The results of Film Comment’s annual end-of-year critics’ survey were unveiled at a special live event last night at Film at Lincoln Center, with Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind, and Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent topping the list of films released in the U.S. this year. Kamal Aljafari’s With Hasan in Gaza, Lucrecia Martel’s Nuestra Tierra (Landmarks), and Ross McElwee’s Remake emerged as the top three films premiering in 2025 that have not yet announced U.S. distribution. 

The poll was voted on by 125 Film Comment contributors and colleagues from around the globe, including Jamsheed Akrami (scholar and filmmaker), Florence Almozini (Film at Lincoln Center), Erika Balsom (scholar and critic), Richard Brody (The New Yorker), Edo Choi (Metrograph), Monica Castillo (Jacob Burns Film Center), Jean-Michel Frodon (critic), Lovia Gyarkye (critic), Molly Haskell (critic), J. Hoberman (critic), Radu Jude (filmmaker), Michael Koresky (Museum of the Moving Image, Reverse Shot), Beatrice Loayza (critic), Kevin B. Lee (Locarno Film Festival), Dennis Lim (Film at Lincoln Center), Chloe Lizotte (MUBI Notebook), Guy Lodge (Variety, Observer), Dessane Lopez Cassell (critic), Matías Piñeiro (filmmaker), Adam Piron (Sundance Institute), Inney Prakash (Asia Society), Jonathan Romney (Film Comment contributing editor), Jonathan Rosenbaum (critic), Gavin Smith (critic), Imogen Sara Smith (critic), Isabel Stevens (Sight and Sound), Amy Taubin (Film Comment contributing editor), Manu Yáñez Murillo (Otros Cines Europa), Genevieve Yue (scholar and critic), and more.

Devika Girish, Amy Taubin, Bilge Ebiri, Clinton Krute (Photo by Arin Sang-urai)

The top 20 films of 2025 were revealed in a countdown hosted by Film Comment editors Devika Girish and Clinton Krute, and featuring film critics Amy Taubin and Bilge Ebiri as panelists. Filmmakers Paul Thomas Anderson, Kleber Mendonça Filho, and Jia Zhangke sent in video statements expressing their delight at their films’ rankings, which were played for the audience, while Kelly Reichardt and Jafar Panahi sent written comments. On being named the number one film released this year, Anderson said, “It’s Film Comment so it means a lot, as anybody who does this knows. There’s a special place in all of our hearts for Film Comment, there has been for a long time. It’s deeply appreciated.” The full discussion is now available on the Film Comment Podcast, and the complete lists of released and undistributed films are included below.

“This year’s top films all deal, whether directly or indirectly, with individuals in thrall to history and larger social and political forces. From the shattered family unit of Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, to the laconic criminal swept up by the times in Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind, to the lone bullfighter sacrificing his body for arcane traditions in Albert Serra’s Afternoons of Solitude, so many of this year’s top films have provided us with resonant images of an unsettled world,” said Krute.

“One of the privileges and tragedies of being a critic is that you often get to see breathtaking cinema that then finds no way to wider audiences,” said Girish. “Polling critics on the year’s best undistributed films is one of our cherished traditions at Film Comment, and the number of masters in this year’s list—Kamal Aljafari, Lucrecia Martel, Ross McElwee, and others—says something about the state of distribution in the U.S. for independent cinema. I hope to see all these titles on our list of best films released in 2026!”

