2024 National Board of Review winners include ‘Wicked’ for Best Film, Nicole Kidman for Best Actress: See the full list
On Wednesday, the National Board of Review announced its winners for the 2024 calendar year, and it’s great news for “Wicked.” The blockbuster film adaptation of the popular Broadway musical won Best Film and Best Director for Jon M. Chu, plus the Spotlight Award for the Creative Collaboration between stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. (See the full list of winners below.) All of the NBR champions will receive their trophies at a New York City gala event on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, with Willie Geist serving as host.
This year’s lead acting trophies went to Daniel Craig (“Queer”) for Best Actor and Nicole Kidman (“Babygirl”) for Best Actress, while the supporting honors went to Kieran Culkin (“A Real Pain”) for Best Supporting Actor and Elle Fanning (“A Complete Unknown”) for Best Supporting Actress.
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Other NBR award winners include “Conclave” for Best Ensemble, Mikey Madison (“Anora”) for Breakthrough Performance, India Donaldson (“Good One”) for Best Directorial Debut, Mike Leigh (“Hard Truths”) for Best Original Screenplay, and Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar (“Sing Sing”) for Best Adapted Screenplay.
What is the National Board of Review? Here is how the awards group describes its own origin story: “Since 1909, 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 participates in illuminating discussions with directors, actors, producers and screenwriters before announcing their selections for the best work of the year. Since first citing year-end cinematic achievements in 1929, NBR has recognized a vast selection of outstanding studio, independent, foreign-language, animated and documentary films, often propelling recipients into the larger awards conversation.”
SEE2025 Oscars race scorecard: ‘Wicked’ tops NBR winners
As a refresher, last year the NBR bestowed “Killers of the Flower Moon” with a leading four honors: Best Film, Best Director for Martin Scorsese, Best Actress for Lily Gladstone, and Best Cinematography for Rodrigo Prieto. Elsewhere, Paul Giamatti won Best Actor for “The Holdovers,” Mark Ruffalo took Best Supporting Actor for “Poor Things,” and Da’Vine Joy Randolph claimed Best Supporting Actress for “The Holdovers.” Out of all of the major categories, only Randolph went on to prevail at the Oscars.
Heads up: the last movie that won Best Film at NBR and Best Picture at the Oscars was “Green Book” during the 2018 awards cycle, so the two groups aren’t necessarily in sync with each other when it comes to winners. Sound off on what you think of “Wicked’s” big wins in our movie forums.
Below is the full list of the 2024 National Board of Review winners:
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
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