Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” took the top prize from the National Society of Film Critics on Saturday, with the group naming the film best picture of 2025 on a weighted ballot. The movie also won best director for Anderson and swept both supporting acting categories, awarding Benicio del Toro best supporting actor and Teyana Taylor best supporting actress. In the best picture vote, “One Battle After Another” finished with 57 points, well ahead of runners-up “Sinners” (29) and “The Secret Agent” (27).
Lead acting honors went to Ethan Hawke for “Blue Moon” and Kathleen Chalfant for “Familiar Touch,” with both races landing on performance choices that cut against a crowded awards-season field. Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” earned a single win—best cinematography for Autumn Durald Arkapaw—while also placing as runner-up in several categories. Jafar Panahi won best screenplay for “It Was Just an Accident,” and “The Secret Agent” added best film not in the English language. The nonfiction prize went to “My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow.”
The society said its 59th annual voting meeting took place Jan. 3, 2026, with critics gathering in Los Angeles and New York while others joined virtually from around the country. The group’s rules call for awards in major categories such as picture, directing, acting, screenplay and cinematography, and it publishes point totals along with two runners-up per race.
The results land early in the final stretch of the season, giving “One Battle After Another” a high-profile critics’ endorsement while also spotlighting the NSFC’s habit of charting its own path. TheWrap noted that since the organization began awarding prizes in 1966, the NSFC’s best picture winner has gone on to win the Academy Award for best picture nine times, most recently “Nomadland,” which topped the group’s 2020 awards. This year, several widely discussed contenders failed to register even as runners-up, a reminder that the NSFC ballot can reward consensus craft picks in some races and sharp left turns in others.
