The National Board of Review honored the top names in the movie industry on Thursday, with director Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza walking away with two of the event’s top awards for Best Film and Best Director.
King Richard had two winners, with Will Smith taking Best Actor for his titular role and Aunjanue Ellis winning Best Supporting Actress for her role of Brandi Williams. Rachel Zegler was recognized as Best Actress for playing Maria in Steven Spielberg‘s West Side Story.
Two more movies won multiple awards: The Tragedy of Macbeth had Joel Coen take Best Original Screenplay and Bruno Delbonnel win Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography; A Hero won Best Foreign Language Film, with Asghar Farhadi winning Best Adapted Screenplay.
Annie Schulhof, president of the National Board of Review, talked about Licorice Pizza’s success: “In a moment of transition and uncertainty, there is nothing like Licorice Pizza to remind us of the joy, hope and exhilaration that great cinema can inspire.”
The NBR and its voters composed of filmmakers, film enthusiasts, professionals, academics and students considered 221 films for this year’s edition. The event historically provides the public with a preview of who will likely take an Oscar home. The 94th Academy Awards are slowly approaching on March 27, 2022.
Find the full list of NBR winners below.
Best Film: Licorice Pizza
Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza
Best Actor: Will Smith, King Richard
Best Actress: Rachel Zegler, West Side Story
Best Supporting Actor: Ciarán Hinds, Belfast
Best Supporting Actress: Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard
Best Adapted Screenplay: Asghar Farhadi, A Hero
Best Original Screenplay: Joel Coen, The Tragedy of Macbeth
Breakthrough Performance: Alana Haim & Cooper Hoffman, Licorice Pizza
Best Directorial Debut: Michael Sarnoski, Pig
Best Animated Feature: Encanto
Best Foreign Language Film: A Hero
Best Documentary: Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
Best Ensemble: The Harder They Fall
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: Bruno Delbonnel, The Tragedy of Macbeth
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: Flee
Top Films (in alphabetical order)
Belfast
Don’t Look Up
Dune
King Richard
The Last Duel
Nightmare Alley
Red Rocket
The Tragedy of Macbeth
West Side Story
Top 5 Foreign Language Films (in alphabetical order)
Benedetta
Lamb
Lingui, The Sacred Bonds
Titane
The Worst Person in the World
Top 5 Documentaries (in alphabetical order)
Ascension
Attica
Flee
The Rescue
Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain
Top 10 Independent Films (in alphabetical order)
The Card Counter
C’mon C’mon
CODA
The Green Knight
Holler
Jockey
Old Henry
Pig
Shiva Baby
The Souvenir Part II
We’re proud to announce The National Board of Review Honorees for 2021!#NBRawards #NBRgala #NBRtop10
Find more info on our site:https://t.co/ywlnaDMxNQ
— NBR (@NBRfilm) December 2, 2021
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Rodrigo Barbosa is a Brazilian-born, Houston-based journalist.
