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National Board of Review Also Goes Zero Dark Thirty

Source: National Board of Review , Edward Douglas

December 5, 2012

Today, the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures (NBR) announced their 2012 awards, and as with the New York Film Critics Circle a couple of days ago, they went with Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty as their Best Film, also honoring Bigelow for her direction and Jessica Chastain for her performance.

Bradley Cooper was awarded for Best Actor for his performance in David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook (which also was honored for its screenplay) while Leonardo DiCaprio got supporting actor for his performance in Quentin Tarantion's Western Django Unchained.

The NBR pulled out a lot of nice surprises such as Rian Johnson's screenplay for Looper receiving honors for its Original Screenplay and actress Ann Dowd receiving the same in the Supporting Actress category for Craig Zobel's controversial Sundance thriller Compliance.

What's interesting is that NBR and the New York Film Critics Circle have rarely agreed on their Best Film picks, this being only the fifth time in 20 years where their picks coincided. The last time this happened was with David Fincher's The Social Network and the time before that with the Coens' No Country for Old Men. The latter went on to win Best Picture at the Oscars while the former did not. Their previous overlap was with L.A. Confidential, which lost on Oscar night to James Cameron's Titanic, while their previous two in common, Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List and The Silence of the Lambs both won Best Picture.

NBR's 2012 Gala awards presentation will take place on January 8, 2013, hosted by Meredith Vieira. You can read the full press release and list of winners below:

The National Board of Review has named ZERO DARK THIRTY the 2012 Best Film of the Year.

Below is a full list of the awards given by the National Board of Review:

Best Film: ZERO DARK THIRTY
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, ZERO DARK THIRTY
Best Actor: Bradley Cooper, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain, ZERO DARK THIRTY
Best Supporting Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, DJANGO UNCHAINED
Best Supporting Actress: Ann Dowd, COMPLIANCE
Best Original Screenplay: Rian Johnson, LOOPER
Best Adapted Screenplay: David O. Russell, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
Best Animated Feature: WRECK-IT RALPH
Special Achievement in Filmmaking: Ben Affleck, ARGO
Breakthrough Actor: Tom Holland, THE IMPOSSIBLE
Breakthrough Actress: Quvenzhané Wallis, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
Best Directorial Debut: Benh Zeitlin, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
Best Foreign Language Film: AMOUR
Best Documentary: SEARCHING FOR SUGARMAN
William K. Everson Film History Award: 50 YEARS OF BOND FILMS
Best Ensemble: LES MISÉRABLES
Spotlight Award: John Goodman (ARGO, FLIGHT, PARANORMAN, TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE)
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: CENTRAL PARK FIVE
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: PROMISED LAND

Top Films
(in alphabetical order)

ARGO
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
DJANGO UNCHAINED
LES MISÉRABLES
LINCOLN
LOOPER
THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER
PROMISED LAND
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

Top 5 Foreign Language Films
(In Alphabetical Order)

BARBARA
THE INTOUCHABLES
THE KID WITH A BIKE
NO
WAR WITCH

Top 5 Documentaries
(In Alphabetical Order)

AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY
DETROPIA
THE GATEKEEPERS
THE INVISIBLE WAR
ONLY THE YOUNG

Top 10 Independent Films
(In Alphabetical Order)

ARBITRAGE
BERNIE
COMPLIANCE
END OF WATCH
HELLO I MUST BE GOING
LITTLE BIRDS
MOONRISE KINGDOM
ON THE ROAD
QUARTET
SLEEPWALK WITH ME

“ZERO DARK THIRTY is a masterful film,” said Annie Schulhof, NBR President. “Kathryn Bigelow takes the viewer inside a definitive moment of our time in a visceral and unique way. It is exciting, provocative and deeply emotional.”

A select group of knowledgeable film enthusiasts and professionals, academics, young filmmakers and students, the National Board of Review viewed over 250 films this year including studio, independent, foreign-language, animated and documentary selections. These screenings were frequently followed by in-depth discussions with filmmakers, directors, actors, producers, and screenwriters. Voting ballots were tabulated by the accounting firm of Lutz & Carr, LLP.

The National Board of Review honors diverse members of the film community at their annual Awards Gala, which also acts as a fundraiser for student grant philanthropy. Hosted by Meredith Vieira, this year’s gala will take place on January 8, 2013 at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City.

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