Best Actress Winner Michelle Yeoh and Best Supporting Actress Winner Janelle Monae celebrated their achievements. Best Original Screenplay Winner Martin McDonagh and Breakthrough Performance Winner Danielle Deadwyler danced their nights away.
On January 8, the honorees partied at the NBR Awards Gala. NBC News host Willie Geist hosted the event.
Since 1909, the National Board of Review has honored excellent films. In 2022, a select group of filmmakers, directors, enthusiasts, and students viewed 269 submissions. Interviews and in-depth discussions with producers, screenwriters, directors, and actors followed many films. The prestigious NBR Awards showcases cinema’s art.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 08: Janelle Monáe attends the National Board Of Review 2023 Awards Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on January 08, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for National Board of Review)
Award categories composed of Best Directorial Debut and Best Picture. Signature honors encompass Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography and the Freedom of Expression Award. Presenters included Andrew Weissman, actress Ariana DeBose, and comedian Awkwafina. Talk show host Tamron Hall and film director Barry Jenkins gave trophies.
Winners posed against a black-and-white background. Camera lights flashed across their faces. Paul Dano stood in an elegant suite and tie. In a gorgeous black dress, Monae grinned and lifted their arms up. A reporter called them beautiful. Jenny Slate wore a gown with a sweetheart neckline.
In front of a blue curtain, Steven Spielberg accepted the Best Director Award. He discussed the personal quality of The Fabelmans (2022). Rick Carter designed the set to look like Spielberg’s childhood home. Spielberg says, “I returned home each and every day to tell this story.” The audience greeted his authentic speech with loud applause.
Gabriel LaBelle (The Fabelmans, 2022) appreciated his Breakthrough Performance Award. He admires the co-working industry leaders’ advice. LaBelle mentions the film’s wide display of talent. Also, he thanks Spielberg for changing his life. LaBelle says, “You welcomed me into your film, into your family. It brought me so much joy.”
In a sincere speech, Awkwafina presented the Best Actress Award to Michelle Yeoh. The comedian discusses their close relationship. Awkwafina emphasizes Yeoh’s kindness and ability to change narratives through impactful films. Awkwafina expresses, “I hope I see a thousand more versions of Michelle Yeoh.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 08: Frederick Zollo and Michelle Yeoh attend the National Board Of Review 2023 Awards Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on January 08, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for National Board of Review)
Michelle Yeoh expressed gratitude for the Best Actress Award. She noted her desire to play characters that matter. Yeoh’s character, Evelyn Quan Wang, allowed her to play a complex, yet universal character. She calls her character “an everyday superhero.” Largely, she refers to Everything, Everywhere, All at Once (2022) as a film about hope.
Daniel Craig presented the Best Supporting Actress Award to Janelle Monae. Craig highlights Monae’s bold and radical dedication to art. He indicates their supportive nature in work environments. The Glass Onion sequel featured both actors. He says, “When Janelle floats into a room, the chemicals in the air change.”
With a poetic speech, Janelle Monae (Glass Onion: A Knives-Out Mystery, 2022) accepted the Best Supporting Actress Award. They suggest that cinema and family have strong relationships. Monae refers to screenwriter Ryan Johnson as “humble” and the cast as “supportive.” They elaborate that the encouragement “gave her permission to play.”
Ron Howard presented the Best Actor Award to Colin Farrell. Howard refers to Farrell’s application of emotion. He notes Farrell’s lived painful and triumphant experiences. Howard says “he’s applying all of that.” Then, Howard praises Farrell’s film The Banshees of Inisherin (2022). Howard says “it’s a remarkable performance.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 08: Ariana DeBose and Gabriel LaBelle attend the National Board Of Review 2023 Awards Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on January 08, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for National Board of Review)
In Farrell’s comedic acceptance speech, he discusses his Irish childhood. He connects various memories to landmark films. While walking, he stumbled across Tom Cruise’s film set. Farrell remembers watching the liveliness. Though he didn’t know what occurred, he remembers “the palpable sense of purpose and assignment.”
Fisher Stevens presents the Best Documentary Award to Chris Smith (director of Sr., 2022). Stevens indicates prior knowledge of Smith’s work. He highly recommends the film ‘Collapse.’ Moreover, Stevens describes Sr.’s emotional impact. He describes the film as “an incredibly tender portrait of a talented family.”
Daniel Ramirez accepts the Best Film Award on the Top Gun: Maverick team’s behalf. The cast first viewed the movie footage on-set. Within his speech, Ramirez builds the scene. He saw Tom Cruise insert a small SD card and turn on a TV screen. Ramirez says, “We watched some of the most insane footage we’ve ever seen.”
Jerry Bruckheimer (Top Gun: Maverick, 2022) expresses similar sentiments. Bruckheimer discusses the joy of attending movie theaters. He appreciates the movie’s large in-theater audience, especially after the pandemic. Lastly, Bruckheimer thanks Tom Cruise. He says that Cruise “has one goal: to entertain audiences.”
Check out our exclusive red carpet interviews below:
Below is a full list of the 2022 award recipients, announced by the National Board of Review:
Best Film: Top Gun: Maverick
Best Director: Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans
Best Actor: Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin
Best Actress: Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best Supporting Actor: Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees of Inisherin
Best Supporting Actress: Janelle Monáe, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Best Original Screenplay: Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin
Best Adapted Screenplay: Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson, Ian Stokell, All Quiet on the Western
Front
Breakthrough Performance: Danielle Deadwyler, Till
Breakthrough Performance: Gabriel LaBelle, The Fabelmans
Best Directorial Debut: Charlotte Wells, Aftersun
Best Animated Feature: Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Best International Film: Close
Best Documentary: Sr.
Best Ensemble: Women Talking
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: Claudio Miranda, Top Gun: Maverick
NBR Freedom of Expression Awards:
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Argentina, 1985
Top Films (in alphabetical order):
Aftersun
Avatar: The Way of Water
The Banshees of Inisherin
Everything Everywhere All at Once
The Fabelmans
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
RRR
Till
The Woman King
Women Talking
Top 5 International Films (in alphabetical order):
All Quiet on the Western Front
Argentina, 1985
Decision to Leave
EO
Saint Omer
Top 5 Documentaries (in alphabetical order):
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
All That Breathes
Descendant
Turn Every Page – The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb
Wildcat
Top 10 Independent Films (in alphabetical order):
Armageddon Time
Emily the Criminal
The Eternal Daughter
Funny Pages
The Inspection
Living
A Love Song
Nanny
The Wonder
To Leslie
