As the year draws to a close, continuing a long-standing tradition, former American president Barack Obama has shared his annual list of favourite movies, books, and music from 2025. This is a practice he began during his time in the White House and has faithfully continued every December since.
Taking to his X account, Obama wrote, “As 2025 comes to a close, I’m continuing a tradition that I started during my time in the White House: sharing my annual lists of favorite books, movies, and music. I hope you find something new to enjoy — and please send any recommendations for me to check out!”
Interestingly, Barack Obama’s list of favourite films from 2025 features a mix of mainstream hits and acclaimed auteur-driven cinema. Among the more obvious inclusions is Ryan Coogler’s summer blockbuster horror-actioner Sinners, which stars Michael B. Jordan in dual roles. The list also includes Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, One Battle After Another, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn. Other notable titles mentioned are this year’s Grand Prix winner Sentimental Value, Park Chan-wook’s modern-day masterpiece No Other Choice, and Jafar Panahi’s much-discussed It Was Just an Accident. Rounding out the list are films such as Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet, Train Dreams, Jay Kelly, and the documentary Orwell: 2+2=5, centred on novelist George Orwell.
As 2025 comes to a close, I’m continuing a tradition that I started during my time in the White House: sharing my annual lists of favorite books, movies, and music. I hope you find something new to enjoy—and please send any recommendations for me to check out! pic.twitter.com/T9LFt5fnKG
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 18, 2025
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On the music front, some of Barack Obama’s favourites from the year include Lady Gaga’s Abracadabra, Drake’s Nokia, and BLACKPINK’s Jump. His book list features works such as Anita Desai’s Rosarita, Kiran Desai’s The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, and, interestingly, also includes The Look, written by his wife, Michelle Obama. Last year, the Indian film All We Imagine as Light, which went on to win the Grand Prix, featured on Obama’s list of favourite films. However, this year’s list does not include any Indian titles, not even Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound, India’s official entry to the Academy Awards.
