“Licorice Pizza” Wins National Board of Review Best Film of 2021 + More Winners

The National Board of Review, consisting of film enthusiasts, academics, and other industry-working movie professionals, has officially named Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza, starring Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Bradley Cooper, and Benny Safdie, as the best film of 2021. 

This honor, among the other categories of the NBR’s list, has been considered a stepping stone on the path for many potential Oscar contenders. 

The complete list of 2021 NBR winners is as followed: 

Best Film: Licorice Pizza

Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson — Licorice Pizza

Best Actor: Will Smith — King Richard

Best Actress: Rachel Zegler — West Side Story

Best Supporting Actor: Ciarán Hinds — Belfast

Best Supporting Actress: Aunjanue Ellis — King Richard

Best Original Screenplay: Asghar Farhadi — A Hero

Best Adapted Screenplay: Joel Coen — The Tragedy of Macbeth

Breakthrough Performance: Alana Haim & Cooper Hoffman — Licorice Pizza

Best Directorial Debut: Michael Sarnoski — Pig

Best Animated Feature: Encanto

Best Foreign Language Film: A Hero

Best Documentary: Summer of Soul

Best Ensemble: The Harder They Fall

Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: Bruno Delbonnel — The Tragedy of Macbeth

NBR Freedom of Expression Award: Flee

Top Films (in alphabetical order)

Belfast
Don’t Look Up
Dune
King Richard
The Last Duel
Nightmare Alley
Red Rocket
The Tragedy of Macbeth
West Side Story

Top 5 Foreign Language Films (in alphabetical order)

Benedetta
Lamb
Lingui, The Sacred Bonds
Titane
The Worst Person in the World

Top 5 Documentaries (in alphabetical order)

Ascension
Attica
Flee
The Rescue
Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain

Top 10 Independent Films (in alphabetical order)

The Card Counter
C’mon C’mon
CODA
The Green Knight
Holler
Jockey
Old Henry
Pig
Shiva Baby
The Souvenir Part II

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Photo credit: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com