Tag Archives: Jafar Panahi

Sinners Wins In Washington!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Washington DC Area Film Critics Association have announced their picks for the best of 2025!  The winners are in bold!

Film
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners

Director
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
Ryan Coogler – Sinners
Jafar Panahi – It Was Just an Accident
Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
Chloé Zhao – Hamnet

Actor
Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners

Actress
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked: For Good
Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value

Supporting Actor
Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
Delroy Lindo – Sinners
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value

Supporting Actress
Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan – Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

Youth Performance
Miles Caton – Sinners
Cary Christopher – Weapons
Shannon Mahina Gorman – Rental Family
Jacobi Jupe – Hamnet
Mason Thames – How to Train Your Dragon
Nina Ye – Left-Handed Girl

Voice Performance
Jason Bateman – Zootopia 2
Arden Cho – KPop Demon Hunters
Ginnifer Goodwin – Zootopia 2
Yonas Kibreab – Elio
Ke Huy Quan – Zootopia 2

Motion Capture Performance
Oona Chaplin – Avatar: Fire And Ash
Stephen Lang – Avatar: Fire And Ash
Zoe Saldaña – Avatar: Fire And Ash
Sigourney Weaver – Avatar: Fire And Ash
Sam Worthington – Avatar: Fire And Ash

Ensemble
Hamnet
It Was Just an Accident
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Wake Up Dead Man

Original Screenplay
It Was Just an Accident
Marty Supreme
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Weapons

Adapted Screenplay
Bugonia
Frankenstein
Hamnet
One Battle After Another
Train Dreams

Animated Film
Arco
Elio
KPop Demon Hunters
Little Amélie Or The Character Of Rain
Zootopia 2

Production Design
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Sinners
Wicked: For Good

Cinematography
Frankenstein
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Train Dreams

Editing
F1: The Movie
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners

Score
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners

Joe Barber Award for Portrayal of Washington, DC
Anniversary
Captain America: Brave New World
A House of Dynamite
Nuremberg
Thunderbolts

Stunts
F1: The Movie
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Superman

Documentary
Come See Me in the Good Light
The Librarians
Orwell: 2+2=5
The Perfect Neighbor
Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk

Foreign Language Film
It Was Just an Accident
Left-Handed Girl
No Other Choice
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value

One Battle After Another Wins In Los Angeles

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association announced their picks for the best of 2025 and it was another victory for One Battle After Another.

​Best Film
Winner: ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Runner-Up: THE SECRET AGENT

Best Film Not In The English Language
Winner: THE SECRET AGENT
Runner-Up: IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT

Best Director
Winner: Paul Thomas Anderson – ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Runner-Up: Ryan Coogler – SINNERS

Best Documentary Film
Winner: MY UNDESIRABLE FRIENDS: PART I – LAST AIR IN MOSCOW
Runner-Up: THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR

Best Screenplay
Winner: Jafar Panahi – IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
Runner-Up: Eva Victor – SORRY, BABY

Best Leading Performance
Winners: Rose Byrne – IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU & Ethan Hawke – BLUE MOON
Runners-Up: Timothée Chalamet – MARTY SUPREME & Wagner Moura – THE SECRET AGENT

Best Supporting Performer
Winners: Stellan Skarsgård – SENTIMENTAL VALUE & Teyana Taylor – ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Runners-Up:Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – SENTIMENTAL VALUE & Andrew Scott – BLUE MOON

Best Animated Film
Winner: LITTLE AMÉLIE OR THE CHARACTER OF RAIN
Runner-Up: KPOP DEMON HUNTERS

Best Editing
Winner: Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie – MARTY SUPREME
​Runner-Up: Andy Jurgensen – ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER

Best Production Design
Winner: Hannah Beachler – SINNERS
​Runner-Up: Tamara Deverell – FRANKENSTEIN

Best Music/Score
Winner: Kangding Ray – SIRĀT
Runner-Up: Ludwig Göransson – SINNERS

Best Cinematography
Winner: Adolpho Veloso – TRAIN DREAMS
Runner-Up: Autumn Durald Arkapaw – SINNERS

Special Award (for body of work)
Thom Andersen

Douglas Edwards Experimental Film
Albert Serra – AFTERNOONS OF SOLITUDE

New Generation Award
Eva Victor – SORRY, BABY

Career Achievement
Philip Kaufman

Here are the nominations of the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Here are the nominations of the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association!

