The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts.

In an effort to avoid government censorship of films, the National Board became the unofficial clearinghouse for new movies.

[3] The Board's stated purpose was to endorse films of merit and champion the new "art of the people", which was transforming America's cultural life.

In 1930, the NBR was the first group to choose the 10 best English-language movies of the year and the best foreign films, and is still the first critical body to announce its annual awards.

In 1936 executive secretary Wilton A. Barrett explained the Board's workings:The National Board is opposed to legal censorship regarding all forms of the motion picture...It believes that far more constructive ...is the method of selecting the better pictures, publishing descriptive, classified lists of them and building up audiences and support for them through the work of community groups...[6]The NBR has also gained international acclaim for its publications, which collectively constitute the oldest film review and commentary publication in the US.