NBR Names 'Hugo' Best Film of 2011

Martin Scorsese's Hugo, the acclaimed 3D adaptation of Brian Selznick's novel, was voted Best Film of 2011 by the National Board of Review last Thursday. The New York City voting group also named Scorsese as Best Director of the Year for his achievement. Oscar winners George Clooney and Tilda Swinton took home lead acting honors for The Descendants and We Need to Talk About Kevin, respectively. Supporting role wins went to Christopher Plummer for Beginners and Shailene Woodley for The Descendants.

Here is a complete list of NBR Award winners for 2011:

Best Film: Hugo
Best Director: Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Best Actor: George Clooney, The Descendants
Best Actress: Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Best Supporting Actress: Shailene Woodley, The Descendants
Best Original Screenplay: Will Reiser, 50/50
Best Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash, The Descendants
Best Animated Feature: Rango
Breakthrough Performance: Felicity Jones, Like Crazy
Breakthrough Performance: Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Debut Director: J.C. Chandor, Margin Call
Best Ensemble: The Help
Spotlight Award: Michael Fassbender (A Dangerous Method, Jane Eyre, Shame, X-Men: First Class)
NBR Freedom of Expression: Crime After Crime
NBR Freedom of Expression: Pariah
Best Foreign Language Film: A Separation - (Iran)
Best Documentary: Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Special Achievement in Filmmaking: The Harry Potter Franchise - A Distinguished Translation from Book
to Film

Top Films
(in alphabetical order)

The Artist
The Descendants
Drive
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
The Ides of March
J. Edgar
Tree of Life
War Horse

Top 5 Foreign Language Films
(In Alphabetical Order)

13 Assassins
Elite Squad: The Enemy Within
Footnote
Le Havre
Point Blank

Top 5 Documentaries
(In Alphabetical Order)

Born to be Wild
Buck
George Harrison: Living in the Material World
Project Nim
Senna

Top 10 Independent Films
(In Alphabetical Order)

50/50
Another Earth
Beginners
A Better Life
Cedar Rapids
Margin Call
Shame
Take Shelter
We Need To Talk About Kevin
Win Win

It is too soon to predict Hugo's chances at the Best Picture Oscar. In the 80 years that the NBR has chosen their annual best film, the Academy has subsequently agreed with their choice a mere twenty times. The next major awards season announcement is scheduled for Sunday, December 11th, when the Los Angeles Film Critics Circle names its year-end picks.