As part of the programme to develop a free-standing thin-film filter for soft x-ray optics applications, stressanisotropy in molybdenum films deposited by dc circular planar magnetron sputtering has been studied by off-normal x-ray diffraction as a function of sputtering argon gas pressure over a range of 0.8-1.5 Pa. The stresses arefound to be more compressive in the centre area than in the edge area, and more compressive in the tangentialdirection than in the radial direction. The highest stress anisotropy exists in the film deposited at 1.5Pa gaspressure. Annealing the films in vacuum is effective in reducing both the tensile stress and stress anisotropy inthe tensile stressed films.