North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA) Announces the Best of Cinema Winners for 2025

I am one of 69 North Carolina film critics. Here is our list of nominated films for this year's awards and the winners! Listen to a podcast where some of the group debate the nominations. 

A still from SINNERS

BEST NARRATIVE FILM

Frankenstein
Hamnet
It Was Just an Accident
Marty Supreme
No Other Choice
One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners -WINNER
Train Dreams
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Weapons

A still from THE ALABAMA SOLUTION

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM

The Alabama Solution

Cover-Up
Orwell: 2+2=5
The Perfect Neighbor -WINNER
Predators

A still from LITTLE AMELIE

BEST ANIMATED FILM

Arco
Elio
KPop Demon Hunters - WINNER
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Zootopia 2

A still from NO OTHER CHOICE

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

It Was Just an Accident - TIE FOR WINNER
No Other Choice
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value - TIE FOR WINNER
The Voice of Hind Rajab

A still from ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER

BEST DIRECTOR

Paul Thomas Anderson — One Battle After Another
Park Chan-wook — No Other Choice
Ryan Coogler — Sinners - WINNER
Guillermo del Toro — Frankenstein
Josh Safdie — Marty Supreme

Michael B. Jordan as SMOKE from SINNERS

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Timothée Chalamet — Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio — One Battle After Another
Ethan Hawke — Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan — Sinners - WINNER
Jesse Plemons — Bugonia

Jessie Buckley as AGNES in HAMNET

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Jessie Buckley — Hamnet - WINNER
Rose Byrne — If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Chase Infiniti — One Battle After Another
Jennifer Lawrence — Die My Love
Emma Stone — Bugonia

Jacob Elordi as THE CREATURE from FRANKENSTEIN

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Benicio del Toro — One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi — Frankenstein - WINNER
Delroy Lindo — Sinners
Sean Penn — One Battle After Another
Stellan Skarsgård — Sentimental Value

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleas in SENTIMENTAL VALUE

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Odessa A’zion — Marty Supreme
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas — Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan — Weapons -WINNER
Wunmi Mosaku — Sinners
Teyana Taylor — One Battle After Another

A still from WAKE UP DEAD MAN

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE

Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners - WINNERS
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Weapons

A still from KPOP DEMON HUNTERS

BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE IN ANIMATION OR MIXED MEDIA

Jason Bateman — Zootopia 2
Arden Cho — KPop Demon Hunters -WINNER
May Hong — KPop Demon Hunters
Ke Huy Quan — Zootopia 2
Ji-young Yoo — KPop Demon Hunters

A still from IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

It Was Just an Accident
Marty Supreme
Sentimental Value
Sinners - WINNER
Weapons

A still from BUGONIA

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Bugonia
Frankenstein
No Other Choice
One Battle After Another -WINNER
Train Dreams
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

A still from TRAIN DREAMS

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Frankenstein
No Other Choice
One Battle After Another
Sinners -WINNER
Train Dreams

A still form MARTY SUPREME

BEST EDITING

F1
Marty Supreme
No Other Choice
One Battle After Another
Sinners -WINNER

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BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Frankenstein - WINNER
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
Sinners
Wicked: For Good

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BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP

28 Years Later
Frankenstein - WINNER
Sinners
Weapons
Wicked: For Good

A still from HAMNET

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Frankenstein - WINNER
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Wicked: For Good

A still from AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH

BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS

Avatar: Fire and Ash - WINNER
F1
Frankenstein
Sinners
Superman

A still from SIRAT

BEST SOUND DESIGN

F1
Frankenstein
One Battle After Another
Sinners - WINNER
Sirât
Warfare

A still from SINNERS

BEST SCORE

Bugonia
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners - WINNER
Train Dreams

A still from SINNERS

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“Golden” — KPop Demon Hunters - WINNER
“Highest 2 Lowest” — Highest 2 Lowest
“I Lied to You” — Sinners
“Last Time (I Seen the Sun)” — Sinners
“Train Dreams” — Train Dreams
“What It Sounds Like,” — KPop Demon Hunters

A still from THE PLAGUE

DIRECTORIAL DEBUT

Andrew DeYoung — Friendship
Lawrence Lamont — One of Them Days
Ben Leonberg — Good Boy
Charlie Polinger — The Plague
Eva Victor — Sorry, Baby - WINNER

A still from F1

BEST STUNT COORDINATION

F1
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning - WINNER
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Superman

Odessa A'Zion as RACHEL in MARTY SUPREME

BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE

Odessa A’zion — Marty Supreme
Miles Caton — Sinners - WINNER
Chase Infiniti — One Battle After Another
Jacobi Jupe — Hamnet
Eva Victor — Sorry, Baby

A still from MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT: COSTUME DESIGN

Colleen Atwood (SWEENEY TODD, CHICAGO)
Jenny Beavan (MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, CRUELLA)
Ruth E. Carter (BLACK PANTHER, SINNERS) - WINNER
Edith Head (ALL ABOUT EVE, VERTIGO)
Sandy Powell (YOUNG VICTORIA, CAROL, MARY POPPINS RETURNS)

A still from A LITTLE PRAYER

KEN HANKE MEMORIAL TAR HEEL AWARD

A Little Prayer / Angus MacLachlan (NC native; filmed in NC)
Christy (filmed in NC)
I Know What You Did Last Summer (set and filmed in NC)
Roofman (set and filmed in NC) - WINNER
The Problem of the Hero (celebrating North Carolina’s literary and artistic heritage)

A still from GOOD BOY

BEST IN FUR (President's Discretionary Honor) 

Indy, the lovable pup, has been awarded a Best in Fur award for his outstanding performance in GOOD BOY.