Film Comment’s Top 20 Films Released in 2025

1. One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson, U.S.
2. The Mastermind, Kelly Reichardt, U.S.
3. The Secret Agent, Kleber Mendonça Filho, Brazil/France/Netherlands/Germany
4. It Was Just an Accident, Jafar Panahi, Iran/France/Luxembourg
5. Caught by the Tides, Jia Zhangke, China
6. Afternoons of Solitude, Albert Serra, Spain
7. Misericordia, Alain Guiraudie, France
8. Sirāt, Oliver Laxe, France/Spain
9. The Shrouds, David Cronenberg, France/Canada
10. If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Mary Bronstein, U.S.
11. Sinners, Ryan Coogler, U.S.
12. Grand Tour, Miguel Gomes, Portugal/Italy/France
13. Peter Hujar’s Day, Ira Sachs, U.S.
14. Familiar Touch, Sarah Friedland, U.S.
15. By the Stream, Hong Sangsoo, South Korea
16. Henry Fonda for President, Alexander Horwath, Austria/Germany
17. Blue Moon, Richard Linklater, U.S./Ireland
18. DIRECT ACTION, Guillaume Cailleau and Ben Russell, France/Germany
19. Sound of Falling, Mascha Schilinski, Germany
20. On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, Rungano Nyoni, Zambia/U.K./Ireland

Film Comment’s Top 10 Undistributed Films of 2025

1. With Hasan in Gaza, Kamal Aljafari, Germany/Palestine/France/Qatar
2. Nuestra Tierra (Landmarks), Lucrecia Martel, Argentina/U.S./Mexico/France/Netherlands/Denmark
3. Remake, Ross McElwee, U.S.
4. Levers, Rhayne Vermette, Canada
5. I Only Rest in the Storm, Pedro Pinho, Portugal/Brazil/France/Romania
6. Escape, Masao Adachi, Japan
7. Pin de fartie, Alejo Moguillansky, Argentina
8. Bouchra, Orian Barki and Meriem Bennani, Italy/Morocco/U.S.
9. Seeds, Brittany Shyne, U.S.
10. Last Night I Conquered the City of Thebes, Gabriel Azorín, Spain/Portugal

The complete list of films and participants can be found on FilmComment.com.

FILM COMMENT

Since 1962, Film Comment has been the home of independent film journalism, publishing in-depth interviews, critical analysis, and feature coverage of mainstream, art-house, and avant-garde filmmaking from around the world. Published by Film at Lincoln Center, Film Comment is a nonprofit publication that relies on the support of readers. Its activities supporting film culture include The Film Comment Podcast, the Film Comment Letter, and events and talks at Film at Lincoln Center and elsewhere. The magazine was founded under the editorship of Gordon Hitchens, who was followed by Richard Corliss, Harlan Jacobson, Richard T. Jameson, Gavin Smith, and Nicolas Rapold, and is currently co-edited by Devika Girish and Clinton Krute. Past and present contributing writers include Ashley Clark, Manohla Dargis, Raymond Durgnat, Roger Ebert, Manny Farber, Scott Foundas, Molly Haskell, J. Hoberman, Eric Hynes, Kent Jones, Dave Kehr, Nathan Lee, Kathleen Murphy, Sheila O’Malley, Brooks Riley, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Andrew Sarris, Amy Taubin, David Thomson, Amos Vogel, Robin Wood, and many more.

FILM AT LINCOLN CENTER
Film at Lincoln Center (FLC) is a nonprofit organization that celebrates cinema as an essential art form and fosters a vibrant home for film culture to thrive. FLC presents premier film festivals, retrospectives, new releases, and restorations year-round in state-of-the-art theaters at New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. FLC offers audiences the opportunity to discover works from established and emerging directors from around the world with a passionate community of film lovers at marquee events including the New York Film Festival and New Directors/New Films. 

Founded in 1969, FLC is committed to preserving the excitement of the theatrical experience for all audiences, advancing high-quality film journalism through the publication of Film Comment, cultivating the next generation of film industry professionals through our FLC Academies, and enriching the lives of all who engage with our programs.

Rolex is the Official Partner and Exclusive Timepiece of Film at Lincoln Center.

Film at Lincoln Center receives generous, year-round support from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Film at Lincoln Center. For more information, visit filmlinc.org and follow @filmlinc on X, Instagram, and Bluesky.

For press inquiries regarding Film at Lincoln Center, please contact:
John Kwiatkowski, Film at Lincoln Center, [email protected]
Eva Tooley, Film at Lincoln Center, [email protected]