National Board of Review Awards Sets 2020 Date

By Marc Malkin

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – The National Board of Review’s 2020 film awards gala will take place on Jan. 8, 2020.

NBR also announced that MSNBC’s Willie Geist will return as host for his sixth consecutive year. The gala will be held at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York.

Started in 1909, the New York-based hands out awards for best picture, best director, best actor and actress, best original and adapted screenplay, breakthrough performance, and directorial debut. Additional honors include the Freedom of Expression, Spotlight Award and the William K. Everson Film History Award.

Honorees are announced in advance of the gala.

Last year’s winners included “Green Book,” Lady Gaga (“A Star Is Born”), Viggo Mortensen (“Green Book”) Regina King (“If Beale Street Could Talk”), Sam Elliott (“A Star Is Born”), “Cold War,” “Incredibles 2” and “RBG” as well best director for Bradley Cooper (“A Star Is Born”) and screenplay prizes for Paul Schrader’s “First Reformed” and Barry Jenkins’ adaptation of the James Baldwin novel “If Beale Street Could Talk.”

Steven Spielberg presented Cooper with his best director award. “Cooper refused to compromise,” Spielberg said of his perseverance in getting “A Star Is Born” made. “He wanted it all, and he wanted it all on his first time at bat…where that ball will land, nobody knows.”

When Cooper walked on stage, he said, “Thank you Steven. I can’t believe I get to call you Steven.”