Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester by the Sea was named Best Film by the National Board of Review on Tuesday, a small but significant boost to its Oscar chances as awards season kicks into high gear. The movie also won for Best Original Screenplay (Lonergan) and Best Breakthrough Male (Lucas Hedges), and in addition, Oscar front-runner Casey Affleck followed up on his Gotham win from Monday night with another Best Actor victory.
The NBR, a group of self-described “film enthusiasts,” tends to make eclectic choices for its year-end awards—recent Best Film winners include A Most Violent Year and Her, the former of which didn’t end up receiving a single Academy Award nomination—and it’s never been a particularly strong Oscar bellwether. Still, its early placement on the awards season calendar can indicate good things ahead for the movies recognized.
Along with Manchester, Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight fared well with the NBR after winning big at the Gotham Awards: Jenkins was named Best Director, scene-stealer Naomie Harris won Best Supporting Actress, and the film placed among the NBR’s Top 10 Films of 2016 (along with other top contenders such as La La Land). Amy Adams won Best Actress for her nuanced turn in Arrival, meanwhile, while Jeff Bridges triumphed in Best Supporting Actor for the summer indie hit Hell or High Water.
Perhaps most tellingly, a pair of high-profile films yet to break into the awards conversation—mostly due to review embargos—also picked up major wins. Hidden Figures, Theodore Melfi’s historical drama with Taraji P. Henson and Octavia Spencer, won Best Ensemble, while Martin Scorsese’s religious epic Silence was recognized for its adapted screenplay, co-written by Scorsese and Jay Cocks. Both were also shortlisted among the Top 10 Films.
The full list of winners is below.
Best Film: Manchester by the Sea
Best Director: Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
Best Actor: Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Best Actress: Amy Adams, Arrival
Best Supporting Actor: Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water
Best Supporting Actress: Naomie Harris, Moonlight
Best Ensemble: Hidden Figures
Best Original Screenplay: Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea
Best Adapted Screenplay: Jay Cocks and Martin Scorsese, Silence
Best Animated Feature: Kubo and the Two Strings
Breakthrough Performance (Male): Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea
Breakthrough Performance (Female): Royalty Hightower, The Fits
Best Directorial Debut: Trey Edward Shults, Krisha
Best Foreign Language Film: The Salesman
Best Documentary: O.J.: Made in America
Spotlight Award: Creative Collaboration of Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg (Patriots Day)
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: Cameraperson
Top 10 Films
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
Hail, Caesar!
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight
Patriots Day
Silence
Sully
Top 5 Foreign Language Films
Elle
The Handmaiden
Julieta
Land of Mine
Neruda
Top 5 Documentaries
De Palma
The Eagle Huntress
Gleason
Life, Animated
Miss Sharon Jones!
Top 10 Independent Films
20th Century Women
Captain Fantastic
Creative Control
Eye in the Sky
The Fits
Green Room
Hello, My Name is Doris
Krisha
Morris from America
Sing Street
