The National Board of Review has unveiled its 2024 awards winners list. The announcement comes amid the churn of a busy awards week — the New York Film Critics Circle shared their picks on Tuesday, while the Film Independent Spirit Awards rolled out its nominees Wednesday. The AFI Awards list of the 10 best films of the year also unveils Thursday. The Gotham Awards, meanwhile, took place Monday in New York, crowning “A Different Man” the best independent feature of the year.
The National Board of Review awards gala will take place on Tuesday, January 7, 2025 in New York. The splashy musical “Wicked” was the big winner, taking prizes for Best Film and Best Director for Jon M. Chu. On the acting side, Daniel Craig (“Queer”), Nicole Kidman (“Babygirl”), Kieran Culkin (“A Real Pain”), and Elle Fanning (“A Complete Unknown”) took acting honors. The event will be hosted by MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” co-anchor Willie Geist.
Per an NBR press release, “This year, 246 films were viewed by a select group of film enthusiasts, filmmakers, professionals, academics, and students, many of which were followed by in-depth discussions with directors, actors, producers, and screenwriters. Ballots were tabulated by the accounting firm of Lutz and Carr CPA.”
“‘Wicked’ represents the pure magic that movies can bring to audiences. Every detail is beautifully crafted and designed, the actors are all exceptional and the music is second-to-none — together it adds up to a transporting experience like no other. The NBR is proud to honor director John M. Chu and his remarkable cinematic vision,” said NBR president Annie Schulhof.
Last year, Martin Scorsese’s epic Apple TV+ drama “Killers of the Flower Moon” was the crown jewel of the NBR. The group is comprised of a gaggle of tastemakers and film enthusiasts as random as the former Golden Globes, their choices often equally as wily and unpredictable. The NBR tends toward the mainstream, with “Green Book” and “Mad Max: Fury Road” (“Furiosa” is here this year) among past winners. But they do like to honor independent and international films with their own respective lists, as reflected here. The NBR also makes room for rising talents, too, as you’ll see across their breakthrough categories.
See the full list of National Board of Review 2024 winners below.
Best Film: Wicked
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 Ensemble: Conclave
Breakthrough Performance: Mikey Madison, Anora
Best Directorial Debut: India Donaldson, Good One
Best Original Screenplay: Mike Leigh, Hard Truths
Best Adapted Screenplay: Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar, Sing Sing
NBR Spotlight Award: Creative Collaboration of Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande
NBR Freedom of Expression Award:No Other Land
Best Animated Feature:Flow
Best International Film: The Seed of the Sacred Fig
Best Documentary: Sugarcane
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: Jarin Blaschke, Nosferatu
Outstanding Achievement in Stunt Artistry:Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Top Films (in alphabetical order):
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 (in alphabetical order):
All We Imagine As Light
The Girl with the Needle
I’m Still Here
Santosh
Universal Language
Top 5 Documentaries (in alphabetical order):
Black Box Diaries
Dahomey
Look Into My Eyes
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Will & Harper
Top 10 Independent Films (in alphabetical order):
Bird
A Different Man
Dìdi
Ghostlight
Good One
Hard Truths
His Three Daughters
Love Lies Bleeding
My Old Ass
Thelma
