Lead
On Monday in New York, Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another won best feature and Iranian director Jafar Panahi collected three awards at the 35th annual Gotham Awards, held at Cipriani Wall Street. The Gothams, run by the Gotham Film & Media Institute, are known for spotlighting smaller films and doling out tributes to awards-season hopefuls. Anderson’s studio drama, reported to have cost at least $130 million, stood out among the evening’s winners. Panahi’s victories came amid fresh legal setbacks: his attorney said he was sentenced to one year in prison and given a two-year travel ban.
Key Takeaways
- One Battle After Another was named best feature at the 35th Gotham Awards on Monday in Manhattan; the film’s production budget is reported at a minimum of $130 million.
- Jafar Panahi received three honors—best director, best original screenplay and best international film—for It Was Just an Accident; his attorney said he faces a one-year prison term and a two-year travel ban.
- The ceremony took place at Cipriani Wall Street and is presented by the Gotham Film & Media Institute, which removed a $35 million budget cap for eligible films in 2023.
- Acting winners included Sopé Dìrísù (best lead performance) for My Father’s Shadow and Wunmi Mosaku (best supporting performance) for Sinners; both were not present to accept their awards.
- Sopé Dìrísù’s prize was accepted by director Akinola Davies Jr., who also won breakthrough director; Ryan Coogler accepted Mosaku’s award for Sinners.
- Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident previously won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2025, increasing international attention on his case.
- Tribute awards honored figures and projects including Guillermo del Toro, Noah Baumbach, Tessa Thompson, Luca Guadagnino, Julia Roberts, Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson.
Background
The Gotham Awards were founded to celebrate independent filmmaking and traditionally favored low-budget features and debut directors. That identity shifted in 2023 when the Gotham Film & Media Institute removed a $35 million budget ceiling for eligibility, opening the ceremony to larger studio productions. The event remains a compact, black-tie gathering with small juries selecting nominees and winners, which often yields unexpected outcomes compared with larger, televized ceremonies.
Jafar Panahi has been a long-standing figure in debates over artistic freedom in Iran. Barred from filmmaking and travel in 2010 by Iranian authorities, Panahi nevertheless continued to make films without official permission. According to his attorney, he had been allowed to travel abroad since 2023 until this recent ruling that includes imprisonment and a travel ban; his legal status now intersects sharply with the international acclaim his film received at Cannes.
Main Event
The ceremony at Cipriani Wall Street blended formal tributes with the Gothams’ trademark informality. Paul Thomas Anderson, taken by surprise at his film’s victory, told the audience he hadn’t expected the award and quipped about moving on to a bar afterward. Adam Sandler, presenting a tribute, joked about the ceremony’s indie roots when recalling earlier low-budget payments to actors.
Small juries awarded acting honors to performers who were not in attendance. Sopé Dìrísù won best lead performance for the British-Nigerian drama My Father’s Shadow; director Akinola Davies Jr. accepted the award on Dìrísù’s behalf and was also named breakthrough director. Wunmi Mosaku won best supporting performance for Sinners, with director Ryan Coogler accepting the prize.
Panahi’s triple win for It Was Just an Accident—director, original screenplay and international film—was a focal point of the night. His screenplay acceptance included a dedication to independent Iranian filmmakers and others who create under pressure. Earlier the same day, his attorney, Mostafa Nili, said Panahi had been sentenced to a year in prison and handed a two-year travel ban, a development that underscored the political stakes surrounding his work.
Other competitive winners included Harry Lighton for adapted screenplay (Pillion), Abou Sangaré as breakthrough performer (Souleymane’s Story), and Julia Loktev’s My Undesirable Friends: Part 1 — Last Air in Moscow for best documentary. Tribute honors were distributed across filmmakers, actors and ensemble casts, a reminder of the Gothams’ role as both celebrant and tastemaker.
Analysis & Implications
One Battle After Another’s victory marks a notable moment for the Gothams: a studio-financed film with a production budget reported at least $130 million topped a ceremony long associated with smaller, independent productions. The removal of the $35 million cap in 2023 makes this outcome a foreseeable consequence of the institute’s evolving eligibility rules, but it also raises questions about the ceremony’s identity and its influence on awards-season narratives.
For awards prognosticators, the win bolsters One Battle After Another’s profile ahead of March’s Academy Awards, though the Gothams are not a strict bellwether. The ceremony’s juried voting and intimate format can magnify certain films’ reputations quickly; a Gotham best-feature prize can translate into heightened media attention and momentum among critics and voters in the months that follow.
Panahi’s sweep brings a different kind of attention: geopolitical and human-rights implications now sit alongside artistic recognition. The juxtaposition of international prizes and reported legal penalties underscores a dilemma for festivals, distributors and cultural institutions—how to support artists facing state repression while navigating diplomatic and legal realities.
Looking ahead, Panahi’s legal restrictions could affect festival appearances, promotion, and distribution plans for his film abroad. Meanwhile, the Gothams’ embrace of a higher-budget film may shift how smaller films compete for visibility in a season crowded with studio-backed contenders and international festival darlings.
Comparison & Data
| Item | Context | Noted Figure |
|---|---|---|
| Gotham budget cap (pre-2023) | Eligibility rule limiting larger productions | $35 million |
| One Battle After Another | Studio feature, best feature winner | $130 million+ (reported) |
| Gotham edition | Annual ceremony | 35th |
The table highlights the policy change and the scale of this year’s best-feature winner. The elimination of the $35 million cap in 2023 created a pathway for studio films with seven-figure budgets to compete directly with traditionally smaller independent titles, a shift visible in this year’s shortlist and final awards.
Reactions & Quotes
“I didn’t expect this, actually,”
Paul Thomas Anderson, director
Anderson expressed surprise onstage when accepting the best-feature award and offered a low-key closing remark suggesting the party continue at a bar or head home.
“I would like to dedicate the honor of this award to independent filmmakers in Iran and around the world,”
Jafar Panahi, director
Panahi used his acceptance to highlight filmmakers who work under difficult conditions and to dedicate recognition to those continuing to film with limited support and personal risk.
“This is a time for all of us to remember what unites us and what brings us together,”
Hugh Jackman, actor
Tribute recipients, including cast members and established filmmakers, framed awards season as a moment of communal acknowledgment across the industry.
Unconfirmed
- The precise timeline for enforcement of Jafar Panahi’s reported one-year sentence and how it will affect international festival engagements is not yet publicly confirmed.
- Whether One Battle After Another’s Gotham victory will materially change voting patterns at the Academy Awards remains speculative and cannot be confirmed at this stage.
Bottom Line
The 35th Gotham Awards delivered two headline narratives: a high-budget studio film taking the ceremony’s top honor and an internationally recognized director winning multiple awards despite new legal restrictions at home. Together they reflect both the Gothams’ institutional shifts and the continuing intersection of art and geopolitics in contemporary cinema.
For awards-season watchers, One Battle After Another’s win increases its visibility as the season progresses, though the Gothams’ juried format means the outcome should be weighed alongside other festival and critics’ results. For the international film community, Panahi’s recognition amid legal constraints will likely intensify conversations about the protection, promotion and platforms available to filmmakers working under repression.
Sources
- Associated Press (press agency) — primary report on winners, Panahi’s legal situation and ceremony details.
- Gotham Film & Media Institute (organization) — institutional background on the awards and eligibility rules.
- Cannes Film Festival (festival) — record of Palme d’Or winners and festival recognition for It Was Just an Accident.