The New York Film Critics Circle, one of the most influential groups in shaping the trajectory of awards season early on, announced their 2025 winners this morning. Indiewire’s head critic David Ehrlich served as jury head this year, and his tastes are clearly reflected in the chosen winners. Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another took home Best Film, a film that will likely be anointed Ehrlich’s number one film of the year. In his initial review, he called it “the best American movie released by a major studio since 2010” and awarded it a rare perfect score. The film is the frontrunner not only for Best Picture at the Oscars, but also to dominate critics groups, having already won top honors at both the Gothams and NYFCC. The question now is whether NYFCC’s rival, LAFCA, will follow suit or champion a different contender to challenge PTA’s awards momentum.
Best Director went to Jafar Panahi for It Was Just An Accident, following a clean sweep at last night’s Gothams. After winning the Palme d’Or, Panahi is finally receiving widespread industry recognition for decades of remarkable work, with a narrative that feels urgent to celebrate right now. He seems likely to sweep Best Director across all the major critics groups, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the film takes down One Battle After Another at either LAFCA or NCFC.
Best Screenplay went to Marty Supreme, a New York centered film that many pundits, including myself, had pegged as a potential upset to win the top prize here. Like One Battle After Another, it earned a rare perfect score from Ehrlich and is already being hailed as a modern classic, especially from New York critics who seem especially over the moon with the film. With it hitting theatres in a few weeks and quickly building more buzz, it could end up becoming a major challenger in a lot of categories. I even wonder if LAFCA could favour it over One Battle After Another.
Best Actress went to Rose Byrne for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, a film that enjoyed a strong festival run, playing very well with audiences at Sundance, Berlin, Telluride, TIFF, and NYFF. Despite four Gotham nominations, it came away empty handed there, making this NYFCC win a significant boost for Byrne’s Oscar campaign as she competes against performers in much larger-scale films. Wagner Moura took Best Actor for The Secret Agent, which seems like it could be a massive contender amongst global critics groups, and will likely follow a similar path to the Oscars as his fellow-Brazilian actor Fernanda Torres. Both wins were widely expected and I predict that both Bynre and Moura will win the trifecta of critics prizes (NYFCC, LAFCA, NSFC).
While the lead acting races unfolded as expected, NYFCC threw some curveballs with their supporting picks. This is especially true in Supporting actor, where Benicio Del Toro won for One Battle After Another. Benicio Del Toro has really been proving that he’s a serious threat In this category, especially considering he received a Gotham nomination over his co-star, and presumed Oscar frontrunner, Sean Penn. With this NYFCC win, Del Toro may now overtake Penn as the film’s primary supporting actor push, despite having the smaller role. He’s also a far more widely beloved figure within the industry, whereas Penn remains polarizing, and Del Toro’s performance appears to have resonated with audiences.
Amy Madigan took Best Supporting Actress for Weapons, further solidifying her rising Oscar chances. NYFCC sometimes likes to get behind genre performances, so this doesn’t necessarily come as a huge surprise, but their support still signals real enthusiasm for her work among the industry and gives her a significant boost heading into the next phase of the awards race, especially with the category being seemingly wide open right now.
The Secret Agent was the only other film besides One Battle After Another to win multiple NYFCC awards, also taking Best International Feature. This category is incredibly competitive this year, especially with NEON’s stacked slate (Sentimental Value, It Was Just An Accident, The Secret Agent, No Other Choice, and Sirat) making it difficult to predict which of those titles would win this prize at the major critics groups. I had predicted Sirat, since its bold, audacious style felt tailor-made for NYFCC’s sensibilities, but The Secret Agent proved it has strong passion behind it, even among North American critics. Its performance here signals that it could continue to rise as a dark-horse awards juggernaut throughout the season.
Best Animated Feature went to K-Pop: Demon Hunters, demonstrating that Netflix may be unstoppable in the animation race this season. NYFCC often favours much smaller, independent titles in this category, so them choosing K-Pop over Arco and Little Amelie, the expected critical alternatives, suggests the film has a strong hold on the field. While Zootopia 2 could still pick up NBR or one of the indie contenders might land with LAFCA, K-Pop is emerging as a formidable frontrunner that will be difficult to beat.
Best Non-Fiction Film went to My Undesirable Friends – Part 1, which also picked up the Gotham Award last night. The film is part of a five-hour documentary epic that earned strong acclaim during New York Film Festival this year. While the back-to-back wins might suggest it’s becoming a major contender in the documentary field, it’s worth noting that both the Gothams and NYFCC are New York–based groups. I do suspect the enthusiasm is more region-specific, and My Undesirable Friends – Part 1 may not maintain the same level of presence with critics groups outside the New York sphere.
Autumn Arkapaw Durald was honored with Best Cinematography for Sinners, another film championed by David Ehrlich and several prominent New York critics. While many top Oscar contenders this year boast remarkable cinematography, the film stands out for its immaculate visual craft, especially during the “I Lie to You” sequence. This NYFCC win signals that Durald could be on track to become the first female DP in Academy history to take home the Best Cinematography Oscar.
Best First Film was widely predicted to go to either Sorry, Baby or Pillion, but the award instead went to Eephus, a small slice-of-life indie about a small town baseball team playing its final game before their diamond is demolished. Though the film hasn’t been widely seen, those who have watched it have loved it. Particularly in a year where baseball has been a cultural touchstone and the Dodgers are more popular than ever, I wouldn’t be surprised if LAFCA also recognizes Eephus in this category.
Overall, NYFCC has selected a slate of strong, if not entirely surprising, winners. The next question is whether LAFCA, NBR, and NSFC will continue to reward films like One Battle After Another, It Was Just An Accident, Marty Supreme, and The Secret Agent, or pivot to other acclaimed titles that didn’t get featured here, such as Sentimental Value, Hamnet, No Other Choice, and Train Dreams.
Stay tuned to keithlovesmovies for the latest Awards Season news and analysis, leading up to the 98th Academy Awards on March 15th, 2026.
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