In what I can only describe as a huge surprise, the National Board of Review announced “Top Gun: Maverick” as their Best Picture pick of 2022. They also spread the love, with Steven Spielberg winning for “The Fabelmans” and Martin McDonagh, Colin Farrell, and Brendan Gleeson all winning for “The Banshees of Inisherin.” Lots of A24 titles were honored as well, with Michelle Yeoh winning for “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On” winning Best Animated Feature, and Charlotte Wells winning Best Directorial Debut for her work on “Aftersun.”
BEST PICTURE
“Top Gun: Maverick”
Directed by Joseph Kosinski
Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Tom Cruise, David Ellison, and Christopher McQuarrie
Paramount Pictures
BEST DIRECTOR
Steven Spielberg
“The Fabelmans”
Produced by Kristie Macosko Krieger, Steven Spielberg, and Tony Kushner
Universal Pictures
BEST ACTOR
Colin Farrell
“The Banshees of Inisherin”
Directed by Martin McDonagh
Produced by Graham Broadbent, Peter Czernin, and Martin McDonagh
Searchlight Pictures
BEST ACTRESS
Michelle Yeoh
“Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Directed by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
Produced by Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Mike Larocca, Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, and Jonathan Wang
A24
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Brendan Gleeson
“The Banshees of Inisherin”
Directed by Martin McDonagh
Produced by Graham Broadbent, Peter Czernin, and Martin McDonagh
Searchlight Pictures
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Janelle Monáe
“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”
Directed by Rian Johnson
Produced by Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman
Netflix
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“The Banshees of Inisherin”
Martin McDonagh
Directed by Martin McDonagh
Produced by Graham Broadbent, Peter Czernin, and Martin McDonagh
Searchlight Pictures
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“All Quiet on the Western Front”
Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson, and Ian Stokell
Based on “All Quiet on the Western Front” by Erich Maria Remarque
Directed by Edward Berger
Produced by Malte Grunert and Daniel Dreifuss
Netflix
BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Danielle Deadwyler
“Till”
Directed by Chinonye Chukwu
Produced by Keith Beauchamp, Barbara Broccoli, Whoopi Goldberg, Thomas Levine, Michael Reilly, and Frederick Zollo
Orion/United Artists Releasing
BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Gabriel LaBelle
“The Fabelmans”
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Produced by Kristie Macosko Krieger, Steven Spielberg, and Tony Kushner
Universal Pictures
BEST DIRECTORIAL DEBUT
Charlotte Wells
“Aftersun”
Produced by Mark Ceryak, Amy Jackson, Barry Jenkins, and Adele Romanski
A24
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
“Marcel the Shell With Shoes On”
Directed by Dean Fleischer-Camp
Produced by Dean Fleischer-Camp, Andrew Goldman, Elisabeth Holm, Caroline Kaplan, Terry Leonard, Paul Mezey, Jenny Slate
A24
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
“Close”
(Belgium)
Directed by Lukas Dhont
Produced by Michiel Dhont and Dirk Impens
A24
BEST DOCUMENTARY
“Sr.”
Directed by Chris Smith
Produced by Robert Downey Jr., Susan Downey, Emily Barclay Ford, and Kevin Ford
Netflix
BEST ENSEMBLE
“Women Talking”
Ensemble Cast including Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Judith Ivey, Ben Whishaw, and Frances McDormand
Directed by Sarah Polley
Produced by Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, and Frances McDormand
MGM/United Artists Releasing
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Top Gun: Maverick”
Claudio Miranda
Directed by Joseph Kosinski
Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Tom Cruise, David Ellison, and Christopher McQuarrie
Paramount Pictures
NBR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AWARD
“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed”
Directed by Laura Poitras
Produced by Nan Goldin, Howard Gertler, John S. Lyons, Yoni Golijov, Laura Poitras
Neon
“Argentina, 1985”
Directed by Santiago Mitre
Amazon Studios
Top Films of 2022
| “Aftersun” (A24) |
| “Avatar: The Way of Water” (20th Century Studios) |
| “The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight Pictures) |
| “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24) |
| “The Fabelmans” (Universal Pictures) |
| “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” (Netflix) |
| “RRR” (Variance Films) |
| “Till” (Orion/United Artists Releasing) |
| “The Woman King” (Sony Pictures) |
| “Women Talking” (MGM/United Artists Releasing) |
Top 5 INTERNATIONAL FILMS
| “All Quiet on the Western Front” (Germany) |
| “Argentina, 1985” (Argentina) |
| “Decision to Leave” (South Korea) |
| “EO” (Poland) |
| “Saint Omer” (France) |
Top 5 DOCUMENTARY FILMS
| “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” (Neon) |
| “All That Breathes” (HBO) |
| “Descendant” (Netflix) |
| “Turn Every Page – The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb” (Sony Pictures Classics) |
| “Wildcat” (Amazon Studios) |
Top 10 INDEPendENT FILMS
| “Armageddon Time” (Focus Features) |
| “Emily the Criminal” (Roadside Attractions/Vertical Entertainment) |
| “The Eternal Daughter” (A24) |
| “Funny Pages” (A24) |
| “The Inspection” (A24) |
| “Living” (Sony Pictures Classics) |
| “A Love Song” (Bleecker Street) |
| “Nanny” (Amazon Studios) |
| “To Leslie” (Momentum Pictures) |
| “The Wonder” (Netflix) |
NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW
BEST PICTURE:
BEST DIRECTOR:
BEST ACTOR:
BEST ACTRESS:
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Best Original Screenplay:
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
Breakthrough Performance:
Breakthrough Performance:
Best Directorial Debut:
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM:
BEST DOCUMENTARY:
BEST ENSEMBLE:
CINEMATOGRAPHY:
NBR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION:
“Top Gun: Maverick”
Steven Spielberg — “The Fabelmans”
Colin Farrell — “The Banshees of Inisherin”
Michelle Yeoh — “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Brendan Gleeson — “The Banshees of Inisherin”
Janelle Monáe — “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”
“The Banshees of Inisherin” — Martin McDonagh
“All Quiet on the Western Front” — Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson, Ian Stokell
Danielle Deadwyler — “Till”
Gabriel LaBelle — “The Fabelmans”
Charlotte Wells — “Aftersun”
“Marcel the Shell With Shoes On”
“Close” (Belgium)
“Sr.”
“Women Talking”
“Top Gun: Maverick” — Claudio Miranda
“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” & “Argentina, 1985”
NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW
Founded in 1909 in New York City, the National Board of Review is one of the oldest organizations in the country “dedicated to discussing and selecting what its members regard as the best film works of each year.” This is the NBR’s 91st year of giving out awards. Pundits mark these awards as the official kick off to the Oscars season, with numerous critics groups following suit with their awards throughout the rest of the year. There are over 100 members of the NBR, including directors, academics, and film enthusiasts, who submit ballots which are then tabulated, with the winners announced online.
