodovar Talk To Her 20

3 Alfonso Cuaron Y Tu Mama Tambien 19

Best Screenplay

1 Ronald Harwood The Pianist 29 points

2 Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor About Schmidt 15

3 Alfonso Cuaron & Carlos Cuaron Y Tu Mama Tambien 14

Best Nonfiction Film

1 Standing In The Shadows Of Motown 22 points

2 The Cockettes 15

3 Domestic Violence 13 & The Kid Stays In The Picture 13

Best Cinematography

1 Ed Lachman Far From Heaven 51 points

2 Pawel Edelman The Pianist 20

3 Robert Elswit Punch-Drunk Love 18

Best Actor

1 Adrien Brody The Pianist 28 points

2 Michael Caine The Quiet American 22

3 Aurelien Recoing Time Out 16

Best Supporting Actor

1 Christopher Walken Catch Me If You Can 28 points

2 Chris Cooper Adaptation 26

3 Alan Arkin 13 Conversations About One Thing 13

Best Actress

1 Diane Lane Unfaithful 29 points

2 Maggie Gyllenhaal Secretary 14

3 Isabelle Huppert The Piano Teacher 14

Best Supporting Actress

1 Patricia Clarkson* Far From Heaven 24 points

2 Fiona Shaw Triumph Of Love 24

3 Kathy Bates About Schmidt 15

* Clarkson won because she was on more ballots