Film Awards

2016 National Board of Review - Freedom of Expression Award WinnerCamerapersonExposing her role behind the camera, Kirsten Johnson reaches into the vast trove of footage she has shot over decades around the world. What emerges is a visually bold memoir and a revelatory interrogation of the power of the camera.Amazon

2015 National Board of Review - Freedom of Expression Award WinnerBeasts of No NationA drama based on the experiences of Agu, a child soldier fighting in the civil war of an unnamed African country.AmazonMustangWhen five orphan girls are seen innocently playing with boys on a beach, their scandalized conservative guardians confine them while forced marriages are arranged.Amazon

2014 National Board of Review - Freedom of Expression Award WinnerRosewaterIranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari is detained by Iranian forces who brutally interrogate him under suspicion that he is a spy.AmazonSelmaA chronicle of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965.Amazon

2013 National Board of Review - Freedom of Expression Award WinnerWadjdaAn enterprising Saudi girl signs on for her school's Koran recitation competition as a way to raise the remaining funds she needs in order to buy the green bicycle that has captured her interest.Amazon

2012 National Board of Review - Freedom of Expression Award WinnerPromised LandA salesman for a natural gas company experiences life-changing events after arriving in a small town, where his corporation wants to tap into the available resources.AmazonThe Central Park FiveA documentary that examines the 1989 case of five black and Latino teenagers who were convicted of raping a white woman in Central Park. After having spent between 6 and 13 years each in prison, a serial rapist confessed to the crime.Amazon

2011 National Board of Review - Freedom of Expression Award WinnerCrime After CrimeThe story of the battle to free Debbie Peagler, an incarcerated survivor of brutal domestic violence. Over 26 years in prison cannot crush the spirit of this determined African-American ...AmazonPariahA Brooklyn teenager juggles conflicting identities and risks friendship, heartbreak, and family in a desperate search for sexual expression.Amazon

2009 National Board of Review - Freedom of Expression Award WinnerBurma VJ: Reporting from a Closed CountryUsing smuggled footage, this documentary tells the story of the 2007 protests in Burma by thousands of monks.AmazonInvictusNelson Mandela, in his first term as President of South Africa, initiates a unique venture to unite the Apartheid-torn land: enlist the national rugby team on a mission to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup.AmazonThe Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers"The Most Dangerous Man in America" is the story of what happens when a former Pentagon insider, armed only with his conscience, steadfast determination, and a file cabinet full of ...Amazon

2008 National Board of Review - Freedom of Expression Award WinnerTrumboThrough a focus on the life of Dalton Trumbo (1905-1976), this film examines the effects on individuals and families of a congressional pursuit of Hollywood Communists after World War II. ...Amazon

2007 National Board of Review - Freedom of Expression Award WinnerPersepolisA precocious and outspoken Iranian girl grows up during the Islamic Revolution.AmazonThe Great DebatersA drama based on the true story of Melvin B. Tolson, a professor at Wiley College Texas. In 1935, he inspired students to form the school's first debate team, which went on to challenge Harvard in the national championship.Amazon