The National Board of Review’s 2006 Honorees

The National Board of Review’s 2006 Honorees

The National Board of Review announced their picks for best performances and films of the year on December 6^th, 2006. The annual gala will take place in New York City on January 9, 2007. Who are some of the honorees?

Best Film

The Clint Eastwood film “Letter From Iwo Jima” was selected as the best film of the year.

Best Actor

Forest Whitaker received the honor for his portrayal of the Ugandan leader, Idi Amin, in “The Last King of Scotland”.

Best Actress

Best actress honors were given to Helen Mirren for her performance as Queen Elizabeth II in “The Queen”.

Best Supporting Actor

Djimon Hounsou, who portrays Solomon Vandy in “Blood Diamond”, won for best supporting actor.

Best Supporting Actress

Catherine O’Hara was chosen best supporting actress for her role as Marilyn Hack in the comedy “For Your Consideration”.

Breakthrough Performance (Female)

Two actresses were selected for this honor. Jennifer Hudson was chosen for her role as Effie Melody White in “Dreamgirls” as was Rinko Kikuchi for playing Chieko in “Babel”.

Breakthrough Performance (Male)

Ryan Gosling was selected for his portrayal of Dan Dunne in “Half Nelson”.

Best Acting Ensemble

The cast of “The Departed” won for best acting ensemble. The all-star cast includes Alec Baldwin, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen and Mark Wahlberg.

Career Achievement Award

Actor Eli Wallach was selected for the career achievement award. The actor, whose career spans several decades has appeared in “Baby Doll” (1956), “The Magnificent Seven” (1960), “The Misfits” (1961), “The Sentinel” (1977) and the recent romantic comedy “The Holiday” (2006).

Best Director

Legendary director Martin Scorsese received the honor for the critically acclaimed hit film “The Departed”.

Best Directorial Debut

Jason Reitman was selected for his work on “Thank You For Smoking”.

Best Original Screenplay

Zach Helm’s “Stranger Than Fiction” was selected. The comedy stars Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah and Emma Thompson.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Ron Nyswaner’s “The Painted Veil” was chosen as best adapted screenplay. The drama stars Edward Norton, Liev Schreiber and Naomi Watts.

Best Animated Feature

The best animated feature was “Cars” featuring the voices of Paul Newman and Owen Wilson.

Best Documentary

The Al Gore narrated film “An Inconvenient Truth” was selected as 2006’s best documentary.

Best Foreign Film

“Volver” starring Penelope Cruz was chosen as best foreign film.

The National Board of Review’s “Freedom of Expression” Award

Two movies were selected for this honor. The first, “Water”, tells the story of widows in India in the 1930s who are forced to live in isolation and poverty upon their husbands’ deaths. “World Trade Center” starring Nicolas Cage and Michael Pena tells the true-story of two men who are trapped in the rubble on September 11^th when the towers fell at Ground Zero.

For a complete listing of honorees, visit the National Board of Review’s official site.

For these movies and more visit: