Netflix’s “Da 5 Bloods” is Named Best Film by National Board of Review
BY SCOTTIE KNOLLIN
Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods” was named Best Film by the National Board of Review. Lee was also named Best Director. In addition to those awards, the film’s casr, which includes Delroy Lindo and Chadwick Boseman in one of his final film roles, was named Best Ensemble. Lee’s win is especially significant as it marks only the second time a Black director has won the NBR Best Director prize. The first was Barry Jenkins for “Moonlight”.
Boseman was separately honored with the NBR Icon Award, which celebrates the work of leading cinematic artists who contribute meaningfully to the history, culture, and excellence of motion pictures.
Other films to win more than one NBR award are “Minari” and “Sound of Metal”. Each film earned two wins.
Surprisingly absent from the top awards was Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland”. The awards season favorite picked up just one win (Best Cinematography) and was included on the NBR Top Ten list. Other, even more notable misses include “The Trial of the Chicago 7”, once considered the Oscar frontrunner. Very few films over the past three decades have won the Academy Award for Best Picture without being, at least, named among the NBR Top Ten films. The most recent winner was Guillermo Del Toro’s “The Shape of Water”.
Honorees will be celebrated at a to-be-determined gala in New York City.
FULL LIST OF HONOREES:
BEST FILM
DA 5 BLOODS
BEST DIRECTOR
Spike Lee, DA 5 BLOODS
BEST ACTOR
Riz Ahmed, SOUND OF METAL
BEST ACTRESS
Carey Mulligan, PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Paul Raci, SOUND OF METAL
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Youn Yuh-jung, MINARI
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Paul Greengrass and Luke Davis, NEWS OF THE WORLD
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Lee Isaac Chung, MINARI
BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Sidney Flanigan, NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS
BEST DIRECTORIAL DEBUT
Channing Godfrey Peoples, MISS JUNETEENTH
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
SOUL
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
LA LLORONA
BEST DOCUMENTARY
TIME
NBR ICON AWARD
Chadwick Boseman
NBR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
NBR SPOTLIGHT AWARD
Radha Blank, for writing, directing, producing, and starring in THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD VERSION
BEST ENSEMBLE
DA 5 BLOODS
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Joshua James Richard, NOMADLAND
TOP FILMS (in alphabetical order)
FIRST COW
THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD VERSION
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
THE MIDNIGHT SKY
MINARI
NEWS OF THE WORLD
NOMADLAND
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
SOUL
SOUND OF METAL
TOP 5 FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILMS (in alphabetical order)
APPLES
COLLECTIVE
DEAR COMRADES
THE MOLE AGENT
NIGHT OF THE KINGS
TOP 5 DOCUMENTARIES (in alphabetical order)
ALL IN: THE FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY
BOYS STATE
DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD
MISS AMERICANA
THE TRUFFLE HUNTERS
TOP 10 INDEPENDENT FILMS (in alphabetical order)
THE CLIMB
DRIVEWAYS
FAREWELL AMOR
MISS JUNETEENTH
THE NEST
NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS
THE OUTPOST
RELIC
SAINT FRANCES
WOLFWAKERS
