And here we are, two months into the year I am ready to wrap up the 2025 movie year! These things are always a labor of love (and a product of life circumstances) but it is always great to take stock of the previous year in film with some remove. We’re about a few weeks away from the Oscars announcing their winners but here’s what I would have chosen to submit if I had an Academy ballot. First, a few notes!
- 38 movies are represented, which has reversed a downward trend over the last few years.
- 2025 was a banner year for Asian cinema with six films from the continent of Asia making it into the Best Picture lineup.
- Not quite 16 Oscar nominations but Sinners managed double digit nominations here as well.
- Rooting for everyone Black…all 4 acting winners are Black performers!
Best Picture
A Normal Family
Black Bag
Homebound
It Was Just an Accident
Jane Austen Wrecked My Life
Kokuho
Ky Nam Inn
One Battle After Another
Sabar Bonda
Sinners
Best Director
Jafar Panahi, It Was Just an Accident
Leon Le, Ky Nam Inn
Ryan Coogler, Sinners
Sang-il Lee, Kokuho
Steven Soderbergh, Black Bag
Best Actor
Michael B Jordan, Sinners
Bhushaan Manoj, Sabar Bonda
Vahid Mobasseri, It Was Just An Accident
Lien Binh Phat, Ky Nam Inn
Ryo Yoshizawa, Kokuho
Best Actress
Maryam Afshari, It Was Just An Accident
Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Florence Pugh, Thunderbolts
Tessa Thompson, Hedda
Do Thi Hai Yen, Ky Nam Inn
Best Supporting Actor
Tom Burke, Black Bag
Delroy Lindo, Sinners
Russell Tovey, Plainclothes
Ken Watanabe, Kokuho
Marlon Wayans, HIM
Best Supporting Actress
Marisa Abela, Black Bag
Elizabeth Chisela, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
Nina Hoss, Hedda
Amy Madigan, Weapons
Shinobu Terajima, Kokuho
Original Screenplay
Black Bag
It Was Just An Accident
Jane Austen Wrecked My Life
Ky Nam Inn
Sabar Bonda
Adapted Screenplay
Bugonia
Hedda
One Battle After Another
Wake Up Dead Man
Zootopia 2
Film Editing
Black Bag
Homebound
It Was Just An Accident
Kokuho
Ky Nam Inn
Cinematography
Kokuho
Ky Nam Inn
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Wake Up Dead Man
Production Design
Homebound
Kokuho
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Steve
Costume Design
Hedda
Homebound
Kokuho
On Becoming Guinea Fowl
Sinners
Makeup and Hair
28 Years Later
Bugonia
Frankenstein
Kokuho
Weapons
Visual Effects
Avatar: Fire and Ash
F1
Mickey 17
Sinners
Thunderbolts
Sound Mixing
F1
Homebound
It Was Just An Accident
Kokuho
Sirāt
Sound Editing
28 Years Later
F1
Mickey 17
Sinners
Superman
Original Score
After the Hunt
One Battle After Another
Sinners
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Tron: Ares
Original Song
I Lied to You, Sinners
Your Idol, KPop Demon Hunters
As Alive as You Need Me to Be, Tron: Ares
Drive, F1
Highest 2 Lowest, Highest 2 Lowest
Animated Feature
KPop Demon Hunters
The Bad Guys 2
Zootopia 2
Foreign Language Film
Sabar Bonda
A Normal Family
Ky Nam Inn
It Was Just An Accident
Kokuho
Documentary Feature
Apocalypse in the Tropics
Seeds
Orwell: 2+2=5
Nominations / Wins
Kokuho – 12 / 3 (Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup and Hair)
Sinners – 10 / 2 (Actor, Supporting Actor)
Ky Nam Inn – 8 / 6 wins (Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, Editing, Cinematography, Foreign Language Film)
Hedda – 4 / 2 (Actress, Adapted Screenplay)
KPop Demon Hunters – 2 / 2 (Animated Film, Song)
Mickey 17 – 2 / 1 (Sound Editing)
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl – 2 / 1 (Supporting Actress)
Apocalypse in the Tropics – 1 / 1 (Documentary)
Avatar: Fire and Ash – 1 / 1 (Visual Effects)
The Fantastic Four: First Steps – 1 / 1 (Score)
Sirāt – 1 / 1 (Sound Mixing)
It Was Just an Accident – 8 / 0
Black Bag – 6 / 0
Homebound – 5 / 0
One Battle After Another – 5 / 0
F1 – 4 / 0
Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) – 4 / 0
28 Years Later – 2 / 0
A Normal Family – 2 / 0
Bugonia – 2 / 0
Jane Austen Wrecked My Life – 2 / 0
Thunderbolts – 2 / 0
Tron: Ares – 2 / 0
Weapons – 2 / 0
Zootopia 2 – 2 / 0
After the Hunt – 1 / 0
The Bad Guys 2 – 1 / 0
Frankenstein – 1 / 0
Hamnet – 1 / 0
Highest 2 Lowest – 1 / 0
HIM – 1 / 0
Marty Supreme – 1 / 0
Orwell: 2+2=5 – 1 / 0
Plainclothes – 1 / 0
Seeds – 1 / 0
Steve – 1 / 0
Superman – 1 / 0
Wake Up Dead Man – 1 / 0