The National Board of Review has revealed its top choice for best film of 2016, with "Manchester by the Sea" nabbing the high-profile honor.

"Manchester" centers around a man (played by Casey Affleck) who must care for his nephew (played by Lucas Hedges) after the boy's father dies. Both Affleck and Hedges were given awards from NBR for their roles (Affleck cited for best actor, Hedges cited for best male breakthrough performance), and writer-director Kenneth Lonergan was honored with the Best Original Screenplay award.

Other notable highlights from NBR's 2016 awards include Best Animated Feature winner "Kubo and the Two Strings" (which beat out more high-profile fare like "Zootopia" and "Moana") and Best Actress winner Amy Adams (edging out Oscar favorites Natalie Portman and Emma Stone). Also surprising was the lack of honors for "Fences," the adaptation of the Tony-winning play, starring Denzel Washington (who also directed) and Viola Davis (considered a lock for an Academy Award nomination).

The full list of winners is below. The awards will be given out at a National Board of Review gala in New York City on January 4, 2017.

  • Best Film: "Manchester by the Sea"
  • Best Director: Barry Jenkins, "Moonlight"
  • Best Actor: Casey Affleck, "Manchester by the Sea"
  • Best Actress: Amy Adams, "Arrival"
  • Best Supporting Actor: Jeff Bridges, "Hell or High Water"
  • Best Supporting Actress: Naomie Harris, "Moonlight"
  • Best Original Screenplay: Kenneth Lonergan, "Manchester by the Sea"
  • Best Adapted Screenplay: Jay Cocks and Martin Scorsese, "Silence"
  • Best Animated Feature: "Kubo and the Two Strings"
  • Breakthrough Performance (Male): Lucas Hedges, "Manchester by the Sea"
  • Breakthrough Performance (Female): Royalty Hightower, "The Fits"
  • Best Directorial Debut: Trey Edward Shults, "Krisha"
  • Best Foreign Language Film: "The Salesman"
  • Best Documentary: "O.J.: Made in America"
  • Best Ensemble: "Hidden Figures"
  • Spotlight Award: Creative Collaboration of Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg
  • NBR Freedom of Expression Award: "Cameraperson"

TOP FILMS

  • "Arrival"
  • "Hacksaw Ridge"
  • "Hail, Caesar!"
  • "Hell or High Water"
  • "Hidden Figures"
  • "La La Land"
  • "Moonlight"
  • "Patriot's Day"
  • "Silence"
  • "Sully"

TOP FIVE FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILMS

  • "Elle"
  • "The Handmaiden"
  • "Julieta"
  • "Land of Mine"
  • "Neruda"

TOP FIVE DOCUMENTARIES

  • "De Palma"
  • "The Eagle Huntress"
  • "Gleason"
  • "Life, Animated"
  • "Miss Sharon Jones!"

TOP 10 INDEPENDENT FILMS

  • "20th Century Women"
  • "Captain Fantastic"
  • "Creative Control"
  • "Eye in the Sky"
  • "The Fits"
  • "Green Room"
  • "Hello, My Name is Doris"
  • "Keisha"
  • "Morris from America"
  • "Sing Street"

[via: The Playlist]

Photo credit: Amazon Studios