One Battle After Another takes top Gotham prize

It Was Just an Accident Photo: Jafar Panahi Productions/Les Films Pelleas/Courtesy of Cannes Film Festival

Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another became the first big winner of the 2025-2026 awards season last night when it was named Best Picture at the Gotham Awards, but it fell short in other categories where it had been among the front runners. The only films to get more than one award were My Father's Shadow and It Was Just An Accident, which latter was named Best International Feature, took the Best Original Screenplay award, and saw Jafar Panahi win Best Director. The Iranian auteur picked up his prize just an hours after his home country sentenced him in absentia to a year in prison for 'propaganda activities'.

With the rest of the field wide open, the only really notable win was for Pillion, which took Best Adapted Screenplay. As this follows significant wins at festivals, it marls it out as one to watch closely over the months to come.

Those awards in full:

Best Picture

• One Battle After Another

Best International Feature

• It Was Just An Accident

Best Documentary Feature

• My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air In Moscow

Best Director

• Jafar Panahi, It Was Just An Accident

Breakthrough Director

• Akinola Davies Jr., My Father’s Shadow

Best Original Screenplay

• It Was Just An Accident

Best Adapted Screenplay

• Pillion

Outstanding Lead Performance

• Sopé Dìrísù, My Father’s Shadow

Outstanding Supporting Performance

• Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners

Breakthrough Performer

• Abou Sangaré, Souleymane’s Story