The National Society of Film Critics on Jan. 6 named Guillermo del Toro's Spanish-language fantasy film Pan's Labyrinth the year's best picture, the Reuters news service reported. The vote of confidence, coming weeks before the announcement of the Academy Award nominees, bucks a national trend favoring nominations for more realistic fare, the wire service reported.

Pan's Labyrinth, which is Mexico's candidate for a best-foreign-language-film Oscar nomination, tells the story of Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), who is enraptured by fairy tales and magic lands and who comes to live in an enchanted forest with her mother in the era of Spanish fascism.

Oscar nominees will be named Jan. 23, and winners will be unveiled at the annual Hollywood gala on Feb 25.

The National Society of Film Critics also gave an award to Emmanuel Lubezki for best cinematography for the SF epic Children of Men.