New York, NY (September 9, 2020) – The National Board of Review announced today that it will reveal its 2020 honorees on Tuesday, January 26, 2021. Films will be eligible if screened by the NBR and released either theatrically or digitally on or before February 28, 2021. If a movie’s release is digital, it must have had a theatrical release planned prior to the onset of COVID-19. The NBR will announce its plans for their celebration at a later date.
The National Board of Review’s awards celebrate excellence in filmmaking with categories that include Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Actress, Best Original and Adapted Screenplay, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Animated Feature, Best Documentary, Breakthrough Performance, and Directorial Debut as well as signature honors such as the Spotlight Award, Freedom of Expression, the William K. Everson Film History Award and the NBR Icon Award.
“This moment in time has only further proven the importance of cinema. A well-told story has unmatched power to bring us all together, no matter how physically far we are from one another,” said Annie Schulhof, President of the National Board of Review. “We look forward to honoring the best films and performances of 2020, a highly unusual year that is nevertheless poised to provide unique and outstanding achievements in cinema.”
ABOUT THE NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW
Since 1909, the National Board of Review has dedicated its efforts to the support of cinema as both art and entertainment. Each year, this select group of film enthusiasts, filmmakers, professionals and academics of varying ages and backgrounds watches over 250 films and participates in illuminating discussions with directors, actors, producers and screenwriters before announcing their selections for the best work of the year. Since first citing year-end cinematic achievements in 1929, NBR has recognized a vast selection of outstanding studio, independent, foreign-language, animated and documentary films, often propelling recipients such as Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, Peter Farrelly’s Green Book and George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road into the larger awards conversation. NBR also stands out as the only film organization that bestows a film history award in honor of former member and film historian William K. Everson. In addition, one of the organization’s core values is identifying new talent and nurturing young filmmakers by awarding promising talent with ‘Directorial Debut’ and ‘Breakthrough Actor’ awards as well as grants to rising film students and by facilitating community outreach through the support of organizations such as The Ghetto Film School, Reel Works Teen Filmmaking, and Educational Video Center. With its continued efforts to assist up-and-coming artists in completing and presenting their work, NBR honors its commitment to not just identifying the best that current cinema has to offer, but also ensuring the quality of films for future generations to come.
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