Paul Thomas Anderson used his best film moment at the BAFTA Film Awards to fire back at the familiar refrain that cinema has lost its spark, telling skeptics to “piss right off” and urging filmmakers to keep working “without fear.”
Anderson delivered the remark Sunday night in London after One Battle After Another took the ceremony’s top prize and capped a dominant run that included best director for Anderson, adapted screenplay, cinematography, editing and supporting actor for Sean Penn. In his onstage comments, Anderson pointed to the strength of the current slate, then referenced a Nina Simone line he said the film “stole”: “I know what freedom is, it’s no fear,” before telling the room to keep making work without fear.
The outburst landed as awards season collides with a tougher commercial conversation. Domestic ticket sales have yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, and analysts have pointed to a thin release calendar in parts of 2025, franchise fatigue and shifting audience habits as studios lean harder on streaming. A late-December industry review described 2025’s box office as struggling to rebound even with multiple tentpoles in the marketplace.
Anderson’s position pushes against that pessimism by separating the art form from its business headwinds. His comments echo a view held by many filmmakers and programmers: that strong movies keep arriving, while discovery has grown harder amid algorithm-driven libraries and shortened theatrical windows. Others counter that quality arguments miss a practical point. Fewer adults go to theaters regularly, marketing costs keep climbing, and mid-budget features often fight for screens.
During the BAFTAs, Anderson also dedicated his directing prize to late producer Adam Somner, a longtime collaborator in his production circle, underscoring the personal stakes behind the campaign. The film’s sweep now feeds straight into the final stretch before the Oscars, where voters will weigh the same question Anderson challenged from the stage: what, exactly, counts as a “good year” for movies.
