Entertainment Movies Will Smith and 'West Side Story' 's Rachel Zegler Win National Board of Review's Top Acting Awards The National Board of Review named Will Smith and Rachel Zegler as the top actors of the year with their performances in King Richard and West Side Story, respectively By Alexia Fernández Published on December 2, 2021 04:17 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Dave J Hogan/Getty; Will Smith and Rachel Zegler earned the National Board of Review's top acting honors. The two were named as honorees in the 2021 NBR Awards announced on Thursday. Paul Thomas Anderson was also named best director for Licorice Pizza, with his film also taking the prize for best film. Smith, 53, stars as Richard Williams, the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, in the biopic King Richard, now in theaters and on HBO Max. Zegler, 20, makes her film debut in Steven Spielberg's film adaptation of West Side Story as Maria, which hits theaters Dec. 10. Anderson's Licorice Pizza tells the story of a boy and girl growing up in the San Fernando Valley of California who fall in love in the 1970s. The movie stars Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Bradley Cooper, Benny Safdie, Sean Penn and Maya Rudolph. West Side Story Remake Praised by Critics: 'Spielberg Topped the Original' In a statement, NBR president Annie Schulhof said, "In a moment of transition and uncertainty, there is nothing like Licorice Pizza to remind us of the joy, hope and exhilaration that great cinema can inspire. The NBR is honored to award the movie as its Best Film of 2021, as well as its brilliant creator, Paul Thomas Anderson, and all of our other awardees." The honorees will be celebrated at the NBR Awards Gala hosted by Willie Geist on Tuesday, Jan. 11. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. See below for the full list of 2021 award recipients. Best Film: Licorice PizzaBest Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice PizzaBest Actor: Will Smith, King RichardBest Actress: Rachel Zegler, West Side StoryBest Supporting Actor: Ciarán Hinds, BelfastBest Supporting Actress: Aunjanue Ellis, King RichardBest Original Screenplay: Asghar Farhadi, A HeroBest Adapted Screenplay: Joel Coen, The Tragedy of MacbethBreakthrough Performance: Alana Haim & Cooper Hoffman, Licorice PizzaBest Directorial Debut: Michael Sarnoski, PigBest Animated Feature: EncantoBest Foreign Language Film: A HeroBest Documentary: Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) Best Ensemble: The Harder They FallOutstanding Achievement in Cinematography: Bruno Delbonnel, The Tragedy of MacbethNBR Freedom of Expression Award: Flee RELATED VIDEO: Serena Williams and Daughter Olympia Match in Sparkly Red Carpet Looks for King Richard Premiere Top Films:BelfastDon't Look UpDuneKing RichardThe Last Duel Nightmare AlleyRed RocketThe Tragedy of MacbethWest Side Story Top 5 Foreign Language FilmsBenedettaLambLingui, The Sacred Bonds TitaneThe Worst Person in the World Top 5 DocumentariesAscensionAtticaFleeThe RescueRoadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain Top 10 Independent FilmsThe Card CounterC'mon C'mon CODAThe Green KnightHollerJockeyOld HenryPigShiva BabyThe Souvenir Part II Last year, the NBR named Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods as the best film of the year and Lee as best director. Riz Ahmed won for best actor for his performance in Sound of Metal while Carey Mulligan won best actress for Promising Young Woman. Chadwick Boseman was posthumously given the NBR Icon Award.