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Ryan Coogler took a moment to address the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good during his acceptance speech at Tuesday night’s National Board of Review Awards gala in Midtown Manhattan. The filmmaker, who was presented the original screenplay honor for “Sinners” by longtime collaborator Michael B. Jordan, reflected on their shared history with the organization, noting that he and Jordan were first recognized by the NBR in 2014 for “Fruitvale Station.” Coogler drew a stark connection between his directorial debut — based on the true story of the 2009 killing of Oscar Grant by a Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer in Oakland, Calif. — and Good’s shooting by an ICE agent in Minneapolis earlier this month.
“I was young and naive, and I thought the movie was going to change the world and make it so you didn’t see people executed by civil service on camera anymore,” Coogler said of “Fruitvale Station.” “I was proven wrong again and again. And it’s tough to be here and not think about Minnesota.”
He added, “I can’t be here and not think about Renee.”
Coogler was among the night’s winners at the star-studded ceremony held at the banquet hall Cipriani 42nd Street. The National Board of Review — an organization encompassing film enthusiasts, filmmakers, professionals and academics — announced its winners in December, with “One Battle After Another” dominating the honors.
Among the honors for Paul Thomas Anderson’s action epic was a best actor win for Leonardo DiCaprio. On stage, the Oscar-winning actor recalled several moviegoing experiences from his youth at his neighborhood theater, the Vista in Los Angeles.
“Like many theaters in America, it nearly closed a few years ago. But more than a century later, it is still standing.” DiCaprio said. “A historic single-screen palace, still doing what it was meant to do — bringing people together in the dark to experience movies as they were intended.”
He added, “As I kept watching, something shifted in me. Film became an escape from the limits of my surroundings. It wasn’t just entertainment — it was a place to escape my neighborhood and a place where something larger than my own life felt possible. I would walk out of that theater absolutely buzzing, knowing there was something beyond the world — beyond this world that I was born into — that I had to find a way to be a part of it.
“At some point, each of us sat in a theater — in a movie theater. Lights went down, and something on that screen rearranged how we saw the world and ourselves. As an adult, I came to understand that cinema is our most definitive art form. It is collaborative, communal and uniquely capable of expressing the human condition and what it is to be human.”
In addition to DiCaprio’s win for best actor, “One Battle After Another” was named the NBR’s best film of 2025, while Anderson won best director, Benicio del Toro took supporting actor, and Chase Infiniti was recognized for breakthrough performance. Other honorees included Rose Byrne for best actress (“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”); Eva Victor for best directorial debut (“Sorry, Baby”); Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas for best supporting actress (“Sentimental Value”); Jafar Panahi for best international film (“It Was Just an Accident”); Clint Bently and Greg Kwedar for best adapted screenplay (“Train Dreams”); Autumn Durald Arkapaw for outstanding achievement in cinematography (“Sinners”); Ugo Bienvenu and Sophie Mas for best animated feature (“Arco”); Wade Eastwood for outstanding achievement in stunt artistry (“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”); Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus, Yoni Golijov and Olivia Streisand for best documentary (“Cover-Up”); and Richard Lorber for NBR Freedom of Expression Award (“Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk”).
See photos from this year’s National Board of Review Awards gala below:
English (US) ·