National Board of Review Gets Jump on Awards Season, Announcing November 29
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When the Broadcast Film Critics Association announced their Critics’ Choice Movie Awards nominees were going to be announced on December 1 and winners on December 11, it shook up the awards season once again by pushing the start further back into Fall. The National Board of Review, the oldest film organization to hand out year-end awards and who almost always announce their awards first, didn’t take that news lightly and revealed today that their winners will be announced on November 29th. It’s a one-upmanship that seems hell bent on turning awards season into the film forum equivalent to a “FIRST!!1!” post.
This presents the same potential problem that the Critics’ Choice announcement brought: will the NBR be able to see all of the films in time before voting? How many films with Christmas week Oscar qualifying releases will they miss? This puts Fences, Silence and more at risk of being left out of the runway needed in the Oscar race. At least we know Sully is safe.
Full Press Release:
New York, NY (September 6, 2016) – The National Board of Review announced today that the organization will name the recipients of its year-end honors on Tuesday, November 29, 2016. As previously announced, the awards will be handed out at the annual gala on Wednesday, January 4, 2017 at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City (its home for over a decade) with Willie Geist returning as host for the third year.
“The NBR is eagerly anticipating a continued strong year in movies with the exciting roster of films being released between now and the end of the year,” said NBR President Annie Schulhof. “We once again look forward to being one of the first groups to announce the best in year-end filmmaking achievements and contributing to 2016’s ever-expanding awards conversation.”
The National Board of Review’s awards celebrate excellence in filmmaking with categories that include Best Picture, Best Director, Best Performances, Best Ensemble, Breakthrough Performances, Directorial Debut and Spotlight Award as well as signature honors such as the William K. Everson Award for Film History, Freedom of Expression, and Special Achievement in Filmmaking.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW
For 107 years, 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, academics and students 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 in early December prior to an annual ceremony in January. 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 George Miller’s visionary 2015 Best Film winner MAD MAX: FURY ROAD into the larger awards conversation. NBR also stands out as the only film organization that bestows an annual 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.
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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Well in all honesty, I can’t blame the NBR. They have been First!11! for quite a while and it appears that other organizations simply want to trump NBR’s announcement.
At this pace, these games of announcing winners will start by mid-November when still a third of potential awards contention films haven’t been released yet.