Manchester By The Sea best film of 2016 and Casey Affleck best actor say industry peers

Award season has officially begun and now, the National Board Of Review has revealed its list as to which films, actors, directors and other creatives, thinks did the best work in the biz over the course of 2016. Big winners on the night (29 November) included Kenneth Lonergan's Manchester By The Sea and Barry Jenkins' Moonlight while animation Kubo And The Two Strings and crime drama Hell Or High Water also picked up awards.

Lonergan's outing, about a grieving janitor, was not only named best film of the year, but also won best original screenplay, best male breakthrough performance for newcomer Lucas Hedges and Casey Affleck pick up the accolade for best actor.

Amy Adams earned the title of best actress for her role as linguist Louise Banks in thought-provoking sci-fi Arrival, while The Fits' Royalty Hightower won for best breakthrough performance by a female.

It's worth noting that last year's National Board Of Review "bests" line-up mirrored some of the choices made by the Academy Awards too.

In 2015, they listed Brie Larson – who went on to win an Oscar – as the year's best actress for her performance in Room while they also opted for Inside Out as best animated feature, Son Of Saul for best foreign language film and Amy for best documentary.

With that in mind, it's safe to assume that some of their picks here are likely to be walking away with golden statuettes come February 2017.

Check out the full list of the National Board Of Review winners below:

Best Film: Manchester By The Sea
Best Director: Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)
Best Actor: Casey Affleck (Manchester By The Sea)
Best Actress: Amy Adams (Arrival)
Best Supporting Actor: Jeff Bridges (Hell Or High Water)
Best Supporting Actress: Naomie Harris (Moonlight)
Best Original Screenplay: Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester By The Sea)
Best Adapted Screenplay: Jay Cocks and Martin Scorsese (Silence)
Best Animated Feature: Kubo And The Two Strings
Breakthrough Performance (Male): Lucas Hedges (Manchester By The Sea)
Breakthrough Performance (Female): Royalty Hightower (The Fits)
Best Directorial Debut: Trey Edward Shults (Krisha)
Best Foreign Language Film: The Salesman
Best Documentary: O.J.: Made in America
Best Ensemble: Hidden Figures
Spotlight Award: Creative Collaboration of Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: Cameraperson

Top Films
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
Hail, Caesar!
Hell Or High Water
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Moonlight
Patriots Day
Silence
Sully

Top 5 Foreign Language Films
Elle
The Handmaiden
Julieta
Land Of Mine
Neruda

Top 5 Documentaries
De Palma
The Eagle Huntress
Gleason
Life, Animated
Miss Sharon Jones!

Top 10 Independent Films
20th Century Women
Captain Fantastic
Creative Control
Eye In The Sky
The Fits
Green Room
Hello, My Name Is Doris
Krisha
Morris From America
Sing Street

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