The National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Picture is an annual award given by National Society of Film Critics to honor the best film of the year.
History Since it was established in 1966, the Society has only agreed with the Academy Award for Best Picture ten times: Annie Hall (1977), Unforgiven (1992), Schindler's List (1993), Million Dollar Baby (2004), The Hurt Locker (2009), Spotlight (2015), Moonlight (2016), Parasite (2019), Nomadland (2020), and One Battle After Another (2025).
Winners
1960s YearWinnerDirector(s)1966Blow-UpPast Awards|National Society of Film Critics Michelangelo Antonioni1967Persona Ingmar Bergman1968Shame (Skammen) Ingmar Bergman1969Z Costa-Gavras
1970s YearWinnerDirector(s)1970 M*A*S*H Robert Altman1971 Claire's Knee (Le genou de Claire) Éric Rohmer1972 The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie) Luis Buñuel1973 Day for Night (La nuit américaine) François Truffaut1974 Scenes from a Marriage (Scener ur ett äktenskap) Ingmar Bergman1975 Nashville Robert Altman1976 All the President's Men Alan J. Pakula1977 Annie Hall Woody Allen1978 Get Out Your Handkerchiefs (Préparez vos mouchoirs) Bertrand Blier1979 Breaking Away Peter Yates
1980s YearWinnerDirector(s)1980 Melvin and Howard Jonathan Demme1981 Atlantic City Louis Malle1982 Tootsie Sydney Pollack1983 The Night of the Shooting Stars (La notte di San Lorenzo) Paolo Taviani and Vittorio Taviani1984 Stranger Than Paradise ||Jim Jarmusch |- |style="text-align:center;"|1985|| Ran Akira Kurosawa1986 Blue Velvet David Lynch1987 The Dead John Huston1988 The Unbearable Lightness of Being Philip Kaufman1989 Drugstore Cowboy Gus Van Sant
1990s YearWinnerDirector(s)1990 Goodfellas Martin Scorsese1991 Life Is Sweet Mike Leigh1992 Unforgiven Clint Eastwood1993 Schindler's List Steven Spielberg1994 Pulp Fiction Quentin Tarantino1995 Babe Chris Noonan1996 Breaking the Waves Lars von Trier1997 L.A. Confidential Curtis Hanson1998 Out of Sight Steven Soderbergh1999 Being John Malkovich Spike JonzeTopsy-Turvy Mike Leigh
2000s YearWinnerDirector(s)2000 Yi Yi Edward Yang2001 Mulholland Drive David Lynch2002 The Pianist Roman Polanski2003 American Splendor Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini2004 Million Dollar Baby Clint Eastwood2005 Capote Bennett Miller2006 Pan's Labyrinth (El laberinto del fauno) Guillermo del Toro2007 There Will Be Blood Paul Thomas Anderson2008 Waltz with Bashir (Vals im Bashir) Ari Folman2009 The Hurt Locker Kathryn Bigelow
2010s YearWinnerDirector(s)2010 The Social Network David Fincher2011 Melancholia Lars von Trier2012 Amour Michael Haneke2013 Inside Llewyn Davis Joel Coen and Ethan Coen2014 Goodbye to Language (Adieu au Langage)National Society of Film Critics Taps 'Goodbye To Language' As Best Film Of 2014 — Deadline Jean-Luc Godard2015 SpotlightNational Society of Film Critics Awards 2015 (FULL LIST) - Variety Tom McCarthy 2016 Moonlight Barry Jenkins 2017 Lady Bird Greta Gerwig 2018 The Rider Chloé Zhao 2019 Parasite (Gisaengchung) Bong Joon-ho
2020s YearWinnerDirector(s) 2020 Nomadland‘Nomadland’ Named Best Film by National Society of Film Critics|The Wrap Chloé Zhao 2021 Drive My CarNational Society of Film Critics 2022 Winners List - The Hollywood Reporter Ryusuke Hamaguchi 2022 TÁR‘TÁR’ and ‘Aftersun’ Win Big at National Society of Film Critics Awards (Complete Winners List)|IndieWire Todd Field 2023 Past Lives Celine Song 2024 Nickel Boys RaMell Ross 2025 One Battle After Another Paul Thomas Anderson
Multiple winners Ingmar Bergman – 3 Robert Altman – 2 Paul Thomas Anderson - 2 Clint Eastwood – 2 Mike Leigh – 2 (one tied with Spike Jonze) David Lynch – 2 Lars von Trier – 2 Chloé Zhao – 2
References