Critics Crown 'One Battle After Another' Best Picture: Shocking Win at Film Critics Awards

The National Society of Film Critics (NSFC) has announced its awards for 2025, with "One Battle After Another" taking home the prestigious Best Picture honor. The film, a significant winner of the year, secured a total of four awards, highlighting its critical acclaim. Paul Thomas Anderson was recognized for his outstanding direction of "One Battle After Another," earning him the Best Director award. Additionally, Teyana Taylor was honored with Best Supporting Actress and Benicio del Toro with Best Supporting Actor, both for their roles in the acclaimed film. Notably, "One Battle" star Leonardo DiCaprio was not nominated in the best actor category.
The Best Actor award went to Ethan Hawke for his compelling portrayal of Lorenz Hart in Richard Linklater’s “Blue Moon.” Runners-up in this category included Wagner Moura for “The Secret Agent” and Michael B. Jordan for “Sinners.” For Best Actress, Kathleen Chalfant was celebrated for her performance in “Familiar Touch,” with Rose Byrne for “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” and Renate Reinsve for “Sentimental Value” as runners-up. In the supporting actress category, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas for “Sentimental Value” and Wunmi Mosaku for “Sinners” were runners-up to Teyana Taylor. Delroy Lindo for “Sinners” and Stellan Skarsgård for “Sentimental Value” were runners-up for Best Supporting Actor.
Beyond acting and directing, other films received top honors in various categories. “The Secret Agent” was named Best Film Not in the English Language, a category where “It Was Just an Accident” and “Sentimental Value” were also recognized as runners-up. “Sinners” distinguished itself by winning Best Cinematography, credited to Autumn Durald Arkapaw. Its runners-up were Aldolpho Veloso for “Train Dreams” and Michael Bauman for “One Battle After Another.” The Best Screenplay award was presented to Jafar Panahi for “It Was Just an Accident,” with Robert Kaplow for “Blue Moon” and Kleber Mendoça Filho for “The Secret Agent” as runners-up.
In the non-fiction realm, “My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow” was named Best Nonfiction Film, ahead of runners-up “The Perfect Neighbor” and “Orwell: 2+2=5.” Justin Chang, chair of the NSFC, reflected on the year’s selections, stating, “This was a great year for movies and — as we’re hardly the only critics’ group to acknowledge — an especially resonant one for movies about revolution and solidarity.” He further added, “Following a difficult year for journalism and filmmaking, it’s thrilling to salute ‘One Battle After Another,’ ‘The Secret Agent,’ ‘It Was Just an Accident,’ ’My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow’ and ‘Sinners,’ and all the other brilliant films represented among our winners and runners-up.”
Special recognition was also given: “Morning Circle” by Basma al-Sharif received the Best Experimental Film award, and “Landmarks” by Lucrecia Martel was honored with a Special Award for a Film Awaiting U.S. Distribution. Furthermore, the Film Heritage Awards acknowledged Cinema Tropical for its tireless efforts in promoting Latin American cinema, The Film Desk for releasing global films and publishing cinema-enriching books, and Ken and Flo Jacobs for their pivotal role in defining American experimental cinema.
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