National Board Picks 'Slumdog' As Best Film
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Friday, December 5, 2008; Page C06
NEW YORK, Dec. 4 -- The National Board of Review has picked "Slumdog Millionaire" as the year's best film.
The board's picks, announced Thursday, are considered the first major harbinger of the Academy Awards. The win boosts hopes for "Slumdog," which is viewed as the independent film most likely to follow "Juno" and "Little Miss Sunshine" in Oscar contention.
The film, directed by Danny Boyle, follows the reflections of a poor boy (played by Dev Patel) from the slums of Mumbai who ends up on India's version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." The board chose Patel for breakthrough performance by an actor.
"Slumdog Millionaire" also won best film at the British Independent Film Awards. With a cast of largely local talent, it was shot in Mumbai, which last week suffered a bloody terrorist attack.
"We are thrilled that we can hopefully bring some positive light to what has happened over there by honoring this film," board President Annie Schulhof said.
In an earlier interview, Boyle said he was grateful for the award and the attention, considering the difficulty many independent films are experiencing. Last year's pick for best film, "No Country for Old Men," went on to win Best Picture at the Oscars.
"It's fantastic for us to have had this kind of platform," said the director, whose previous films include "Trainspotting" and "28 Days Later." "It gets journalists all perked up. It works in so many different ways. It's an amazing vehicle for this kind of film."
In other awards, Clint Eastwood was selected as best actor for his performance in the not-yet-released "Gran Torino." Best actress went to Anne Hathaway for "Rachel Getting Married."
David Fincher won best director for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." Best adapted screenplay was shared by Eric Roth for "Benjamin Button" and Simon Beaufoy for "Slumdog."
Josh Brolin took best supporting actor for his role in "Milk," and Penelope Cruz won for her supporting performance in Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona."
"Doubt"-- headlined by Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman -- won for best ensemble cast. Viola Davis, also from "Doubt," won for breakthrough performance by an actress.
"Man on Wire" won for best documentary, "WALL E" for animated feature and "Mongol" for foreign-language film.
The National Board of Review, which is composed of film historians, students and educators, was founded in 1909. The awards will be given Jan. 14 in a New York gala hosted by Whoopi Goldberg.
