The 5th Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, honoring the best in film for 1979, were announced on 15 December 1979 and given on 9 January 1980.
Winners
Best Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer Runners-up: Apocalypse Now and Breaking Away Best Director: Robert Benton – Kramer vs. Kramer Runners-up: Francis Ford Coppola – Apocalypse Now and Bob Fosse – All That Jazz Best Actor: Dustin Hoffman – Kramer vs. Kramer Runner-up: Roy Scheider – All That Jazz Best Actress: Sally Field – Norma Rae Runners-up: Marsha Mason – Chapter Two and Bette Midler – The Rose Best Supporting Actor: Melvyn Douglas – Being There and The Seduction of Joe Tynan Best Supporting Actress: Meryl Streep – Kramer vs. Kramer, Manhattan and The Seduction of Joe Tynan Best Screenplay: Robert Benton – Kramer vs. Kramer Best Cinematography: Caleb Deschanel – The Black Stallion Best Music Score: Carmine Coppola – The Black Stallion Best Foreign Film: Soldier of Orange (Soldaat van Oranje) • Belgium/Netherlands Runner-up: The Last Wave • Australia New Generation Award: John Carpenter Career Achievement Award: John Huston