The National Society of Film Critics has chosen its best film of 2018.
The Rider, Chloe Zhao’s low-budget feature, won to coveted title Saturday. Director Zhao was a runner-up in the best director category.
Entertainment Weekly reports that the top prize of best picture was won by only a few votes —44 votes, compared to the 41 votes that went to Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma. Despite losing out Roma won the most accolades including best director and best cinematography for Cuarón, as well as best foreign film.
The film was inspired by the true story of Brady Jandreauo, a rising rodeo star sidelined because of an accident. Jandreau also starred as the lead, cowboy Brady Blackburn.
First Reformed‘s Ethan Hawke and The Favourite‘s Olivia Colman won best actor and best actress, respectively.
See the complete list of winners below!
Best Picture: The Rider, dir. Chloé Zhao
Runners-up: Roma (dir. Alfonso Cuarón), Burning (dir. Lee Chang-dong)
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón, Roma
Runners-up: Lee Chang-dong (Burning), Chloé Zhao (The Rider)
Best Actress: Olivia Colman, The Favourite
Runners-up: Regina Hall (Support the Girls), Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
Best Actor: Ethan Hawke, First Reformed
Runners-up: Willem Dafoe (At Eternity’s Gate), Ben Foster (Leave No Trace), John C. Reilly (The Sisters Brothers and Stan & Ollie)
Best Supporting Actress: Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
Runners-up: Elizabeth Debicki (Widows), Emma Stone (The Favourite)
Best Supporting Actor: Steven Yeun, Burning
Runners-up: Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?), Brian Tyree Henry (If Beale Street Could Talk, Widows, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)
Best Screenplay: Armando Iannucci, David Schneider, and Ian Martin, The Death of Stalin
Runners-up: Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty (Can You Ever Forgive Me?), Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara (The Favourite)
Best Cinematography: Alfonso Cuarón, Roma
Runners-up: James Laxton (If Beale Street Could Talk), Lukasz Zal (Cold War)
Best Foreign Language Film: Roma (Alfonso Cuarón)
Runners-up: Cold War (Paweł Pawlikowski), Burning (Lee Chang-dong), Shoplifters (Hirokazu Kore-eda)
