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The National Society of Film Critics crowned Paul Thomas Anderson’s sprawling drama One Battle After Another as its best picture for 2025, handing the film four top prizes and sparking conversation about the year’s strong slate of politically charged cinema.
Top winners at a glance: who took home the big prizes
- Best Picture: One Battle After Another
- Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson — One Battle After Another
- Best Actor: Ethan Hawke — Blue Moon
- Best Actress: Kathleen Chalfant — Familiar Touch
- Best Supporting Actor: Benicio del Toro — One Battle After Another
- Best Supporting Actress: Teyana Taylor — One Battle After Another
- Best Cinematography: Autumn Durald Arkapaw — Sinners
- Best Film Not in English: The Secret Agent
- Best Nonfiction Film: My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow
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Surprises, snubs and notable highlights
The NSFC lineup reflected a strong interest in films about unrest and solidarity. Several prizes went to movies with overt political themes.
- Leonardo DiCaprio’s film was a major winner, yet he did not claim the best actor trophy.
- Ethan Hawke earned the best actor award for his portrayal of lyricist Lorenz Hart in Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon.
- One Battle After Another dominated multiple acting and directing categories.
Category-by-category winners and runners-up
Best Picture and runners-up
- Winner: One Battle After Another
- Runners-up: Sinners; The Secret Agent
Direction
- Winner: Paul Thomas Anderson — One Battle After Another
- Runners-up: Jafar Panahi — It Was Just an Accident; Richard Linklater — Blue Moon / Nouvelle Vague
Acting honors
- Best Actor: Ethan Hawke — Blue Moon
- Runners-up: Wagner Moura — The Secret Agent; Michael B. Jordan — Sinners
- Best Actress: Kathleen Chalfant — Familiar Touch
- Runners-up: Rose Byrne — If I Had Legs I’d Kick You; Renate Reinsve — Sentimental Value
- Best Supporting Actor: Benicio del Toro — One Battle After Another
- Runners-up: Delroy Lindo — Sinners; Stellan Skarsgård — Sentimental Value
- Best Supporting Actress: Teyana Taylor — One Battle After Another
- Runners-up: Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas — Sentimental Value; Wunmi Mosaku — Sinners
Writing, visuals and language categories
- Best Screenplay: Jafar Panahi — It Was Just an Accident
- Runners-up: Robert Kaplow — Blue Moon; Kleber Mendoça Filho — The Secret Agent
- Best Cinematography: Autumn Durald Arkapaw — Sinners
- Runners-up: Adolpho Veloso — Train Dreams; Michael Bauman — One Battle After Another
- Best Film Not in English: The Secret Agent
- Runners-up: It Was Just an Accident; Sentimental Value
Nonfiction, experimental and special awards
- Best Nonfiction Film: My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow
- Runners-up: The Perfect Neighbor; Orwell: 2+2=5
- Best Experimental Film: Morning Circle (Basma al-Sharif)
- Special Award — Film Awaiting U.S. Distribution: Landmarks (Lucrecia Martel)
Film heritage acknowledgements and archival honors
The NSFC also recognized organizations and individuals who preserve cinema history and widen access to global work.
- Cinema Tropical: For promoting Latin American films in the U.S.
- The Film Desk: For restoring and releasing international films and publishing related scholarship.
- Ken and Flo Jacobs: Honored for their central role in sustaining the American avant-garde.
Context and the critics’ perspective
NSFC chair Justin Chang noted the year’s strong output, particularly films exploring revolution and collective action. Critics responded to the political urgency many directors brought to their work.
The group emphasized both established auteurs and smaller, urgent films when selecting winners. That approach helped elevate titles across languages and formats.
