The National Board of Review (NBR) has announced its picks for the best films and performances of 2018. The organization is made up of film enthusiasts, industry professionals, academics, and filmmakers.
The NBR is one of the first organizations to announce its end-of-the-year selections, followed closely by the New York Film Critics Circle (November 29).
The NBR plaudits mark the first major award wins for the Peter Farrelly-directed film Green Book, which was inspired by the true friendship that developed between Italian driver Tony Vallelonga (Mortensen) and black musician Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) on a road trip through the deep south during the 1960s. The film, which hit theaters on November 16, has received stellar reviews and won the audience award at the 2018 Toronto Film Festival. Universal is hoping that continued award wins through awards season boosts the film’s box office, which has been poor.
The full list of 2018 National Board of Review winners is below.
Best film: Green Book
Best director: Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born
Best actor: Viggo Mortensen, Green Book
Best actress: Lady Gaga, A Star is Born
Best supporting actor: Sam Elliott, A Star is Born
Best supporting actress: Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
Best original screenplay: Paul Schrader, First Reformed
Best adapted screenplay: Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk
Best animated feature: Incredibles 2
Breakthrough performance: Thomasin McKenzie, Leave No Trace
Best directorial debut: Bo Burnham, Eighth Grade
Best foreign language film: Cold War
Best documentary: RBG
Best ensemble: Crazy Rich Asians
William K. Everson film history award: The Other Side of the Wind and They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead
NBR Freedom of Expression award: 22 July
NBR Freedom of Expression award: On Her Shoulders
Top 10 films (in alphabetical order)
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Black Panther
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Eighth Grade
First Reformed
If Beale Street Could Talk
Mary Poppins Returns
A Quiet Place
Roma
A Star Is Born
Top 5 foreign language films (in alphabetical order)
Burning
Custody
The Guilty
Happy as Lazzaro
Shoplifters
Top 5 documentaries (in alphabetical order)
Crime + Punishment
Free Solo
Minding the Gap
Three Identical Strangers
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Top 10 independent films (in alphabetical order)
The Death of Stalin
Lean on Pete
Leave No Trace
Mid90s
The Old Man & the Gun
The Rider
Searching
Sorry to Bother You
We the Animals
You Were Never Really Here
