L.A. film critics association names Yoon Jung-hee best actress of 2011

South Korean actress Yoon Jung-hee was chosen as the best actress of the year by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) for her lead role in the award-winning South Korean film "Poetry."

The association announced a list of the 2011 award winners, including Yoon, on Sunday (L.A. standard time).

Yoon won the honor, beating her close competitor from Hollywood, Kirsten Dunst, the winner of the best actress award at this year's Cannes Film Festival for her performance in "Melancholia," the association said.

It marked the second straight year a South Korean actress has received the best actress award from LAFCA following Kim Hye-ja, who received the award in 2010 for her role in Bong Joon-ho's "Mother."

Founded in 1975, the LAFCA is comprised of Los Angeles-based, professional film critics working in Los Angeles print and electronic media. It votes every December to choose award winners.

Directed by Lee Chang-dong and released in 2010, "Poetry"

depicts a woman in her 60s who develops a belated interest in poetry while battling Alzheimer's disease and guilt over a heinous family crime. The film has won a slew of international awards, including the best screenplay award at the Cannes International Film Festival last year.