"One Battle After Another" Sweeps National Society of Film Critics Awards 2025

The 2025 National Society of Film Critics Awards have shone their spotlight on "One Battle After Another". The praised film took home a total of four prestigious awards, notably the best picture award. The film’s success did not end there; it also received awards for best director, awarded to Paul Thomas Anderson, as well as best supporting actress going to Teyana Taylor, and best supporting actor going to Benicio del Toro. The film’s leading star, Leonardo DiCaprio, however, was missing from the best actor category.

The best actor accolade went to Ethan Hawke for his commendable performance as Lorenz Hart in the Richard Linklater directed “Blue Moon”. He was closely trailed by Wagner Moura for “The Secret Agent” and Michael B. Jordan for “Sinners” who were the runners-up for the award.

Furthermore, “The Secret Agent” won the award for best film not in the English language and “Sinners” grabbed the award for best cinematography. Other films recognized at the NSFC Awards included “My Undesirable Friends: Part I - Last Air in Moscow,” “It Was Just an Accident” and “Familiar Touch.”

Echoing the thoughts of many, Justin Chang, the NSFC’s chair, remarked, “This was a great year for movies, with a particularly strong message on revolution and solidarity resonating through many of the films. It’s heartening to salute the brilliant works like 'One Battle After Another,' 'The Secret Agent,' 'It Was Just an Accident,' 'My Undesirable Friends: Part I - Last Air in Moscow' and 'Sinners,' along with the other victorious films.”

In addition to the above recognition, these were some of the other significant winners at the National Society of Film Critics Awards 2025:

Best Actress went to Kathleen Chalfant for “Familiar Touch”.

Best Screenplay was awarded to Jafar Panahi for “It Was Just an Accident”.

The Best Nonfiction Film was “My Undesirable Friends: Part I - Last Air in Moscow” and Best Experimental Film was awarded to “Morning Circle” by Basma al-Sharif.

A Special Award For a Film Awaiting U.S. Distribution was given to “Landmarks” by Lucrecia Martel, and Film Heritage Awards went to Cinema Tropical, The Film Desk, and Ken and Flo Jacobs for their contributions to cinema.