‘Irishman’ named best picture by National Board of Review

NEW YORK (AP) — Martin Scorsese’s sprawling crime epic “ Irishman” has been named best picture by National Board of Review.

awards, anunced Tuesday by National Board of Review, handed Netflix its second major hor in Hollywood’s quickening awards season. On Monday evening, ah Baumbach’s “Marri Story” won best feature at IFP Gotham Awards, which hor independent film. Both movies are widely expected to eventually reap numerous minations at Oscars, with eir potentially landing Netflix its first best-picture win.

“ Irishman” also took best apted screenplay, for Steven Zaillian’s script, and an icon award for Scorsese, Robert De Niro and Al Paci.

board, as it typically does, orwise spre its awards around to help fill its annual gala with stars. Quentin Taranti took best director for “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood.” Best actress went to Renee Zellweger for her performance as Judy Garland in “Judy.” am Sandler won best actor for Josh and Benny Safdie’s upcoming New York thriller “Uncut Gems.”

Br Pitt, widely seen as Oscar front-runner for his co-leing performance in “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood,” won best supporting actor. National Board of Review also threw its support behind Clint Eastwood’s upcoming docudrama on 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing, “Richard Jewell,” giving it best supporting actress for Kathy Bates and breakthrough performance for Paul Walter Hauser.

picks by National Board of Review, a long-running organization comprised of acemics and film professionals, have in recent years seldom lined up with eventual Acemy Awards winners. But its best-feature choice last year, “Green Book,” went on to triumph at Oscars.

Or awards included: best ensemble to Rian Johnson’s whodunit “Knives Out”; best screenplay to “Uncut Gems”; best documentary to “Maiden,” about a historic all-woman sailing crew; best foreign langu film to Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite”; best animated film to “How to Train Your Dragon: Hidden World”; best directorial debut to Melina Matsoukas (“Queen & Slim”); and Roger Deakins (“1917″”) for outstanding achievement in cinematography.

board ditionally bestowed its freedom of expression award on both Death Row drama “Just Mercy” and Syrian war documentary “For Sama.”

awards will be handed out in a ceremony in New York on January 8, hosted by Willie Geist.

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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP