Neverland wins US award

FINDING NEVERLAND, the whimsical, wistful story of Peter Pan creator JM Barrie, starring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet, has been named best film of the year by the National Board of Review in the US.

Jamie Foxx was named best actor for his convincing portrayal of singing legend Ray Charles in Ray, and Annette Bening took the top female acting honours for Being Julia, in which she plays an ageing British stage star.

No single film dominated the awards, announced in New York last night.

The top 10 films, in order, were: Finding Neverland, The Aviator, Closer, Million Dollar Baby, Sideways, Kinsey, Vera Drake, Ray, Collateral and Hotel Rwanda.