National Board of Review Awards 2008

The 80th National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in film for 2008, were given on 12 January 2009.

Top 10 Films

• Slumdog Millionaire^[a]
• Burn After Reading
• Changeling
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Dark Knight
• Defiance
• Frost/Nixon
• Gran Torino
• Milk
• WALL-E
• The Wrestler

Top Foreign Films

• The Edge of Heaven (Auf der anderen Seite)
• Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in)
• Roman de Gare
• A Secret
• Waltz with Bashir

Top Five Documentaries

• American Teen
• The Betrayal
• Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father
• Encounters at the End of the World
• Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired

Top Independent Films

• Frozen River
• In Bruges
• In Search of a Midnight Kiss
• Hallam Foe
• Rachel Getting Married
• Snow Angels
• Son of Rambow
• Vicky Cristina Barcelona
• The Visitor
• Wendy and Lucy

Winners

• Best Film:
  • Slumdog Millionaire (Academy Award for Best Picture)
• Best Foreign Language Film:
  • Mongol, Mongolia
• Best Animated Feature:
  • Wall-E
• Best Documentary Feature:
  • Man on Wire
• Best Actor:
  • Clint Eastwood - Gran Torino
• Best Actress:
  • Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
• Best Supporting Actor:
  • Josh Brolin - Milk
• Best Supporting Actress:
  • Penélope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
• Breakthrough Male Performances:
  • Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire
• Breakthrough Female Performances:
  • Viola Davis - Doubt
• Best Cast:
  • Doubt
• Best Director:
  • David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Best Directorial Debut:
  • Courtney Hunt - Frozen River
• Best Screenplay - Adapted (tie):
  • Slumdog Millionaire - Simon Beaufoy
  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Eric Roth
• Best Screenplay - Original:
  • Gran Torino - Nick Schenk
• Freedom of Expression Award:
  • Trumbo
• Spotlight Award:
  • Melissa Leo and Richard Jenkins
• William K. Everson Award for Film History:
  • Molly Haskell and Andrew Sarris

Notes