"Yes, movies can change the world, he told reporters in the German capital at the start of the 11-day event. Not in a political way. No movie has really changed any politician's idea, but we can change the idea that people have of how they should live."
Its director, Paul Thomas Anderson, also secured Screenwriter of the Year and Director of the Year for the picture, which follows DiCaprio's character searching for his missing daughter. Irish star Jessie Buckley scooped Actress of the Year for her performance in the Shakespearean film Hamnet, while Timothee Chalamet collected Actor of the Year for his lead role in the table tennis drama Marty Supreme at Sunday's London ceremony.
2026 was an especially notable year for the Sundance Film Festival: it was the first without its legendary founder Robert Redford, who died last year, and it was the last to be held in Park City, Utah. Beginning next year, the fest will relocate to Boulder, Colo. for the foreseeable future. As Sundance said goodbye to its home of over 40 years and honored Redford's legacy, protests continued in Minnesota and across the country due to the escalated presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
I'll start with the obvious: even the thinnest novel is densely packed. There's just too much good stuff! That's partly why early studio heads preferred short stories and potboilers to classic doorstoppers like War and Peace . While you can write a novel to any length (and Tolstoy tried), knowing the reader will stop and start at will, in film you have a painfully finite amount of time before the audience itches to leave.
Where to see it: Stream it on HBO Max and Prime Video. Rent or buy it on Apple TV and more. Dive deeper:What our critics thought 📖 In Ryan Coogler's Vampire Film 'Sinners,' Black America's Soul Is at Stake 📖 Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan are symbiotic. 'Sinners' is the latest proof 📖 In Oakland, Ryan Coogler Shares the Story Behind 'Sinners' 📖
It was like living in two worlds, and having to go from one to another in a dramatic way. From attending film festivals and walking down red carpets to crossing the Poland border and getting into the trenches, recalls Ukrainian filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov (Kharkiv, 40 years old) of September 2023, when he was headed from screening to screening, kicking off the race to the Oscars that he would ultimately win with his documentary 20 Days in Mariupol.
The Academy pulled a complete one-eighty last year. They honored an incredibly unsexy film as the 2024 Best Picture winner (Oppenheimer), only to award a sex-work comedy-drama (Anora) in 2025 that featured multiple scenes of Best Actress winner Mikey Madison working it for the camera. I can't tell you what changed in between each Oscars ceremony, but I certainly wouldn't mind if 2026 continued to rock these awards presentations by awarding Michael B. Jordan for getting it on with a vampire in Sinners.
A tradition can be sustained out of unbridled love or deadening obligation. The responsibilities required can summon gratitude or stir up dread, leave you energized or enervated. Like the holidays, a critic's top 10 list and other end-of-year features are a personal matter, like their approach to the medium they devour. It's a labor of love, straight-up labor or both. The lucky find joy in the aggravation.
While at the Cannes Film Festival, I selected one film as a recipient for my Inaugural FECK FILM AWARD because it stood out in its ability to exhibit all four of my FECK Principles: That film is "It Was Just an Accident" by Iranian director Jafar Panahi. I watched in astonishment as Panahi's film breathlessly took us through aspects of forgiveness, empathy, compassion and kindness in unexpected ways.
These films were funny, intimate, messy, thoughtful, and unapologetically horny; made by real people exploring desire on their own terms and trusting HUMP! audiences to come along for the ride. The winning films didn't just stand out. They sparked reactions, started conversations, and lingered long after the lights came back on. Didn't make it to a screening? No judgment. The full 2025 lineup is streaming now, so you can watch, rewind, and revisit your favorites anytime at humpfilmfest.com/streaming-library.
They tried to warn us PTA doesn't miss. One Battle After Anotherearned the National Board of Review's top honor this year, adding a third Best Film award to the shelf (next to all the karate trophies). In addition to Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson, Leonardo DiCaprio won Best Actor, Chase Infiniti won Breakthrough Performance, and Benicio Del Toro won Best Supporting Actor, again, after earning it from the New York Film Critics Circle.
On December 4, the IndieWire Honors Winter 2025 ceremony will celebrate the creators and stars responsible for crafting some of the year's best films. Curated and selected by IndieWire's editorial team, IndieWire Honors is a celebration of the filmmakers, artisans, and performers behind films well worth toasting. In the days leading up to the Los Angeles event, IndieWire is showcasing their work with new interviews and tributes from their peers. The first time most of us saw IndieWire Honors Maverick Award winner Kristen Stewart was in David Fincher's 2002 thriller "Panic Room," as the terrified 12-year-old whose mother (Jodie Foster) whisks her to safety as an intruder terrorizes their home.
This week marks the 10th anniversary of Beasts of No Nation, the first feature film distributed directly by Netflix. Directed by Cari Joji Fukunaga and starring Idris Elba, the movie made a modest splash in that year's awards season, with Elba winning the SAG Award for Best Supporting Actor, before ultimately falling short of any Oscar nominations. Within three years, and after making a significant investment in its publicity apparatus (hiring ace awards strategist Lisa Tayback),
Keaton's character, Kay Adams-Corleone, is one of the few main female characters to grace the silver screen in the film. Her scene in the beginning of the film is one to remember: Sitting at a table with Al Pacino's character, Michael Corleone, she is regaled the tale of Vito Corleone's mobster cruelty. The scene, just shy of a minute and a half long, has been replayed on YouTube thousands upon thousands of times.
Welcome back for another week of The Atlantic 's un-trivial trivia, drawn from recently published stories. Without a trifle in the bunch, maybe what we're really dealing with here is-hmm-"significa"? "Consequentia"? Whatever butchered bit of Latin you prefer, read on for today's questions. (Last week's questions can be found here.) To get Atlantic Trivia in your inbox every day, sign up for The Atlantic Daily.
The 2025 Analog Sparks International Film Photography Awards spotlight the timeless charm and creative depth of analog photography. This global competition honored exceptional film-based work across a wide range of categories and styles. Photographers embraced the limitations of analog formats-from black-and-white to instant and experimental techniques-to produce strikingly original images. Notable winners include Peter Varsics for Architecture, Toby Binder for Human stories, Hengki Koentjoro's Nature series, and Matteo Gallucci's Lifestyle street scenes.
Guillermo del Toro will be presented with the Ebert Director Award at TIFF, recognizing filmmakers who have exemplified greatness, during the TIFF Tribute Awards gala.
Lydie's joyous pregnancy announcement contrasts with Agnes's unresolved trauma, showcasing the impact of past events on the present and her struggle to navigate friendships.
