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Iraq drama The Hurt Locker has been named the best picture of 2009 by the National Society of Film Critics. The film, about US bomb disposal experts stationed in Baghdad, also won honours for director Kathryn Bigelow and actor Jeremy Renner.Yolande Moreau was named best actress for her performance in French film Seraphine, about the painter Seraphine de Senlis. Joel and Ethan Coen won best screenplay for A Serious Man. The National Society of Film Critics includes 64 critics from leading US publications and websites. The society often picks foreign films or films popular with critics, and rarely do the winners mirror those at the Oscars, which are set for 7 March this year. Abusive mother Other winners included The Beaches of Agnes 40, an autobiographical documentary about the life of director Agnes Varda, which was chosen as the best non-fiction film. Summer Hours, a story of three siblings by French filmmaker Olivier Assayas, won best foreign language film. US comedian Mo'Nique, best known for her TV work, was named best supporting actress for her portrayal of an abusive mother in Precious. Austrian Christoph Waltz won for best supporting actor for his work as a charismatic Gestapo officer in Quentin Tarentino's Inglourious Basterds. Last month, The Hurt Locker was named the best picture of 2009 by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. It also featured in the American Film Institute's annual rundown of the year's 10 best movies.