Film
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners

Director
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
Ryan Coogler – Sinners
Jafar Panahi – It Was Just an Accident
Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
Chloé Zhao – Hamnet

Actor
Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners

Actress
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked: For Good
Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value

Supporting Actor
Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
Delroy Lindo – Sinners
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value

Supporting Actress
Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan – Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

Youth Performance
Miles Caton – Sinners
Cary Christopher – Weapons
Shannon Mahina Gorman – Rental Family
Jacobi Jupe – Hamnet
Mason Thames – How to Train Your Dragon
Nina Ye – Left-Handed Girl

Voice Performance
Jason Bateman – Zootopia 2
Arden Cho – KPop Demon Hunters
Ginnifer Goodwin – Zootopia 2
Yonas Kibreab – Elio
Ke Huy Quan – Zootopia 2

Motion Capture Performance
Oona Chaplin – Avatar: Fire And Ash
Stephen Lang – Avatar: Fire And Ash
Zoe Saldaña – Avatar: Fire And Ash
Sigourney Weaver – Avatar: Fire And Ash
Sam Worthington – Avatar: Fire And Ash

Ensemble
Hamnet
It Was Just an Accident
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Wake Up Dead Man

Original Screenplay
It Was Just an Accident
Marty Supreme
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Weapons

Adapted Screenplay
Bugonia
Frankenstein
Hamnet
One Battle After Another
Train Dreams

Animated Film
Arco
Elio
KPop Demon Hunters
Little Amélie Or The Character Of Rain
Zootopia 2

Production Design
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Sinners
Wicked: For Good

Cinematography
Frankenstein
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Train Dreams

Editing
F1: The Movie
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners

Score
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners

Joe Barber Award for Portrayal of Washington, DC
Anniversary
Captain America: Brave New World
A House of Dynamite
Nuremberg
Thunderbolts

Stunts
F1: The Movie
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Superman

Documentary
Come See Me in the Good Light
The Librarians
Orwell: 2+2=5
The Perfect Neighbor
Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk

Foreign Language Film
It Was Just an Accident
Left-Handed Girl
No Other Choice
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value

The New York Film Critics Circle Honors One Battle After Another

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The New York Film Critics Circle has announced its picks for the best of 2025.  And here they are:

Best Film: One Battle After Another

Best Actress: Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Best Director: Jafar Panahi, It Was Just An Accident

Best Screenplay: Marty Supreme

Best Actor: Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent

Cinematography: Sinners

Supporting Actress: Amy Madigan, Weapons

Best Non-Fiction Film: My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow

Best Animated Film: KPop Demon Hunters

Best First Film: Eephus

Best Supporting Actor: Benicio Del Toro, One Battle After Another

Best International Film: The Secret Agent

The Gothams Honor One Battle After Another

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Last night, Awards Season began with the Gotham Awards!  One Battle After Another, which I really don’t want to have to sit through but I guess now I have no choice, won Best Feature.  (Oddly enough, that was the only award that One Battle After Another won, suggesting that the award had more to do with the film’s politics than its quality.)  Far more interesting is the fact that Iranian dissident (who is facing prison if he even returns to his native country) Jafar Panahi won Best Director and Best Screenplay for It Was Just An Accident.  Will the Academy have the courage to also honor him?

The winners are listed in bold below.

Best Feature
Bugonia
East of Wall
Hamnet
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Lurker
One Battle After Another
Sorry, Baby
The Testament of Ann Lee
Train Dreams

Best Director
Mary Bronstein – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Jafar Panahi – It Was Just an Accident
Kelly Reichardt – The Mastermind
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
Oliver Laxe – Sirât

Outstanding Lead Performance
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
Lee Byung-hun – No Other Choice
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Sopé Dìrísù – My Father’s Shadow
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
Jennifer Lawrence – Die My Love
Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent
Josh O’Connor – The Mastermind
Amanda Seyfried – The Testament of Ann Lee
Tessa Thompson – Hedda

Outstanding Supporting Performance
Benicio Del Toro – One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
Indya Moore – Father Mother Sister Brother
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
Adam Sandler – Jay Kelly
Andrew Scott – Blue Moon
Alexander Skarsgård – Pillion
Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

Best Original Screenplay
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
It Was Just an Accident
The Secret Agent
Sorry, Baby
Sound of Falling

Best Adapted Screenplay
No Other Choice
One Battle After Another
Pillion
Preparation for the Next Life
Train Dreams

Best International Feature
It Was Just an Accident
No Other Choice
Nouvelle Vague
Resurrection
Sound of Falling

Best Documentary Feature
2000 Meters to Andriivka
BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions
My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow
The Perfect Neighbor
Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk

