As the whirlwind year of 2025 has come to an end and we continue to tackle the politically dark storm that is now 2026 with no end in sight, let’s just take a deep breath and focus on a healthy distraction: movies. Although that isn’t to say the movies themselves were distracted. In fact, they couldn’t be more timely. The films of 2025 spoke loud and mighty about our current times, and did so with stunning directorial artistry, creatively-invigorating storytelling, and practically no subtlety, but we do not live in subtle times. The first scene of Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another plunges us into the fight, Sinners reminds us that the fight is eternal and has been going on long throughout history, The Secret Agent preaches the importance of documenting that history, and 28 Years Later begs us to maintain our humanity in the process. Politics has been apart of film since the inception of film, since the creation of the written word, and fighting through art can reach a global recognition. Whether it’s the endless battles larger than can be simply solved by any one person (The Voice of Hind Rajab, Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, Eddington) or the struggles we quietly face within (Hamnet, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Sentimental Value), they will come one after another. Through the fight, decency and bravery will always be the right way forward and, as corny as it sounds, kindness is the new punk rock (though sorry, I didn’t nominate Superman).

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BEST PICTURE

• 28 YEARS LATER
• BLACK BAG
• BLUE MOON
• HAMNET
• MARTY SUPREME
• ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER **
• THE SECRET AGENT
• SENTIMENTAL VALUE
• SINNERS
• WEAPONS

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BEST DIRECTOR

• Jafar Panahi – IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
• Paul Thomas Anderson – ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER **
• Bi Gan – RESURRECTION
• Kleber Mendonça Filho – THE SECRET AGENT
• Ryan Coogler – SINNERS

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BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

• Timothee Chalamet – MARTY SUPREME
• Joel Edgerton – TRAIN DREAMS
• Ethan Hawke – BLUE MOON **
• Harry Melling – PILLION
• Stellan Skarsgard – SENTIMENTAL VALUE

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BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

• Jessie Buckley – HAMNET
• Rose Byrne – IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU **
• Sally Hawkins – BRING HER BACK
• Chase Infiniti – ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
• Renate Reinsve – SENTIMENTAL VALUE

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BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

• Miles Caton – SINNERS **
• Benicio del Toro – ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
• Ralph Fiennes – 28 YEARS LATER
• Sean Penn – ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
• Adam Sandler – JAY KELLY

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BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

• Kirsten Dunst – ROOFMAN
• Elle Fanning – SENTIMENTAL VALUE
• Nina Hoss – HEDDA
• Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – SENTIMENTAL VALUE
• Amy Madigan – WEAPONS **

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BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• BLACK BAG
• BLUE MOON
• IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
• MARTY SUPREME
• SENTIMENTAL VALUE **

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BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• 28 YEARS LATER
• HAMNET
• NO OTHER CHOICE
• ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER **
• WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY

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BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

• IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
• NO OTHER CHOICE
• RESURRECTION
• THE SECRET AGENT
• SENTIMENTAL VALUE **

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BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

• ARCO
• LITTLE AMELIE, OR THE CHARACTER OF RAIN
• NE ZHA 2 **
• PREDATOR: KILLER OF KILLERS
• ZOOTOPIA 2

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BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

• 2000 METERS TO ANDRIIVKA
• THE ALABAMA SOLUTION **
• THE LIBRARIANS
• THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR
• PUT YOUR SOUL ON YOUR HAND AND WALK

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BEST CASTING

• MARTY SUPREME **
• NOUVELLE VAGUE
• ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
• SINNERS
• WEAPONS

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BEST EDITING

• 28 YEARS LATER
• MARTY SUPREME
• NO OTHER CHOICE
• ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER **
• THE SECRET AGENT

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BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

• 28 YEARS LATER
• ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
• RESURRECTION
• SINNERS
• TRAIN DREAMS **

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BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

• FRANKENSTEIN
• MARTY SUPREME
• THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME **
• RESURRECTION
• THE SECRET AGENT

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BEST COSTUME DESIGN

• FRANKENSTEIN
• HEDDA
• THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME
• SINNERS
• THE UGLY STEPSISTER **

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BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING

• 28 YEARS LATER
• FRANKENSTEIN **
• THE TOXIC AVENGER
• THE UGLY STEPSISTER
• WEAPONS

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BEST STUNTS/CHOREOGRAPHY

• F1
• MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE- THE FINAL RECKONING **
• ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
• SPLITSVILLE
• THUNDERBOLTS*

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BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

• AVATAR: FIRE & ASH **
• THE LEGEND OF OCHI
• THE LOST BUS
• MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE- THE FINAL RECKONING
• THUNDERBOLTS*

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BEST SOUND EDITING

• AVATAR: FIRE & ASH
• IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU
• MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE- THE FINAL RECKONING
• ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
• WARFARE **

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BEST SOUND MIXING

• F1
• MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE- THE FINAL RECKONING
• SINNERS **
• SIRAT
• WARFARE

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BEST ORIGINAL SONG

• 28 YEARS LATER – “Promised Land” **
• THE BALLAD OF WALLIS ISLAND – “Morning Evening”
• SINNERS – “I Lied to You”
• SINNERS – “Last Time (I Seen the Sun)”
• TRON: ARES – “As Alive As You Need Me to Be”

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BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

• 28 YEARS LATER
• MARTY SUPREME
• ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
• SINNERS **
• TRON: ARES

Agree or disagree? Share your picks in the comments! Thank you for reading. 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 lists can be found here. Hope to share my 2020 list soon!