Lead
At the 35th annual Gotham Awards in Manhattan, Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another was awarded Best Feature while Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi collected three prizes, including Best Director and Original Screenplay. The evening, staged by the Gotham Film & Media Institute, opened the U.S. awards season and spotlighted both a commercially successful studio film and politically fraught international work. Panahi accepted his honors via interpreter after news earlier in the day of a conviction in absentia in Iran. The results underscore shifting lines between independent and larger-studio cinema at the Gothams.
Key Takeaways
- One Battle After Another won Best Feature at the 35th Gotham Awards held in Manhattan on December 1, 2025.
- Jafar Panahi won three awards: Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature for It Was Just an Accident.
- The Anderson film entered the ceremony with a record six Gotham nominations and has surpassed $200 million worldwide at the box office.
- The Gothams expanded the Best Feature field to 10 nominees this year, up from five in prior seasons.
- Sopé Dìrísù won Outstanding Lead Performance for My Father’s Shadow; Akinola Davies Jr. won Breakthrough Director for the same film.
- Wunmi Mosaku received Outstanding Supporting Performance for Sinners; filmmaker Ryan Coogler accepted the statuette on her behalf.
- New or reshaped categories and tribute awards were presented, including a first-time Gothams Best Adapted Screenplay, won by Pillion.
Background
The Gotham Awards, organized by the Gotham Film & Media Institute, have long been regarded as an early barometer for awards season, focusing historically on independent and lower-budget filmmaking. In 2023 the Institute removed strict budget caps, broadening eligibility and allowing larger studio-backed films into contention. That change has altered both the nominee mix and industry attention on the ceremony.
Paul Thomas Anderson, a veteran director, entered the 2025 Gothams with his fourth career nomination and secured his first Gotham win for One Battle After Another, a film about former revolutionaries reencountering a past adversary after 16 years. The movie’s cast includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro, and its commercial success marks a rare crossover for an awards-oriented auteur picture.
Jafar Panahi, a globally recognized Iranian filmmaker, has faced legal and political pressure in Iran for years. His film It Was Just an Accident served as France’s official submission for the International Feature Oscar and was previously honored at Cannes; the director’s wins at the Gothams come amid a recent in absentia conviction in Iran.
Main Event
The ceremony, staged in Manhattan, paired formal awards with lighter moments and tributes. Anderson, present to accept the Best Feature honor, said he had not expected the award and thanked attendees for embracing the film. The recognition followed a record six nominations for the picture, underscoring its critical and commercial reach.
Panahi appeared onstage via interpreter to accept his screenplay award and later returned for Best International Feature and Best Director, dedicating his wins to filmmakers deprived of visibility and freedom. Earlier the same day Iranian authorities convicted him in absentia and imposed a one-year prison sentence plus two years of probation; Panahi told the audience he hoped the dedication would honor creators facing censorship.
Sopé Dìrísù won Outstanding Lead Performance for My Father’s Shadow, while director Akinola Davies Jr. took Breakthrough Director for the semi-autobiographical film about two brothers in Lagos during the 1993 election crisis. Davies accepted an absentee Dìrísù onstage.
Wunmi Mosaku was awarded Outstanding Supporting Performance for her role in Sinners; filmmaker Ryan Coogler accepted the trophy on her behalf and later joined the cast to receive the Gotham Ensemble Tribute. The night also included previously announced tributes to filmmakers such as Luca Guadagnino, Julia Roberts and Noah Baumbach.
Winners (selected)
- Best Feature: One Battle After Another — Paul Thomas Anderson, producers (Warner Bros. Pictures)
- Best Director: Jafar Panahi — It Was Just an Accident (Neon)
- Outstanding Lead Performance: Sopé Dìrísù — My Father’s Shadow (Mubi)
- Outstanding Supporting Performance: Wunmi Mosaku — Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures)
- Breakthrough Performer: Abou Sangaré — Souleymane’s Story (Kino Lorber)
- Best Documentary Feature: My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow — Julia Loktev (self-distributed)
- Breakthrough Director: Akinola Davies Jr. — My Father’s Shadow (Mubi)
- Best International Feature: It Was Just an Accident — Jafar Panahi (Neon)
- Best Adapted Screenplay: Pillion — Harry Lighton (A24)
- Best Original Screenplay: It Was Just an Accident — Jafar Panahi (Neon)
Analysis & Implications
The Gothams’ inclusion of a higher-profile, higher-grossing title like One Battle After Another highlights a continuing tension in festival and awards programming between indie credibility and box-office success. Warner Bros. backing and a cast of A-list stars helped the film reach beyond usual Gotham audiences, suggesting the Institute’s policy change is reshaping its influence on awards narratives.
Panahi’s triple win has layered significance: artistically, it recognizes a film acclaimed at Cannes; politically, it elevates a filmmaker currently confronting legal penalties in his home country. The honors amplify global attention on restrictions facing Iranian artists and may increase diplomatic and industry pressure around travel and exhibition for his films.
For Oscar season, the Gothams can provide momentum: France submitted It Was Just an Accident for International Feature consideration, and this Gotham recognition may bolster its profile with Academy voters. Meanwhile, One Battle After Another’s commercial strength combined with Gotham recognition may position it as an awards-season dark horse, especially in craft and acting categories.
Comparison & Data
| Metric | 2025 Gotham | Prior Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Best Feature nominees | 10 | 5 (typical pre-2024) |
| Box office — Best Feature winner | $200 million plus worldwide | Most past winners were lower-grossing indie titles |
| Top wins by single filmmaker | 3 (Jafar Panahi) | Varied; multiple wins by one filmmaker are uncommon |
The table shows a concrete expansion in nominee slots and the unusual commercial scale of this year’s Best Feature winner. Those shifts reflect institutional changes at the Gothams and a broader convergence of indie and studio-backed awards strategies.
Reactions & Quotes
I didn’t expect this, thank you for enjoying and rewarding this film, I had a great time making it.
Paul Thomas Anderson, on accepting Best Feature
This award belongs to all people who worked on this film; I dedicate it to independent filmmakers deprived of the right to be seen.
Jafar Panahi, accepting Best Original Screenplay (via interpreter)
I felt like I had traveled through movies; actors transported me to places I had not been.
Ryan Coogler, accepting Wunmi Mosaku’s statuette
Unconfirmed
- It remains unclear whether Iran will seek to enforce Jafar Panahi’s one-year sentence immediately or how the conviction will affect his ability to travel to awards ceremonies.
- The long-term impact of the Gothams expanding nominee eligibility on independent filmmakers’ access to publicity and funding is still developing and not yet measurable.
Bottom Line
The 35th Gotham Awards balanced recognition for a commercially successful auteur film with politically resonant international winners, signaling both a changing institutional posture and continued high stakes for filmmakers facing censorship. Paul Thomas Anderson’s first Gotham win and Jafar Panahi’s three honors will likely reverberate through awards season and festival circuits.
Watch for how Panahi’s legal status intersects with Oscar campaigning for It Was Just an Accident and whether the Gothams’ expanded eligibility continues to invite studio-backed films into an event once dominated by smaller indies. For now, the ceremony reaffirmed its role as a platform where artistic achievement and cultural politics converge.