NYFCC Drop the Hammer: Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another Takes Best Film, But Splits Are Already Defining the Race

Cynthia Rodriguez
Dec 24, 2025
3 min read

The votes are tallied, the champagne is popped (or maybe spilled on a copy of Film Comment), and the New York Film Critics Circle has spoken. The consensus pick for Best Film of 2025 is unequivocally Paul Thomas Anderson’s sprawling epic, One Battle After Another. It’s a win that solidifies PTA's film as the one to beat in the early critics' sweepstakes, backing up its recent Gotham Award for Best Feature.

But this isn’t just a coronation. This is a complex, political, and frankly, fascinating array of winners that sets the tone for an awards season defined by major splits, deserved upsets, and high-impact international cinema. The NYFCC didn't just choose the best; they chose the most essential, controversial, and daring work of the year.

The Best Film win for One Battle After Another confirms what we already knew: the film is a critical behemoth. It is not, however, a sole winner. Anderson himself was passed over for Best Director, but his film picked up a crucial second trophy for Best Supporting Actor: Benicio del Toro.

Del Toro, known for his ability to disappear into a role, delivered a scene-stealing, grounded performance that resonated with the critics. This win gives Anderson’s film the immediate muscle it needs heading into the more mainstream Golden Globes and BAFTA voting—a powerhouse duo of Best Film and a highly praised acting victory. If you’re tracking the frontrunners, Del Toro just put a target on his back.

The biggest shock and arguably the most important message came in the Best Director category, where the critics bypassed Anderson for Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi for his stunning work on It Was Just an Accident.

Panahi’s victory is deeply significant. It honors a filmmaker whose freedom, and even life, remains under threat in Iran. The NYFCC, known for its political leanings and championing of international artists, not only recognized the sheer directorial brilliance of his Palme d’Or-winning film but made a powerful, global statement about artistic resistance. Panahi’s recent sentencing to prison only underscores the urgency and importance of this kind of recognition from a major U.S. critics group.

Historic Acting Victories and Surprise Upsets

The acting categories delivered a trio of exciting, slightly left-field choices:

Best Actor: Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent)
- Moura's win for the Brazilian masterpiece is historic, making him the first Latin actor ever to win Best Actor from the NYFCC. This win comes over presumed frontrunners and is a huge boost for the Kleber Mendonça Filho film, which also snagged Best International Film. Expect Moura’s name to shoot up the Oscar prediction charts overnight.
Best Actress: Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You)
- This is a massive confirmation of a performance that has quietly been building steam all year. Byrne’s portrayal of a therapist and mother on the brink in Mary Bronstein's film is being hailed as career-best work, and this win gives her essential momentum against the season’s heavier hitters.

Best Supporting Actress: Amy Madigan (Weapons)
- The NYFCC showed its appreciation for high-concept horror by recognizing Madigan for her "witchy" and wonderfully unhinged performance in the blockbuster hit Weapons. It’s a refreshing win that acknowledges brilliant work outside of typical awards-bait drama, marking her as a potential dark horse candidate.

The Rest of the Trophies

Elsewhere, the NYFCC celebrated its uniquely New York identity:

Best Screenplay went to Josh Safdie and Ronald Bronstein for the hyper-local drama Marty Supreme.
- The critics threw support behind another recent Gotham winner, awarding Best Non-Fiction Film to the expansive and politically critical Russian documentary My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow.
In the animation category, Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters was a delightful surprise win for Best Animated Film.
The award for Best First Film went to Carson Lund's quiet, critically adored baseball picture, Eephus.

The NYFCC has drawn the battle lines. While Paul Thomas Anderson leads, the diversity and power of the acting and directing winners prove this year’s awards season is going to be anything but predictable.