Gotham Awards 2025
The Gotham Awards officially signal the next phase of awards season and once again New York City becomes the center of the industry’s attention. It is the first major awards show on the calendar and, although the eligibility rules have evolved in recent years, the ethos of the Gothams remains clear. The budget cap that once limited submissions to films under 35 million dollars is gone. Yet the show still thrives on elevating smaller productions, bold artistic visions, and the international voices that shape the future of cinema.
While Gotham winners don’t always translate directly to Oscar nominations, the ceremony plays a crucial role in awards-season momentum. It highlights standout work, gives filmmakers and performers a platform to campaign, and can help elevate underdog films or performances. Missing out doesn’t hurt, but winning can offer an important boost.
The nominations are chosen by focused committees of critics, programmers, and curators who are not involved in distributing the films. Winners are selected by small juries of working industry creatives who decide category by category. It is intimate and selective, which makes the choices feel bold and personal. This year also marked a notable shift. For the first time, Best Feature included up to ten contenders rather than five, opening the field to a broader range of stories and production scales.
Key Takeaways from the Night
Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident emerged as the evening’s biggest winner and earned two major competitive awards. Following its Palme d’Or triumph in Cannes, this victory strengthens its international profile. Neon’s slate for the season grows increasingly intriguing and its other titles may have to catch up to match the heat behind Panahi’s film.
Meanwhile, the Best Feature win for One Battle After Another signals what many expect will be the beginning of a long and steady sweep for the Paul Thomas Anderson drama throughout the season.
Not everything landed. Rose Byrne, who has been in the conversation for her turn in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, was nowhere to be found on the winners list. A win here could have sharpened her chances in a still-forming Best Actress race.One performer who received a valuable early boost was Wunmi Mosaku. With Sinners expected to earn multiple nominations this season (including Best Picture), her supporting performance stands out as the film’s most likely contender in either Supporting category.
Spotlight Tributes
Tribute awards remain a signature of the Gothams, guaranteeing moments on stage for some of the season’s most anticipated players. This year’s honorees included:
• Guillermo del Toro, Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi for Frankenstein
• Noah Baumbach for Jay Kelly
• Tessa Thompson for Hedda
• Luca Guadagnino and Julia Roberts for After the Hunt
• Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson for Song Sung Blue
• Jeremy Allen White and Scott Cooper for Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere
• The ensemble of Ryan Coogler’s Sinners
The Winners
• Best Feature: One Battle After Another (Warner Bros. Pictures), produced by Paul Thomas Anderson, Sara Murphy, Adam Somner
• Best International Feature: It Was Just an Accident (Neon), produced by Philippe Martin and Jafar Panahi
• Best Documentary Feature: My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow, directed and produced by Julia Loktev
• Best Director: Jafar Panahi, It Was Just an Accident (Neon)
• Best Original Screenplay: It Was Just an Accident (Neon), written by Jafar Panahi
• Best Adapted Screenplay: Pillion (A24), written by Harry Lighton
• Breakthrough Director: Akinola Davies Jr., My Father’s Shadow (Mubi)
• Outstanding Lead Performance: Sopé Dìrísù, My Father’s Shadow (Mubi)
• Outstanding Supporting Performance: Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures)
• Breakthrough Performer: Abou Sangaré, Souleymane’s Story (Kino Lorber)
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