At the National Board of Review Gala, Legends and Rising Stars Converged

“Sometimes living feels like a risk,” said Oscar Isaac as he presented Martin McDonagh with the award for best original screenplay at last night’s National Board of Review gala. Isaac was speaking on the bravery required in storytelling and moviemaking in today’s age, but the general feeling in the room was that the risk was well worth it.

The gala was an intimate celebration of the previous 12 months of filmmaking. Emerging stars gathered alongside Hollywood fixtures under the soaring ceilings of a grand ballroom in the heart of Midtown to mark the occasion in their Sunday best. Among the array of famous faces were the likes of Janelle Monáe, Daniel Craig, Colin Farrell, Ariana DeBose, and Ron Howard.

The night was filled with dazzling speeches, heartfelt tributes, and essential, timely reflections as an array of stars graced the main stage to present and accept awards, tell jokes, and swap stories from their time as collaborators. Barry Jenkins presented a moving introduction to best-directorial-debut winner Charlotte Wells, and he called out to “all the filmmakers under 40” who belong to the next generation of hungry storytellers. Later, Michelle Yeoh’s emotional reflection on her four-decade journey from Malaysia to Hollywood, as she accepted the award for best actress in Everything Everywhere All at Once, garnered her a well-deserved standing ovation that could be felt anywhere in the room.

In an epic final flourish, Steven Spielberg (whose presence drew a crowd of fans with Sharpies and Jaws posters to the red carpet outside) accepted the night’s penultimate award for best director. Spielberg made sure to note the unique connection between his first National Board of Review best-director honor (for Empire of the Sun in 1987) and this year’s win for The Fabelmans. Both films coincided with the introduction of two new screen talents, a then 13-year-old Christian Bale in Empire and now the 20-year-old Gabriel LaBelle in The Fabelmans. This final, unscripted moment reminded us all that movies are still alive and still magic.