National Board of Review Honors Cinema’s Best

Awards season is in full swing and the best of 2019 are shining bright in the spotlight. The National Board of Review celebrated the year’s outstanding achievements at its Annual Awards Gala last night at Cipriana 42^nd Street.

It was a grand night for winners including Kathy Bates (Best Supporting Actress: Richard Jewell); Roger Deakins (Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography; 1917); Bonnie Arnold, Dean DeBlois, Bradford Lewis (Best Animated Feature; How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World); Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Frank Oz(Best Ensemble; Knives Out); Paul Walter Hauser (Breakthrough Performance: Richard Jewell); Tracy Edwards, Alex Holmes (Best Documentary: Maiden); Bong Joon-ho (Best Foreign Language Film: Parasite);  Melina Matsoukas (Best Directorial Debut: Queen & Slim); Brad Pitt (Best Supporting Actor: Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood);  Adam Sandler (Best Actor: Uncut Gems); Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie, Ronald Bronstein (Best Original Screenplay: Uncut Gems); Quentin Tarantino (Best Director: Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood); Steven Zaillian (Best Adapted Screenplay: The Irishman); Renée Zellweger (Best Actress:  Judy); Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino (NBR Icon Award); Waad Al-Kateab,  Edward Watts (NBR Freedom of Expression Award; For Sama); and Asher Goldstein, Rob Morgan, Tim Blake Nelson, Bryan Stevenson, (NBR Freedom of Expression Award; Just Mercy).

“It is an honor to be here tonight,” Roger Deakins said on the red carpet. “I am used to being on the other side (behind the scenes), so moments like this are always nice.” 

Willie Geist emceed the evening with attendees and presenters including: Drew Barrymore, Ram Bergman, Kathryn Bigelow, Marie Brenner, Timothée Chalamet, Bradley Cooper, Whoopi Goldberg, Salma Hayek, Rian Johnson, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Tom McCarthy, Lupita Nyong’o, Bryan Pitts, Billy Porter, Sam Rockwell, Jane Rosenthal, Bruce Springsteen, Bryan Stevenson, Uma Thurman, and Lena Waithe.

 For 110 years, the National Board of Review has dedicated its efforts to the support of cinema as both art and entertainment. Each year, this select group of film enthusiasts, filmmakers, professionals and academics of varying ages and backgrounds watches over 250 films and participates in illuminating discussions with directors, actors, producers and screenwriters before announcing their selections for the best work of the year.