“We’re not a boastful group, but we deserve this,” John Lithgow said to laughter while accepting the Best Ensemble award for his cast’s performance in Conclave. At the National Board of Review Awards on Tuesday at Cipriani 42nd Street, the spirit of the night for the night was one of joyous celebration, commemoration of hard work, and a little bit of fun in the non-televised showcase.
Founded in 1909, the organization annually brings together a cadre of film industry professionals including filmmakers, actors, producers, and screenwriters to select the best content of the year. Unique highlights of the show include a Creative Collaboration award (presented to Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo for Wicked), as well as a Breakthrough Performance honor (bestowed on Mikey Madison for Anora).
Hosted by Willy Geist, the event saw stars from the year’s most impactful films—Daniel Craig, Michelle Yeoh, Ralph Fiennes, Elle Fanning, and Drew Starkey among them—gather to toast their efforts and continue an awards season push that kicked off with the Golden Globes last Sunday.
Coming down the carpet before the show, Madison, in a billowy, black Louis Vuitton look, detailed how her role demanded a special education: “I learned how to dance, I learned a specific Russian dialect, and I really immersed myself in the community,” she shared. Erivo, in an architectural Loewe look and nails by her longtime artist Rose Hackle, explained how her hope for Wicked was that viewers “took away the message that it’s important to find out who you are, and to live in that feeling,” she said.
The show’s run was a balancing act between featuring high-octane, buzzy works (à la Babygirl or Anora) and a slew of timely, educational films. These included Sugarcane, the Best Documentary winner spotlighting the story of oppressive Native American residential schools, and The Seed of the Sacred Fig, a political thriller and Best International Film winner produced in secret in Iran.
Between slices of sumptuous, sky-high lemon meringue cake, signature drinks were poured throughout the night by Johnnie Walker and Don Julio Tequila. Take-home gifts at the end of the star-studded event included a Nosferatu candle, Queer tote bag, and vinyl records of the awarded films’ soundtracks.
As a cheeky, closing gesture of her speech toward the end of the evening’s festivities, Nicole Kidman raised a glass of milk (a nod to her character in Babygirl) and exclaimed to raucous cheers, “This one goes out to all the baby girls in the room!”
