The 96th National Board of review, along with the AFI annual top ten list, is the first real indication as to how the ten Best Picture nominees may line up come Oscar night in March. While the NBR has a far weaker correlation to the eventual Academy Award line-up compared to AFI, it is still interesting to see who is looking strong at this early stage.
Surprise exclusions from the Top 10 Films include “Dune: Part Two”, “The Brutalist” and “Nickel Boys”, with “Emilia Perez” and “The Substance” most likely being seen as ineligible due to their international co-productions. The NBR have always been unpredictable with their award winners, and this year is no exception with “Wicked” being the big winner taking the top Best Film prize as well as Director for Jon M. Chu.
Every above the line category was quite surprising with awards going to individuals seen as being on the fringes of their respective categories when it comes to Oscar predictions. These include Daniel Craig “Queer”, Nicole Kidman “Babygirl” and Elle Fanning “A Complete Unknown” in the acting categories, as well as wins for “Hard Truths” and “Sing Sing” in their respective screenplay categories.
Full list of Natural Board of Review winners:
Top 10 Films
- Wicked (Winner)
- Anora
- Babygirl
- A Complete Unknown
- Conclave
- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
- Gladiator II
- Juror #2
- Queer
- A Real Pain
- Sing Sing
Top 5 International Films
- The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Winner)
- All We Imagine is Light
- The Girl with the Needle
- I’m Still Here
- Santosh
- Universal Language
Top 5 Documentaries
- Sugarcane (Winner)
- Black Box Diaries
- Dahomey
- Look into My Eyes
- Super/man: The Christopher Reeve Story
- Will & Harper
Top 10 Independent Films
- Bird
- A Different Man
- Didi
- Ghostlight
- Good One
- Hard Truths
- His Three Daughters
- Love Lies Bleeding
- My Old Ass
- Thelma
Other Winners:
- Best Director: Jon M. Chu “Wicked”
- Best Actor: Daniel Craig “Queer”
- Best Actress: Nicole Kidman “Babygirl”
- Best Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin “A Real Pain”
- Best Supporting Actress: Elle Fanning “A Complete Unknown”
- Best Original Screenplay: Mike Leigh “Hard Truths”
- Best Adapted Screenplay: Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar “Sing Sing”
- Best Animated Feature: “Flow”
- Breathrhough Performance: Mikey Madison “Anora”
- Vest Directorial Debut: India Donaldson “Good One”
- Best Ensemble Cast: “Conclave”
- Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: “Nosferatu”
- Outstanding Achievement in Stunt Artistry: “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”
- NBR Spotlight Award: Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande “Wicked”
- NBR Freedom of Expression Award: “No Other Land”
Dan Loves Film 
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