New York, NY — Acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi made history at the 2025 Gotham Awards, taking home Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature for his daring drama It Was Just an Accident — a film shot in secret amid government restrictions in Iran.
The Gotham Awards, widely regarded as the first major event of the film awards season, celebrated independent filmmaking on Monday night in New York City. While One Battle After Another, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, won the top honor of Best Feature, Panahi’s triple win marked the night’s defining moment.
A Victory Against the Odds
Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident tells the gripping story of former prisoners who kidnap a man they believe once tortured them. The film, made clandestinely without Iranian government approval, has been praised for its unflinching depiction of trauma, justice, and survival under oppression.
The recognition came amid reports that Panahi was recently sentenced in absentia to one year in prison by Iranian authorities. The 65-year-old director — long persecuted for his outspoken criticism of the regime — has faced repeated imprisonment since 2010 for what the government labeled “propaganda against the state.”
Despite a filmmaking ban, Panahi continued to create and smuggle out his work, cementing his reputation as one of cinema’s most defiant and courageous voices.
“This is not just a win for me, but for every artist who continues to tell the truth even when they’re silenced,” Panahi said in his acceptance speech, his words met with a standing ovation.
Gotham Awards 2025: A Night of Artistic Integrity
Hosted at Cipriani Wall Street, this year’s ceremony underscored the Gotham Awards’ mission to honor filmmakers with distinctive creative voices. The event spotlighted emerging talents and critically acclaimed works across international cinema.
The Best Feature award went to Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Chase Infiniti, and Sean Penn — a political thriller following a former revolutionary, his daughter, and the soldier hunting them down.
Other major winners included Sope Dirisu, who won Outstanding Lead Performance for My Father’s Shadow, and Wunmi Mosaku, who earned Outstanding Supporting Performance for Sinners.
The Breakthrough Director award went to Akinola Davies Jr. for My Father’s Shadow, while Souleymane’s Story star Abou Sangaré was named Breakthrough Performer.
Complete List of Winners
- Best Feature: One Battle After Another
- Best Director: Jafar Panahi (It Was Just an Accident)
- Outstanding Lead Performance: Sope Dirisu (My Father’s Shadow)
- Outstanding Supporting Performance: Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners)
- Best Original Screenplay: It Was Just an Accident (Jafar Panahi)
- Best Adapted Screenplay: Pillion (Harry Lighton)
- Breakthrough Director: Akinola Davies Jr. (My Father’s Shadow)
- Breakthrough Performer: Abou Sangaré (Souleymane’s Story)
- Best International Feature: It Was Just an Accident
- Best Documentary Feature: My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow
A Defining Moment for Global Cinema
Panahi’s triumph — both artistic and personal — served as a powerful reminder of the role cinema plays in challenging censorship and celebrating freedom of expression. His victory capped off an evening dedicated to fearless storytelling and creative independence.
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