NEW YORK US News: In a night filled with emotional speeches and powerful statements, Paul Thomas Anderson’s star-studded drama One Battle After Another claimed the coveted Best Feature award at the 35th annual Gotham Awards on Monday evening at Cipriani Wall Street.
The win capped a roller-coaster evening for the film, which had entered the ceremony with a record-tying six nominations but watched several categories slip away before securing the top prize. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Regina Hall and Teyana Taylor, the movie has already crossed $200 million worldwide and is widely seen as a major Oscar contender.
Anderson, earning his first Gotham trophy after four previous nominations, appeared genuinely stunned. “I really didn’t expect this,” he told the crowd. “Thank you for watching the movie, for liking it, and for rewarding it. I had the time of my life making it.”
The evening’s most poignant moments belonged to Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, whose Cannes Palme d’Or winner It Was Just an Accident dominated with three victories: Best International Feature, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.
Accepting via video link only hours after being sentenced in absentia by an Iranian court to one year in prison and two years of probation, Panahi dedicated his awards to filmmakers facing censorship worldwide. “These awards belong to everyone who worked with me on this film,” he said through an interpreter. “I dedicate them to all independent filmmakers who continue to create even when they are deprived of the right to see and be seen.”
The only other film to take home multiple prizes was the British-Nigerian drama My Father’s Shadow, which earned Sopé Dìrísù the Outstanding Lead Performance award and director Akinola Davies Jr. the Breakthrough Director prize. The semi-autobiographical story, the UK’s official Oscar submission for International Feature, centers on two brothers reconnecting with their estranged father during Nigeria’s chaotic 1993 elections.
Ryan Coogler’s horror blockbuster Sinners also shone brightly. Wunmi Mosaku won Outstanding Supporting Performance for her chilling portrayal of a Hoodoo conjurer, while the entire ensemble, including Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld and Jack O’Connell, accepted the previously announced Ensemble Tribute.
Other winners included:
- Best Documentary Feature: My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow
- Best Adapted Screenplay: Harry Pillion for the A24 biker romance Pillion
- Breakthrough Performance: Abou Sangaré in the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize winner Souleymane’s Story
The Gotham Awards, presented by the Gotham Film & Media Institute, traditionally kick off the film awards season by spotlighting independent and international voices. This year’s ceremony again proved why it remains one of the most unpredictable and passionately watched stops on the road to the Oscars.
