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Jessica Chastain poses with the best actress award backstage that she won for her role in Zero Dark Thirty at the 2013 Critics Choice Awards in California
Jessica Chastain poses with the best actress award backstage that she won for her role in "Zero Dark Thirty" at the 2013 Critics' Choice Awards in California Reuters

Iranian hostage drama Argo, directed by Hollywood actor Ben Affleck, was the big winner at the 18th annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards, at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California. The film, the producers of which include Affleck's fellow Hollywood star George Clooney, stars Affleck himself and Alan Arkin and John Goodman, among others.

Argo won awards for Best Movie and Best Director.

Meanwhile, Jennifer Lawrence (of The Hunger Games fame) took home the Best Actress in a Comedy for the Academy Award-nominated Silver Linings Playbook. The film also saw Best Actor in a Comedy for Bradley Cooper.

Other stars who took home awards included Jessica Chastain, Daniel Day-Lewis, Anne Hathaway, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones.

The ceremony was hosted by KTLA Los Angeles entertainment reporter Sam Rubin. The Critics' Choice Awards is conducted by the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the largest film critics organisation in the United States and Canada, representing more than 270 television, radio and online critics.

Check out an IBTimes UK report on the complete list of winners from the 18th annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards...

Click on Start to check out photographs of glamorous stars at the awards

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