Breakthrough Director
Constance Tsang – Blue Sun Palace
Carson Lund – Eephus
Sarah Friedland – Familiar Touch
Akinola Davies Jr. – My Father’s Shadow
Harris Dickinson – Urchin

Breakthrough Performer
A$AP Rocky – Highest 2 Lowest
Sebiye Behtiyar – Preparation for the Next Life
Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
Abou Sangaré – Souleymane’s Story
Tonatiuh – Kiss of the Spider Woman

One Battle After Another Leads The Gotham Nominations

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

For better or worse, Awards Season started today with the announcement of the Gotham nominations.  The Gothams are supposed to honor independent films, though the line between studio and independent is now so thin that it’s sometimes difficult to tell which is which.

In the past, the Gothams honored obscure films and also low-budget films that captured the public’s imagination.  This year, they gave the majority of their nominations to One Battle After Another, a big-budget film that starred a slew of Hollywood heavyweights.  Meanwhile, Sinners, a genuinely independent feature, received one nomination.

It’s debatable how much of a precursor the Gothams are.  They’re a critic-selected award and it’s always the guild awards that serve as the best precursors.  Still, it always helps to be mentioned somewhere.

Here are the 2025 Gotham nominations!

Best Feature
Bugonia
East of Wall
Hamnet
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Lurker
One Battle After Another
Sorry, Baby
The Testament of Ann Lee
Train Dreams

Best Director
Mary Bronstein – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Jafar Panahi – It Was Just an Accident
Kelly Reichardt – The Mastermind
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
Oliver Laxe – Sirât

Outstanding Lead Performance
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
Lee Byung-hun – No Other Choice
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Sopé Dìrísù – My Father’s Shadow
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
Jennifer Lawrence – Die My Love
Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent
Josh O’Connor – The Mastermind
Amanda Seyfried – The Testament of Ann Lee
Tessa Thompson – Hedda

Outstanding Supporting Performance
Benicio Del Toro – One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
Indya Moore – Father Mother Sister Brother
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
Adam Sandler – Jay Kelly
Andrew Scott – Blue Moon
Alexander Skarsgård – Pillion
Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

Best Original Screenplay
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
It Was Just an Accident
The Secret Agent
Sorry, Baby
Sound of Falling

Best Adapted Screenplay
No Other Choice
One Battle After Another
Pillion
Preparation for the Next Life
Train Dreams

Best International Feature
It Was Just an Accident
No Other Choice
Nouvelle Vague
Resurrection
Sound of Falling

Best Documentary Feature
2000 Meters to Andriivka
BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions
My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow
The Perfect Neighbor
Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk

Breakthrough Director
Constance Tsang – Blue Sun Palace
Carson Lund – Eephus
Sarah Friedland – Familiar Touch
Akinola Davies Jr. – My Father’s Shadow
Harris Dickinson – Urchin

Breakthrough Performer
A$AP Rocky – Highest 2 Lowest
Sebiye Behtiyar – Preparation for the Next Life
Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
Abou Sangaré – Souleymane’s Story
Tonatiuh – Kiss of the Spider Woman

Lisa Marie’s Way Too Early Oscar Predictions For July

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

As July comes to a close, the Oscar picture is still pretty fuzzy.  To be honest, it’s hard to get that excited about any of the contenders that have been mentioned.  It all pretty much sounds like more of the same, with the exception of Sinners.

Anyway, with that inspiring introduction out of the way, here are my predictions for July.

Click here for my April and May and June predictions!

Best Picture

F1

It Was Just An Accident

Jay Kelly

Nouvelle Vague

Nuremberg

The Secret Agent

Sentimental Value

Sinners

The Smashing Machine

Wicked For Good

Best Director

Jon M. Chu for Wicked For Good

Ryan Coogler for Sinners

Richard Linklater for Nouvelle Vague

Jafar Panahi for It Was Just An Accident

Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value

Best Actor

George Clooney in Jay Kelly

Dwayne Johnson in The Smashing Machine

Michael B. Jordan in Sinners

Wagner Moura in The Secret Agent

Jeremy Allen White in Deliver Me From Nowhere

Best Actress

Cynthia Erivo in Wicked For Good

Jennifer Lawrence in Die My Love

Renate Reinsve in Sentimental Valure

Julia Roberts in After The Hunt

June Squibb in Eleanor The Great

Best Supporting Actor

Miles Caton in Sinners

Russell Crowe in Nuremberg

Adam Sandler in Jay Kelly

Stellan Skarsgard in Sentimental Value

Christoph Waltz in Frankenstein

Best Supporting Actress

Emily Blunt in The Smashing Machine

Ayo Edebiri in After The Hunt

Elle Fanning in Sentimental Value

Ariana Grande in Wicked For Good

Jennifer Lopez in Kiss of the Spider Woman

Lisa Marie’s Way Too Early Oscar Predictions For June

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Click here for my April and May predictions!

