The FIPRESCI Grand Prix 2026 was officially presented on September 18 during the opening ceremony of the 74th San Sebastián International Film Festival, celebrating One Battle After Another by Paul Thomas Anderson as the film critics’ choice for Best Film of the Year.
FIPRESCI Vice President and Italian film critic Paola Casella took the stage at the opening gala to present the award. On behalf of the film and its director, the Grand Prix was received by Carlos Prada, Vice President of Warner Bros.
The ceremony marked the culmination of this year’s international vote, which brought together 591 FIPRESCI members from 69 countries. Critics were invited to consider films released worldwide since July 1, 2025, making the Grand Prix one of the Federation’s broadest expressions of collective critical recognition.
The 2026 distinction also marks a remarkable chapter in the relationship between Paul Thomas Anderson’s cinema and the international community of film critics. One Battle After Another is the fourth film by Anderson to receive the FIPRESCI Grand Prix, following Magnolia (1999), There Will Be Blood (2007), and Phantom Thread (2018). Anderson personally received the award for There Will Be Blood on the Kursaal stage in San Sebastián in 2008.
Established in 1999, the FIPRESCI Grand Prix is decided annually by the members of the International Federation of Film Critics and recognizes the film they consider the year’s outstanding achievement. Unlike FIPRESCI Prizes awarded by individual juries at festivals around the world, the Grand Prix reflects a global vote across the Federation’s international membership.
Its presentation in San Sebastián continues a longstanding collaboration between FIPRESCI and the festival, which has provided the Grand Prix with its ceremonial home for more than two decades.
With the award now presented and another edition of the Grand Prix complete, FIPRESCI warmly congratulates Paul Thomas Anderson and the team of One Battle After Another and thanks its members around the world for taking part in this year’s vote.
©FIPRESCI