The National Board of Review (NBR) has announced its winners, representing the best in cinema for 2025. The New York-based group is over 100 years old and consists of unknown voting members who are filmmakers, professionals, and academics. The winners for their Best Picture prize from the last fifteen years (or since when the Academy expanded the Best Picture lineup) were “Up In The Air,” “The Social Network,” “Hugo,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Her,” “A Most Violent Year,” “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Manchester By The Sea,” “The Post,” “Green Book,” “The Irishman,” “Da 5 Bloods,” “Licorice Pizza,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Killers Of The Flower Moon,” and “Wicked” with only one of those going on to win Best Picture, the first time since 2008’s winner, “Slumdog Millionaire.” While this group doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to predicting the Best Picture winner, their top 10 list is used by many to compare with the AFI Top 10 list to figure out where the Best Picture consensus currently lies. With that said, here are this year’s winners:
Best Film: One Battle After Another
Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Best Actress: Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Best Supporting Actor: Benicio Del Toro – One Battle After Another
Best Supporting Actress: Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
Best Directorial Debut: Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby
Breakthrough Performance: Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
Best Original Screenplay: Ryan Coogler – Sinners
Best Adapted Screenplay: Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar – Train Dreams
Best Animated Feature: Arco
Best International Film: It Was Just an Accident
Best Documentary: Cover-Up
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: Autumn Durald Arkapaw – Sinners
Outstanding Achievement in Stunt Artistry: Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk
TOP FILMS (in alphabetical order)
Avatar: Fire and Ash
F1
Frankenstein
Jay Kelly
Marty Supreme
Rental Family
Sinners
Train Dreams
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Wicked: For Good
TOP 5 INTERNATIONAL FILMS (in alphabetical order)
Left-Handed Girl
The Love That Remains
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sirāt
TOP 5 DOCUMENTARIES (in alphabetical order)
2000 Meters to Andriivka
Come See Me in the Good Light
My Mom Jayne
Natchez
Orwell: 2+2=5
TOP 10 INDEPENDENT FILMS (in alphabetical order)
The Baltimorons
Bring Her Back
Father Mother Sister Brother
Friendship
Good Boy
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
The Mastermind
Rebuilding
Sorry, Baby
Urchin
What do you think of the winners? Please let us know your thoughts on our X account. Click here for more upcoming awards season dates, here for the most recent tally of awards season winners, and here for our current Oscar predictions.
