The Los Angeles Film Critics Association has named Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another as the best picture of 2025, with the film also securing awards for director and supporting performance. Rose Byrne and Ethan Hawke shared the leading performance prize, while other categories highlighted international and independent cinema. The awards, marking the group's 51st year, often predict Oscar success.
Overview
The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) announced its 2025 winners on December 7, recognizing excellence in film across various categories. Founded in 1975, LAFCA is known for its bold selections that frequently align with Academy Awards, with past best picture winners like Anora (2024) going on to Oscar victory.
Major Wins
One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson's adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's Vineland, dominated with three awards: best picture, best director for Anderson, and best supporting performance for Teyana Taylor as a revolutionary figure. The Warner Bros. film beat out runner-up The Secret Agent (Neon) for top honors and follows a lineage of LAFCA successes that have propelled films to Oscar contention, including Parasite (2019) and Moonlight (2016).
Leading performances were shared between Rose Byrne in the A24 dramedy If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, where she plays a mother and therapist facing personal turmoil, and Ethan Hawke in Sony Pictures Classics' Blue Moon as Broadway legend Lorenz Hart. This marks Hawke's third LAFCA win overall. Runners-up included Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme (A24) and Wagner Moura in The Secret Agent.
Supporting performances went to Stellan Skarsgård in the Norwegian drama Sentimental Value (Neon) and Taylor, with runners-up Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (Sentimental Value) and Andrew Scott (Blue Moon).
International and Artisan Categories
The Secret Agent won best film not in the English language, edging out Jafar Panahi's It Was Just an Accident (Neon), which took best screenplay. Panahi's win adds to his Gotham Awards success. My Undesirable Friends: Part 1 — Last Air in Moscow (self-distributed) claimed best documentary, following prior Gotham and NYFCC victories.
In technical categories, Adolpho Veloso earned cinematography for Netflix's Train Dreams, Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie won editing for Marty Supreme, Hannah Beachler took production design for Sinners (Warner Bros.), and Kangding Ray scored best music for Sirāt (Neon). Animation went to GKids' Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, over Netflix's KPop Demon Hunters.
Special Awards
Eva Victor received the New Generation Award for Sorry, Baby (A24). Albert Serra's Afternoons of Solitude (Grasshopper Films) won the Douglas Edwards Experimental Film Prize, while Thom Andersen was honored for his body of work. Philip Kaufman will receive the Career Achievement Award at the January 10 ceremony at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.
These selections underscore LAFCA's commitment to diverse, innovative filmmaking, with many winners positioning strongly for Oscar nominations.