Almodóvar, Guadagnino, Mann, and More Pick the Best Films of 2025

IndieWire invited a group of filmmakers to mark the year in movies. Unsurprisingly, many gravitated toward the same films that have topped critics’ year-end lists, with “One Battle After Another” (20 mentions), “Sentimental Value” (17), “Weapons” (11), and “Sinners” (10) emerging as the most commonly cited.

A lesson was learned here: Ask Sean Baker to name his favorite films of 2025, and he responds with a 1974 porno. Also, Guadagnino has “A Minecraft Movie” in his Top 20 — similar to what he did when he picked “Ghosts of Mars” as best of the 21st century.

Here’s a sample of this year’s filmmakers, which includes picks from Pedro Almodóvar, Michael Mann, and Luca Guadagnino. You can find all of the other lists here.

Pedro Almodóvar

“Frankenstein”
“It Was Just an Accident”
“Nouvelle Vague”
“The Secret Agent”
“Pillion”
“Sentimental Value”
“Sirāt”
“Sorda”
“The Voice of Hind Rajab”
“Train Dreams”

Olivier Assayas

“The Secret Agent”
“Sentimental Value”
“One Battle After Another”
“The Chronology of Water”
“Souleymane’s Story”
“Caught by the Tide”
“Nouvelle Vague”
“La Grazia”
“A House of Dynamite”
“Marty Supreme”

Joe Dante

“Nouvelle Vague”
“The Life of Chuck”
“Frankenstein”
“The Running Man”
“Bugonia”
“Blue Moon”
“Sinners”
“Weapons”
“The Secret Agent”
“Marty Supreme”
“Sentimental Value”
“KPop Demon Hunters“

Luca Guadagnino

“Sirat”
“Urchin”
“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”
“Orwell: 2+2=5”
“Yes!”
“Kontinental ‘25”
“What Does That Nature Say to You”
“Dracula”
“Silent Friend”
“Cover-Up”
“Angela’s Diaries”
“Huí jiā”
“Boorman and the Devil”
“28 Years Later”
“A Minecraft Movie”

Michael Mann

“BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions”
“Eddington”
“Frankenstein”
“Hamnet”
“One Battle After Another”
“The Secret Agent”
“Sinners”
“Sirāt”
“Sound of Falling”
“Train Dreams”

Paul Schrader

“Sentimental Value”
“Marty Supreme”
“Blue Moon”
“The Mastermind”
“Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere”

Celine Song

“Marty Supreme”
“28 Years Later”
“It Was Just an Accident”
“One Battle After Another”
“Frankenstein”
“Mickey 17”
“Wake Up Dead Man”
“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”
“Atropia”
“Sorry, Baby”
“Promised Sky”
“Straight Circle“

Karyn Kusama

“Sirāt“/”One Battle After Another”
“Orwell 2+2=5“/”Shifty”
“The Chronology of Water”/”Sound of Falling”
“Wake Up Dead Man“/”Sinners”
“The Age of Disclosure“/”Presence”
“Lurker“/”Urchin”
“Sentimental Value“/”A Private Life”

Joachim Rønning

“Sentimental Value”
“The Testament of Ann Lee”
“One Battle After Another”
“Marty Supreme”
“Eddington”
“Hamnet”
“Sinners”
“Predator: Badlands”
“Hedda”
“Jay Kelly”

Andrew DeYoung

“Sirāt”
“Sentimental Value”
“Afternoons of Solitude”
“A Poet”
“Nouvelle Vague”
“Straight Line” by Jack Bensinger
“Weapons”
“The Piss Saga” by Derek Milton
“Warfare”
“Eddington”
“Fuck My Son!” (pictured above)
“It Was Just an Accident”
“28 Years Later”
“Bugonia”

Nicholas Stoller

“Sorry, Baby”
“Weapons”
“Sentimental Value”
“Together”
“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”
“One Battle After Another”
“F1”
“Pee-wee as Himself”
“The Naked Gun“
“Brawl in Cell Block 99”