Best Picture

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Deliver Me From Nowhere

F1

Hamnet

It Was Just An Accident

The Secret Agent

Sentimental Value

Sinners

The Smashing Machine

Wicked For Good

Best Director

Jon M. Chu for Wicked For Good

Ryan Coogler for Sinners

Joseph Kosinski for F1

Jafar Panahi for It Was Just An Accident

Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value

Best Actor

Timothee Chalamet in Marty Supreme

Dwayne Johnson in The Smashing Machine

Michael B. Jordan in Sinners

Wagner Moura in The Secret Agent

Jeremy Allen White in Deliver Me From Nowhere

Best Actress

Cynthia Erivo in Wicked For Good

Lucy Liu in Rosemead

Renate Reinsve in Sentimental Valure

Amanda Seyfried in Ann Lee

June Squibb in Eleanor The Great

Best Supporting Actor

Miles Caton in Sinners

Colman Domingo in Michael

Paul Mescal in Hamnet

Stellan Skarsgard in Sentimental Value

Christoph Waltz in Frankenstein

Best Supporting Actress

Elle Fanning in Sentimental Value

Ariana Grande in Wicked For Good

Gabby Hofman in Deliver Me From Nowhere

Kate Hudson in Song Song Blue

Nia Long in Michael

Lisa Marie’s Way Too Early Oscar Predictions For May

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

We’re taking just a short break from our Eastwood-a-thon so that I can share my Oscar predictions for May.

As I say every month, don’t read too much into anything this early in the year.  I do think Sinners has a decent chance of getting nominated, despite being released early in the year.  And since Cannes has now emerged as a semi-reliable precursor, you’ll find a lot of this year’s winners mentioned below.  That said, in all probability, the actual Oscar nominations will look completely different from what’s below.  That’s part of the fun of doing monthly predictions!

I should note that Clint Eastwood is apparently working on another film.  Given how quickly he directs, he might be directing this year’s next sudden contender.

Click here for my April predictions!

Best Picture

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Deliver Me From Nowhere

F1

Hamnet

It Was Just An Accident

The Secret Agent

Sentimental Value

Sinners

The Smashing Machine

Wicked For Good

Best Director

Jon M. Chu for Wicked For Good

Ryan Coogler for Sinners

Joseph Kosinski for F1

Jafar Panahi for It Was Just An Accident

Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value

Best Actor

Timothee Chalamet in Marty Supreme

Dwayne Johnson in The Smashing Machine

Michael B. Jordan in Sinners

Wagner Moura in The Secret Agent

Jeremy Allen White in Deliver Me From Nowhere

Best Actress

Cynthia Erivo in Wicked For Good

Lucy Liu in Rosemead

Renate Reinsve in Sentimental Valure

Amanda Seyfried in Ann Lee

June Squibb in Eleanor The Great

Best Supporting Actor

Miles Caton in Sinners

Colman Domingo in Michael

Paul Mescal in Hamnet

Stellan Skarsgard in Sentimental Value

Christoph Waltz in Frankenstein

Best Supporting Actress

Elle Fanning in Sentimental Value

Ariana Grande in Wicked For Good

Gabby Hofman in Deliver Me From Nowhere

Kate Hudson in Song Song Blue

Nia Long in Michael

Here’s What Won At Cannes

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Here’s what won at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.  As the Academy’s membership has become more international, Cannes has been transformed into an Oscar precursor over the past few years.  Time will tell if that’s the case this year.  (Of the film’s that did win this year, The Secret Agent sounds like the most Oscar-friendly)

Palme d’Or
Jafar Panahi for It Was Just an Accident

Grand Prix
Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value

Jury Prize
Mascha Schilinski for Sound of Falling and Oliver Laxe for Sirat (tie)

Best Director
Kleber Mendonça Filho for The Secret Agent

Best Screenplay
Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne for Young Mothers

Best Actress
Nadia Melliti for The Little Sister

Best Actor
Wagner Moura for The Secret Agent

Special Prize
Resurrection, dir. Bi Gan

Camera d’Or for Best First Film
The President’s Cake, dir: Hassan Hadi

Palme d’Or for Best Short Film
I’m Glad You’re Dead Now, dir: Tawfeek Barhom