‘One Battle After Another’ Wins Best Picture at National Society of Film Critics 59th Awards

One Battle After Another was named Best Picture of 2025 at the National Society of Film Critics 59th annual awards.

The film’s success continued with Paul Thomas Anderson receiving the award for Best Director, Teyana Taylor won Best Supporting Actress and Benicio del Toro received Best Supporting Actor.

In the lead acting categories, Kathleen Chalfant was named Best Actress for Familiar Touch, and Best Actor went to Ethan Hawke for Blue Moon.

International and nonfiction cinema were also prominently recognized. The Secret Agent received the award for Best Film Not in the English Language, and the Best Nonfiction Film award went to My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow.

The NSFC also honored innovation and experimentation in cinema with Morning Circle, directed by Basma al-Sharif, winning Best Experimental Film. In addition, the society presented a Special Award for a Film Awaiting U.S. Distribution to Landmarks, directed by Lucrecia Martel. The recognition draws attention to a work deemed of exceptional artistic merit that has yet to secure U.S. release.

See below the complete list of winners of National Society of Film Critics Awards Winners and Runners-up:

BEST PICTURE: “One Battle After Another” (57 points)
Runners-up:
“Sinners” (29 points)
“The Secret Agent” (27 points)

BEST DIRECTOR: Paul Thomas Anderson, “One Battle After Another” (54 points)
Runners-up:
Jafar Panahi, “It Was Just an Accident” (48 points)
Richard Linklater, “Blue Moon” and “Nouvelle Vague” (39 points)

BEST ACTRESS: Kathleen Chalfant, “Familiar Touch” (45 points)
Runners-up:
Rose Byrne, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” (39 points)
Renate Reinsve, “Sentimental Value” (37 points)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Teyana Taylor, “One Battle After Another” (56 points)
Runners-up:
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, “Sentimental Value” (47 points)
Wunmi Mosaku, “Sinners” (41 points)

BEST ACTOR: Ethan Hawke, “Blue Moon” (57 points)
Runners-up:
Wagner Moura, “The Secret Agent” (43 points)
Michael B. Jordan, “Sinners” (36 points)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Benicio del Toro, “One Battle After Another” (54 points)
Runners-up:
Delroy Lindo, Sinners” (37 points)
Stellan Skarsgård, “Sentimental Value” (30 points)

BEST SCREENPLAY: Jafar Panahi, “It Was Just an Accident” (53 points)
Runners-up:
Robert Kaplow, “Blue Moon” (50 points)
Kleber Mendonça Filho, “The Secret Agent” (40 points)

BEST FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE: “The Secret Agent” (58 points)
Runners-up:
“It Was Just an Accident” (57 points)
“Sentimental Value” (38 points)

BEST NONFICTION FILM: “My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow” (56 points)
Runners-up:
“The Perfect Neighbor” (22 points)
“Orwell: 2+2=5” (18 points)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Autumn Durald Arkapaw, “Sinners” (50 points)
Runners-up:
Adolpho Veloso, “Train Dreams” (36 points)
Michael Bauman, “One Battle After Another” (29 points)

BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM: “Morning Circle” (Basma al-Sharif)

SPECIAL AWARD FOR A FILM AWAITING U.S. DISTRIBUTION: “Landmarks” (Lucrecia Martel)

FILM HERITAGE AWARDS:
— Cinema Tropical, for its tireless efforts to distribute, program and promote Latin American cinema in the U.S.
— The Film Desk, for releasing key movies from all over the world, in 35mm prints and on home video, and publishing books that have enriched the public’s knowledge of cinema.
— Ken and Flo Jacobs, an irreplaceable, gravitational center of the American avant-garde, with a shared artistic sensibility that helped define experimental cinema.