Palme d’Or-winning filmmaker Jafar Panahi has been named best director at the 35th Annual Gotham Awards for his film It Was Just An Accident. He received this recognition on the same day he was sentenced in absentia to one year in prison and a two-year travel ban in Iran.
The Iranian filmmaker’s latest film won big at the annual award ceremony, taking home the Best International Feature and Original Screenplay awards.
In his acceptance speech, Panahi dedicated his awards to independent filmmakers from Iran and around the world who continue to tell their stories despite the risk and challenges.
“I hope that this dedication will be considered a small tribute to all filmmakers who have been deprived of the right to see and to be seen, but continue to create and exist,” he said.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, bagged the Best Feature at the Gotham Awards.
“I didn’t expect this. Thank you very much for enjoying this film, for rewarding this film. I had a great time making it,” Anderson said while receiving the award.
Akinola Davies Jr.’s My Father’s Shadow, which bagged double nominations in Breakthrough Director and Lead Performance, swept awards in both categories, with actor Sope Dirisu lifting the latter title.
Wunmi Mosaku received the Outstanding Supporting Performance award for the film Sinners.
Actor Abou Sangar won the Breakthrough Actor Award for Souleymane’s Story. The ceremony also debuted a new competitive category, Best Adapted Screenplay, awarded to Harry Lighton for Pillion.
Best Documentary Feature title has been honoured to My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow.
The Gotham Awards 2025 also presented special honours, including the Cultural Icon Tribute to Jeremy Allen White and Scott Cooper, the Director Tribute to Noah Baumbach, and the Ensemble Tribute to the cast of Sinners.
Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson received the Musical Tribute, Tessa Thompson earned the Spotlight Tribute, Guillermo del Toro, Oscar Isaac, and Jacob Elordi were honoured with the Vanguard Tribute, and Luca Guadagnino and Julia Roberts received the Visionary Tribute.
