‘One Battle After Another’ wins big with Atlanta Film Critics Circle

The Atlanta Film Critics Circle (AFCC) named Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” as the best film of 2025.

The AFCC, which was founded in 2017 and contains 39 voting members (including yours truly), also celebrated “One Battle After Another” in six other categories, including Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Breakthrough Performance. Many categories came down to a one-two battle between “One Battle After Another” and Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners.”

“2025 was another stellar year for film, including two horror sensations in ‘Sinners’ and ‘Weapons,’ Chloé Zhao’s heartbreaking excavation of the grief process in ‘Hamnet,’ and one of the strongest crops of international films in recent memory,” said AFCC advisory board member Kyle Pinion in a press release. “But it was Paul Thomas Anderson’s crafting of a generational masterpiece in ‘One Battle After Another’ that ruled the day in AFCC voters’ ballots, and rightfully so. It’s the kind of film that will last.”

According to the release, this year’s races were uniquely competitive, with several categories coming down to just a few votes. Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Just an Accident” won Best International Feature Film, which was the closest category with a margin of four points separating the top three films.

In the acting categories, Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio del Toro won Best Lead Actor and Best Supporting Actor respectively for their performances in “One Battle After Another.” Jessie Buckley won Best Lead Actress for her performance in Chloe Zhao’s “Hamnet,” and Amy Madigan took home the Best Supporting Actress award for her work in Zach Cregger’s ‘Weapons.” 

See the full list of winners below: 

Best Film:

Top 10 Films Ranked:

1. “One Battle After Another”
2. “Sinners”
3. “Weapons”
4. “Hamnet”
5. “Marty Supreme”
6. “It Was Just an Accident”
7. “No Other Choice”
8. “Sentimental Value”
9. “Train Dreams”
10. “The Secret Agent”

Best Lead Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, “One Battle After Another”
Runner Up: Michael B. Jordan, “Sinners”

Best Lead Actress: Jessie Buckley, “Hamnet”
Runner Up: Rose Byrne, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”

Best Supporting Actor: Benicio del Toro, “One Battle After Another”
Runner Up: Sean Penn, “One Battle After Another”

Best Supporting Actress: Amy Madigan, “Weapons”
Runner Up: Teyana Taylor, “One Battle After Another”

Best Ensemble Cast: “One Battle After Another”
Runner Up: “Sinners”

Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, “One Battle After Another”
Runner Up: Ryan Coogler, “Sinners”

Best Original Screenplay: “Sinners”
Runner Up: “Weapons”

Best Adapted Screenplay: “One Battle After Another”
Runner Up: “Hamnet”

Best Documentary: “The Perfect Neighbor” 
Runner Up: “The Alabama Solution”

Best International Feature: “It Was Just an Accident”
Runner Up: “No Other Choice”

Best Animated Film: “KPop Demon Hunters”
Runner Up: “Arco”

Best Cinematography: “One Battle After Another”
Runner Up: “Sinners”

Best Original Score: “Sinners”
Runner Up: “One Battle After Another”

Best Stunt Work: “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”
Runner Up: “F1”

Best Voice Performance: Arden Cho, “KPop Demon Hunters”
Runner Up: Jason Bateman, “Zootopia 2”

Best Breakthrough Performance: Chase Infiniti, “One Battle After Another”

Best First Feature: Eva Victor, “Sorry, Baby”