The 2016 Awards Season has begun.
The National Board of Review has announced its choices for the best achievements in filmmaking for the past year, coming out of the gate just ahead of the New York Film Critics Circle (the two orgs have been fighting for pole position the past few years). Along with their picks for the best films of the year, awards were given for Best Actor, Actress, and many more of the usual suspects. (Complete list below.)
Per usual, this eclectic group mixes expected citations with surprising snubs, ignoring some artier fair for more mainstream offerings. Still, many of the year’s most critically-acclaimed films have made the cut, including their Best Film choice Manchester by the Sea, which is an Academy Award frontrunner. The NBR also chose that indie drama’s star Casey Affleck for Best Actor. He’ll likely be duking it out for that honor on Oscar night with Denzel Washington (for the upcoming Fences, absent from this list).
Absent are likely contenders Jackie, Loving, and the Weinstein Company’s one hope Lion.
NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW
Best of 2016
Best Film: Manchester by the Sea
Other Top Films (listed alphabetically)
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
Hail, Caesar!
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Moonlight
Patriot’s Day
Silence
Sully
Best Director: Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
Best Actor: Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Best Actress: Amy Adams, Arrival
Best Supporting Actor: Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water
Best Supporting Actress: Naomie Harris, Moonlight
Best Original Screenplay: Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea
Best Adapted Screenplay: Jay Cocks and Martin Scorsese, Silence
Best Animated Feature: Kubo and the Two Strings
Breakthrough Performance (Male): Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea
Breakthrough Performance (Female): Royalty Hightower, The Fits
Best Directorial Debut: Trey Edward Shults, Krisha
Best Foreign Language Film: The Salesman
Best Documentary: O.J.: Made in America
Best Ensemble: Hidden Figures
Spotlight Award: Creative Collaboration of Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: Cameraperson
Top 5 Foreign Language Films
Elle
The Handmaiden
Julieta
Land of Mine
Neruda
Top 5 Documentaries
De Palma
The Eagle Huntress
Gleason
Life, Animated
Miss Sharon Jones!
Top 10 Independent Films
20th Century Women
Captain Fantastic
Creative Control
Eye in the Sky
The Fits
Green Room
Hello, My Name is Doris
Krisha
Morris from America
Sing Street
Honoring annual achievements in film since 1929, the National Board of Review is a “select group of film enthusiasts, filmmakers, professionals, academics, and students of varying ages and backgrounds” who watch over 250 films and participate in discussions with directors, actors, producers, and screenwriters before making and announcing their selections.
Click on links below for other Critics Group Awards and Guild Nominees that have been announced so far this season:
Academy Award Nominees
Golden Globe Winners
Screen Actors Guild Winners
Directors Guild of America Nominees
Producers Guild of America Winners
Writers Guild of America Nominees
National Society of Film Critics
New York Film Critics Circle
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
Boston Society of Film Critics
Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics Association
Critics’ Choice Awards Winners