Topping this year’s National Board of Review is Green Book, a film about a white bodyguard escorting a black pianist through the deep south. It won Best Picture and Best Actor for Viggo Mortensen. It was not, however, the most honored film. A Star Is Born managed to pick up three awards, for Lady Gaga, Sam Elliott in Support, and directing for Bradley Cooper. Also picking up two awards was If Beale Street Could Talk winning awards for screenwriting and Supporting Actress (Regina King). The first genuine precursor of the year shows there’s a lot of love to spread around this year and there’s no clear frontrunner. That said, many of these names have been on prediction lists for awhile, so there’s not a lot of surprises to go around.

Award Tallies

(3) A Star Is Born
(2) Green Book, If Beale Street Could Talk

The Awards

Best Picture

Green Book

Best Animated Film

Incredibles 2

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

First Reformed

Best Adapted Screenplay

If Beale Street Could Talk

Best Foreign Film

Cold War

Best Documentary

RBG

Best Ensemble

Crazy Rich Asians

Best Breakthrough Performance

Thomasin McKenzie – Leave No Trace

Best Directorial Debut

Bo Burnham – Eighth Grade

Freedom of Expression

22 July
On Her Shoulders

William K. Everson Film History Award

The Other Side of the Wind
They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead

Top Films

• The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
• Black Panther
• Can You Ever Forgive Me?
• Eighth Grade
• First Reformed
• Green Book
• If Beale Street Could Talk
• Mary Poppins Returns
• A Quiet Place
• Roma
• A Star Is Born

Top Independent Films

• 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

Top Foreign Films

• Burning
• Cold War
• Custody
• The Guilty
• Happy as Lazzaro
• Shoplifters

Top Documentaries

• Crime + Punishment
• Free Solo
• Minding the Gap
• RBG
• Three Identical Strangers
• Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

National Board of Review Data

Year Founded: December 24, 1908
First Awards: 1929 (90)