Clint Eastwood (R) and Japanese actor Ken Watanabe smile during a news conference for their new movie 'Letters from Iwo Jima' in Tokyo November 16, 2006. The Eastwood film was named best film of 2006 by the National Board of Review on Wednesday in the first major award of the Oscar season. (Yuriko Nakao/Reuters)

NEW YORK? - Clint Eastwood's Japanese-language film "Letters from Iwo Jima" was named best film of 2006 by the National Board of Review on Wednesday in the first major award of the Oscar season.

Helen Mirren was named best actress for her portrayal of Britain's ruling Queen Elizabeth in "The Queen," while Forest Whitaker won best actor for his chilling portrayal of Ugandan despot Idi Amin in "The Last King Of Scotland."

The awards, voted on by 120 film professionals, can be an early indicator of the leading contenders for the Academy Awards in February.

The group is known for some quirky choices in previous years and Eastwood's latest movie has had little Oscar buzz in Hollywood to date.

"Letters from Iwo Jima" is the story of the bloody battle for control of the Japanese island during World War Two, told from the perspective of Japanese soldiers. It will be released in U.S. theaters on December 20.

It is the second Eastwood film to be released this year about the 1945 fight. It follows "Flags of Our Fathers," which was presented from an American perspective.

"'Letters from Iwo Jima' is probably Mr. Eastwood's masterpiece and perhaps one of the greatest films of our time," National Board of Review President Annie Schulhof said in a statement. "His achievement is all the more extraordinary when one views the film as a companion piece to 'Flags of Our Fathers."'

Martin Scorsese was named best director for his crime thriller "The Departed," which also took the award for best ensemble cast. Spanish director Pedro Almodovar's "Volver," starring Penelope Cruz, won best foreign film.

The best supporting actor award went to Djimon Hounsou for "Blood Diamond," while best supporting actress went to Catherine O'Hara for her turn in "For Your Consideration."

Best animated feature was Disney's "Cars."

The group also presented "breakthrough performance" awards to Ryan Gosling for "Half Nelson" and to two actresses, Jennifer Hudson for "Dreamgirls" and Rinko Kikuchi for "Babel."

The best original screenplay went to Zach Helm for "Stranger Than Fiction," while Ron Nyswaner won best adapted screenplay for "The Painted Veil."

Best documentary went to "An Inconvenient Truth," which highlighted former U.S. Vice President Al Gore's concerns about global warming.

"Letters from Iwo Jima" was produced by Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc. and Dreamworks. "The Departed" was produced by Warner Bros.