On a red carpet inside Cipriani 42nd Street in Midtown Manhattan on Tuesday night, a cadre of celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio, Emily Blunt, Rose Byrne and Benicio Del Toro posed for cameras.
Among them was Chase Infiniti, 25, who stars as the spunky daughter of a washed-up revolutionary played by Mr. DiCaprio in the action thriller “One Battle After Another.” She was having a “surreal” awards season, she said, and had just attended the Golden Globes, where she was nominated for best actress in a musical or comedy.
But for Ms. Infiniti, who was receiving the National Board of Review’s breakthrough performance prize at its annual film awards gala, something else was on her mind.
“‘I love ‘Heated Rivalry,’” she said, her eyes lighting up as she spoke about the steamy series on HBO Max about a pair of professional hockey players, which has become a breakout hit since it began streaming in November. (The stars, Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams, presented at the Globes on Sunday night.) “There’s been so many moments in that show where I’ve literally stood up jumping because I was so excited.”
“But don’t spoil the ending — I haven’t got to the cottage yet!” she added, referring to the setting of the final episode of the show.
Ms. Infiniti was among several hundred actors, directors and producers who attended the event, for which the winners are announced in advance. Mr. DiCaprio, Ms. Byrne and Ryan Coogler were honorees, and Martin Scorsese, Michael B. Jordan, Paul Rudd and Maggie Gyllenhaal served as presenters. The National Board of Review, a group of film enthusiasts, filmmakers and academics, honored the best films and performances of the last year.
A traditionally irreverent gathering that is not televised, the gala has become an annual East Coast stop for stars on the Oscars campaign trail.
This year’s big winner was “One Battle After Another,” the director Paul Thomas Anderson’s neo-western epic. It continued its streak of top finishes at ceremonies like the Golden Globes, the Gotham Awards and the New York Film Critics Circle. On Tuesday night, it picked up the awards for best film, director (Mr. Anderson), actor (Mr. DiCaprio), supporting actor (Mr. Del Toro) and breakthrough performance (Ms. Infiniti).
Other winners included the Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s prison drama “It Was Just an Accident,” which he filmed in secret (best international film); Mr. Coogler’s vampire thriller “Sinners” (best original screenplay and outstanding achievement in cinematography); and Ms. Byrne for her role in the motherhood drama “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” (best actress).
The evening began with a dinner of salmon, asparagus and roasted potatoes, served at tables topped with a variety of swag from the films being honored. The “Morning Joe” co-anchor Willie Geist kicked off the awards portion of the evening, which included lengthy speeches — often exceeding the 10-minute mark — that were sprinkled with profanity.
Unlike the Globes, which were a generally unpolitical affair, several honorees drew attention to current events in their acceptance speeches. Mr. Coogler, who was honored for his screenplay for “Sinners,” made reference to the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis this month.
He and Mr. Jordan, the film’s star, had been honored by the board in 2014 for the first movie they made together, “Fruitvale Station,” which is based on the true story of a Black man shot by a white police officer on a subway platform in Oakland, Calif., in 2009.
“I was young and naïve, 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,” Mr. Coogler said. “I was proven wrong again and again. And it’s tough to be here and not think about Minnesota.”
“I can’t be here and not think about Renee,” he added.
Mr. Panahi, who has been imprisoned and banned from filmmaking in Iran, his home country, used his acceptance speech to draw attention to the violent crackdown on protesters challenging the government in Iran.
“The Islamic Republic has caused a blood bath to delay its collapse,” Mr. Panahi said through an interpreter. “Bodies are piling up on bodies, and those who have survived are searching for signs of their loved ones through mountains of corpses. This is no longer a metaphor. This is not a story. This is not a film. This is a reality ridden with bullets day after day.”
“In accepting this award, I consider it my duty to call on artists and members of the global film community to speak out and not remain silent,” he continued. “Use any voice and any platform you have. Call your governments, call on your governments to confront this human catastrophe rather than turn a blind eye. Do not let blood dry in the darkness of amnesia.”
Sarah Bahr writes about culture and style for The Times.
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