LOS ANGELES, Dec 5 — The award augurs well for Martin Scorsese. A year after it chose to honour Green Book in 2018, the National Board of Review (NBR) has announced that its award for Best Film will go to Martin Scorsese for The Irishman. The prize will set the tone for the next Golden Globes and even more so for the Oscars. Let’s not forget that Peter Farrelly’s Green Book subsequently won both the Golden Globe and the Oscar for Best Picture in 2019.
The Irishman by Martin Scorsese, which was released on the Netflix streaming platform on November 27, features an exceptional cast with Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci. However, no member of the trio was singled out by the NBR for its 2019 Best Actor Award, which went to Adam Sandler for his role in Uncut Gems, a Josh and Benny Safdie film which is also destined for Netflix. De Niro and Pacino will be nonetheless honoured with the very first NBR Icon Award, which they will share with their director.
As for the Best Director Award, the much-coveted prize will be given to another major figure from the world of movies. Quentin Tarantino, who became the successor to 2018 laureate Bradley Cooper, with his homage to a golden age of cinema, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The feature will also allow Brad Pitt, one of its top-billed stars along with Leonardo DiCaprio, to take home the Best Supporting Actor Award.
As for actresses, Renée Zellweger will come out on top with the award for Best Actress for her performance as Judy Garland in the Rupert Goold biopic Judy. The American star already won the 2019 Hollywood Actress Award on November 3, so she will most likely be in the running for an Oscar in 2020.
The award ceremony will be held in New York on January 8, 2020.
The awards
Best Film: The Irishman
Best Director: Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Best Actor: Adam Sandler, Uncut Gems
Best Actress: Renée Zellweger, Judy
Best Supporting Actor: Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Best Supporting Actress: Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell
Best Original Screenplay: Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie, Ronald Bronstein, Uncut Gems
Best Adapted Screenplay: Steven Zaillian, The Irishman
Breakthrough Performance: Paul Walter Hauser, Richard Jewell
Best Directorial Debut: Melina Matsoukas, Queen & Slim
Best Animated film: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
Best Foreign Film: Parasite
Best Documentary: Maiden
Best Ensemble: Knives Out
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: Roger Deakins, 1917
NBR Icon Award: Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: For Sama
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: Just Mercy — AFP-Relaxnews
