Awards season is officially in full swing, with nominations and winners from major precursors arriving almost daily. So stay tuned for frequent updates and analysis in our new segment, Awards Season Insider. This afternoon, the National Board of Review unveiled their annual winners. As one of Hollywood’s oldest voting bodies, the NBR doesn’t always predict the Oscars accurately, but their choices do help clarify which films are gaining early momentum.
One Battle After Another continued its remarkable win streak, being named NBR’s Film of the Year after already taking the top prizes from both the New York Film Critics Circle and the Gotham Awards this week. This is an exceptionally strong start, stronger than even Oppenheimer’s dominant run, and it suggests the film may steamroll through the season. In addition to Best Film, NBR also awarded Paul Thomas Anderson Best Director, Leonardo DiCaprio Best Actor, and Benicio Del Toro Best Supporting Actor. Del Toro, coming off another win over co-star Sean Penn at NYFCC, is beginning to look like a potential frontrunner if this trajectory continues. Chase Infiniti also rebounded with a win for Breakthrough Performance, following her shocking loss at the Gothams to Abou Sangaré for Souleymane’s Story.
Rose Byrne continues her strong early-season run, winning Best Actress for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You after already taking the prize at NYFCC. It’s exactly the kind of performance that needs strong support from critics groups, especially since the film itself is small and isn’t showing up where expected, most notably missing out on Best Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards. This win is a crucial boost for Byrne, and it’s refreshing to see NBR recognize her instead of presumed favourite Jessie Buckley, who already feels locked for both a nomination and likely win at the Oscars
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleas also received a valuable push, winning Best Supporting Actress for Sentimental Value. As a newcomer delivering a foreign-language performance, and competing in a category where her Hollywood co-star Elle Fanning is also campaigning, these critics’ wins are going to be crucial in keeping her in the conversation.
Best Original Screenplay went to Ryan Coogler for Sinners, which also won for Best Cinematography for Autumn Durald Arkapaw. Adapted Screenplay was awarded to Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar for Train Dreams, a film that continues to surge. It not only cracked NBR’s Top 10 Films list but also scored four Independent Spirit Award nominations, marking a very strong day for the film.
Best Directorial Debut deservedly went to Eva Victor for Sorry, Baby, which felt like the clear choice. In one of NBR’s bigger surprises, Animated Feature went to Arco, which is not as much in line with the traditional studio fare NBR typically honours in this category.
In addition to awarding One Battle After Another with Best Film, they released their annual list of 10 other nominees. They are as followed:
- 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
Most of these selections line up with the NBR’s usual taste for American filmmaking steeped in classic craft, spectacle, and broad audience appeal. Frankenstein, Marty Supreme, and Sinners all feel like secure Oscar contenders and were obvious selections here, but the question now becomes: which of the remaining titles can crack the Academy’s top ten? Considering Top Gun: Maverick won NBR’s top prize not long ago, it’s not shocking to see F1 make the cut. It’s exactly the kind of exhilarating crowd-pleaser the group gravitates toward, even if its awards prospects in the major Oscar categories remain limited.
Netflix had an excellent showing, landing four films on the list. Jay Kelly is precisely the sort of title NBR would embrace: a film about Hollywood led by A-listers like George Clooney and Adam Sandler. The film’s profile is huge, even if critics haven’t embraced, so endorsements like this are essential to keeping it in the race. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery landing here is an especially surprising, and it suggests the film may potentially have legs beyond Adapted Screenplay alone. Meanwhile, Train Dreams continues its steady ascent. With growing awards momentum, four Independent Spirit Award nominations today, and now an NBR Top 10 placement, it’s inching closer to what increasingly feels like a lock for a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars, especially if it secures a critics choice award nomination tomorrow.
NBR went with both of the two major blockbuster sequels this year: Avatar: Fire and Ash and Wicked: For Good. Neither is as critically acclaimed as the films that came before. Early reactions suggest Fire and Ash is a slight step down for the Avatar series, and Wicked: For Good hasn’t nearly matched the enthusiasm generated by Part One, despite huge box office returns. Whether either film can follow in their predecessors’ footsteps with Best Picture nominations is still unclear, but landing here certainly helps their cases.
The most surprising inclusion was Rental Family, which had seemed entirely out of the awards conversation after missing TIFF’s People’s Choice shortlist and then quietly rolling out in theaters. Searchlight even acquired The Testament of Ann Lee to steer their awards campaign in a different direction—yet Rental Family may now be primed for an unexpected resurgence.
The biggest shock on the omission front was Hamnet, a presumed top-tier Oscar contender that felt like a lock for NBR recognition. The only plausible explanation is NBR’s traditional preference for American filmmaking; it is a British production. Still, it’s the type of sweeping, prestige drama they typically embrace, making its absence particularly striking. Focus Features was completely shut out, with Bugonia and Song Sung Blue—which some awards pundits expected to appear—also missing the list.
For those wondering why Sentimental Value didn’t crack the Top 10 despite Inga Ibsdotter Lilleas winning Best Supporting Actress, it was recognized in NBR’s Top 5 International Films, alongside The Secret Agent. However, It Was Just an Accident and No Other Choice received no mentions at all.
In addition to their Top 10 Films, NBR also released lists for Top 10 Independent Films, as well as their Top 5 Documentaries and Top 5 International Films:
Top 5 International Films
- Left-Handed Girl
- The Love That Remains
- The Secret Agent
- Sentimental Value
- Sirat
Top 5 Documentaries
- 2000 Meters to Andriivka
- Come & See Me In the Good Light
- My Mom Jayne
- Natchez
- Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5
Top 10 Independent Films
- 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
Stay tuned to keithlovesmovies for the latest Awards Season news and analysis, leading up to the 98th Academy Awards on March 15th, 2026.
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