The first real awards show of the 2026 Oscar season, the 2025 Gotham Awards, were handed out in New York tonight. The ceremony saw Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” taking Best Feature, a surprise considering the string of upsets for most of the evening. Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Just An Accident” dominated the ceremony, winning Director, Original Screenplay, and International Feature. MUBI’s “My Father’s Shadow” shook the room, taking two wins.
Wunmi Mosaku took Supporting Performance “Sinners” in a massively competitive field. And, in a shock, Sopé Dìrísù won Lead Performance for “My Father’s Shadow.”
In a pleasant surprise, Harry Lighton took Adapted Screenplay for “Pillion” after taking four British Independent Film Awards last night in London. Another Brit, Akinola Davis, Jr., won Breakthrough Director for the aforementioned “Shadow.”
”My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow” took Best Documentary Feature, while Abou Sangare won Breakthrough Performance for “Souleymane’s Story.”
The Gothams previously announced a number of its annual tributes that will be handed out during the ceremony. Steve Van Zandt introduced honorees Scott Cooper and Jeremy Allen White for “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere,” Adam Sandler and Emily Mortimer presented a very entertaining intro for Noah Baumbach who received the Gotham Awards Director Tribute for “Jay Kelly”; Tessa Thompson was bestowed with the Gotham Spotlight Tribute for her performance in Nia Da Costa’s “Hedda” by director Da Costa and her co-star Nia Hoss, and the cast of Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” landed the Ensemble Tribute. J.J. Abrams introduced Guillermo del Toro, Oscar Isaac, and Jacob Elordi, who earned the Vanguard Tribute for “Frankenstein.” Craig Brewer presented the first Gotham musical tribute to Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman, who made the daring prediction that the former would win the Oscar for Best Actress. Paul Rudd introduced Julia Roberts and Luca Guadagnino for the Visionary Tribute Award for “After the Hunt.” Their acceptance speech was appropriately the shortest of the night.
Always known as the Spirit Awards of the East Coast, not one truly independent American film won an award at the Gothams for the first time in its 35-year history.
The full list of nominees and winners is as follows:
Best Feature
Bugonia
Ari Aster, Ed Guiney, Lars Knudsen, Jerry Kyoungboum Ko, Yorgos Lanthimos, Miky Lee, Andrew Lowe, Emma Stone, producers (Focus Features)
East of Wall
Kate Beecroft, Shannon Moss, Melanie Ramsayer, Lila Yacoub, producers (Sony Pictures Classics)
Familiar Touch
Alexandra Byer, Sarah Friedland, Matthew Thurm, producers (Music Box Films)
Hamnet
Nicolas Gonda, Pippa Harris, Liza Marshall, Sam Mendes, Steven Spielberg, producers (Focus Features)
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Ronald Bronstein, Eli Bush, Richie Doyle, Conor Hannon, Sara Murphy, Josh Safdie, Ryan Zacarias, producers (A24)
Lurker
Galen Core, Archie Madekwe, Marc Marrie, Charlie McDowell, Francesco Melzi d’Eril, Duncan Montgomery, Alex Orlovsky, Olmo Schnabel, Jack Selby, producers (MUBI)
One Battle After Another – ***WINNER***
Paul Thomas Anderson, Sara Murphy, Adam Somner, producers (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Sorry, Baby
Mark Ceryak, Barry Jenkins, Adele Romanski, producers (A24)
The Testament of Ann Lee
Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold, Joshua Horsfield, Gregory Jankilevitsch, Mark Lampert, Lillian LaSalle, Andrew Morrison, Viktória Petrányi, Klaudia Smieja-Rostworowska, producers (Searchlight Pictures)
Train Dreams
Michael Heimler, Will Janowitz, Marissa McMahon, Ashley Schlaifer, Teddy Schwarzman (producers) (Netflix)
Best International Feature
It Was Just an Accident – ***WINNER***
Philippe Martin, Jafar Panahi, producers (NEON)
No Other Choice
Park Chan-Wook, Alexandre Gavras, Michèle Ray Gavras, Back Jisun, producers (NEON)
Nouvelle Vague
Laurent Pétin, Michèle Pétin, producers (Netflix)
Resurrection
Charles Gillibert, Yang Lele, Shan Zuolong, producers (Janus Films)
Sound of Falling
Lucas Schmidt, Maren Schmitt, producers (MUBI)
Best Documentary Feature
2000 Meters to Andriivka
Mstyslav Chernov, director; Raney Aronson-Rath, Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner, producers (PBS)
BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions
Kahlil Joseph, director; Onye Anyanwu, Kahlil Joseph, David Linde, Anikah McLaren, James Shani, Steven Soderbergh, producers (Rich Spirit)
My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow – ***WINNER***
Julia Loktev, director; Julia Loktev, producer (self-distributed)
The Perfect Neighbor
Geeta Gandbhir, director; Sam Bisbee, Geeta Gandbhir, Nikon Kwantu, Alisa Payne, producers (Netflix)
Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk
Sepideh Farsi, director; Javad Djavahery, Sepideh Farsi, producers (Kino Lorber)
Best Director
Mary Bronstein, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (A24)
Jafar Panahi, It Was Just an Accident (NEON) – ***WINNER***
Kelly Reichardt, The Mastermind (MUBI)
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Oliver Laxe, Sirât (NEON)
Breakthrough Director
Constance Tsang, Blue Sun Palace (Dekanalog)
Carson Lund, Eephus (Music Box Films)
Sarah Friedland, Familiar Touch (Music Box Films)
Akinola Davies Jr., My Father’s Shadow (MUBI) – ***WINNER***
Harris Dickinson, Urchin (1-2 Special)
Best Original Screenplay
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Mary Bronstein (A24)
It Was Just an Accident, Jafar Panahi (NEON) – ***WINNER***
The Secret Agent, Kleber Mendonça Filho (NEON)
Sorry, Baby, Eva Victor (A24)
Sound of Falling, Louise Peter, Mascha Schilinski (MUBI)
Best Adapted Screenplay
No Other Choice, Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-Mi, Jahye Lee, Don McKellar (NEON)
One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Pillion, Harry Lighton (A24) – ***WINNER***
Preparation for the Next Life, Martyna Majok (Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios)
Train Dreams, Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar (Netflix)
Outstanding Lead Performance
Jessie Buckley, Hamnet (Focus Features)
Lee Byung-hun, No Other Choice (NEON)
Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (A24)
Sopé Dìrísù, My Father’s Shadow (MUBI) – ***WINNER***
Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon (Sony Pictures Classics)
Jennifer Lawrence, Die My Love (MUBI)
Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent (NEON)
Josh O’Connor, The Mastermind (MUBI)
Amanda Seyfried, The Testament of Ann Lee (Searchlight Pictures)
Tessa Thompson, Hedda (Orion Pictures/Amazon/MGM Studios)
Outstanding Supporting Performance
Benicio Del Toro, One Battle After Another (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein (Netflix)
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value (NEON)
Indya Moore, Father Mother Sister Brother (MUBI)
Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures) – ***WINNER***
Adam Sandler, Jay Kelly (Netflix)
Andrew Scott, Blue Moon (Sony Pictures Classics)
Alexander Skarsgård, Pillion (A24)
Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value (NEON)
Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Breakthrough Performer
A$AP Rocky, Highest 2 Lowest (A24)
Sebiye Behtiyar, Preparation for the Next Life (Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios)
Chase Infiniti, One Battle After Another (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Abou Sangaré, Souleymane’s Story (Kino Lorber) – ***WINNER***
Tonatiuh, Kiss of the Spider Woman (Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate, LD Entertainment)
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