Paul Thomas Anderson’s acclaimed comedy thriller One Battle After Another has emerged as an early best picture frontrunner as the awards season kicks off.
The Thomas Pynchon adaptation, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as an ex-revolutionary searching for his daughter, was named best feature at Monday’s Gotham awards. “I didn’t expect this, actually,” Anderson said on stage. “I started to think I didn’t know what was going on.”
The writer-director has been nominated for 11 Oscars, for films including Phantom Thread and Licorice Pizza, but has yet to win.
The Gothams, which had been created to celebrate independent film, recently removed its $35m budget cap, allowing for studio films such as Barbie, Challengers and Poor Things to compete.
One Battle After Another, released by Warner Bros, has an estimated budget of at least $130m. It has made $202m at the worldwide box office.
Other winners at last night’s ceremony included My Father’s Shadow’s Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù for outstanding lead performance and Sinners’ Wunmi Mosaku for outstanding supporting performance. Ryan Coogler’s blockbusting vampire epic is also expected to be a major contender in this year’s Oscar race.
One Battle After Another was then awarded best film by the New York Film Critics Circle on Tuesday. Benicio Del Toro was also named best supporting actor for his role.
Other winners included If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’s Rose Byrne for best actress, The Secret Agent’s Wagner Moura for best actor and Weapons’ Amy Madigan for best supporting actress.
Both organisations also awarded Jafar Panahi directing awards for his critically lauded thriller It Was Just an Accident. His prizes come in the same week as he has been sentenced in absentia to one year in prison by Iran for “propaganda activities”. His film was also awarded the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes film festival.
“I hope that this dedication will be considered a small tribute to all film-makers who have been deprived of the right to see and to be seen, but continue to create and to exist,” Panahi said at the Gothams.
Next week sees the Golden Globe nominations announced before the ceremony takes place on 11 January. The Oscar nominations will be announced on 22 January.
