(LOS ANGELES) — Spike Lee’s film, Da 5 Bloods, starring Chadwick Boseman, has been named the Best Film of 2020 by National Board of Review.
On Tuesday, the NBR announced its 2020 award winners and Da 5 Bloods also won for Best Ensemble.
Individually, Lee, 63, took home the award for best director and Boseman, who lost his battle with colon cancer in August, was also posthumously awarded the NBR Icon Award, an honor that celebrates the cinematic contributions that are meaningful to history, culture and excellence in motion pictures.
In a statement NBR President Annie Schulhof said, “The NBR is proud to honor Da 5 Bloods, Spike Lee, and the film’s incredible ensemble cast, along with all of our 2020 awardees. Lee is one of our greatest filmmakers, a bold auteur with a cinematic vision and an astute perspective on human relationships, focusing at times on that intersection between the personal and the political.”
“Da 5 Bloods is not only a unique portrait of the experience and lingering trauma of Black Vietnam War veterans, but also a moving story of enduring friendship, a suspenseful jungle treasure hunt, and a powerful reckoning with the American dream,” Schulhof continued. “We are also honored to present the posthumous NBR Icon Award to Chadwick Boseman, an extraordinary talent who represented the best of what an actor could be no matter what the role.”
Da 5 Bloods follows four African American veterans — portrayed by Delroy Lindo, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis, and Isiah Whitlock Jr., who return to Vietnam and find the remains of their fallen squad leader, Boseman, and a buried treasure they left behind.
By Danielle Long
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