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

I am one of 69 North Carolina film critics. Here is our list of nominated films for this year's awards. Winners will be announced January 26, 2026. Stay tuned for a podcast about the nominations coming on the 1 of my Stories podcast soon! Read the official press release. 

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
Train Dreams
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Weapons

A still from THE ALABAMA SOLUTION

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM

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

A still from LITTLE AMELIE

BEST ANIMATED FILM

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

A still from NO OTHER CHOICE

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

It Was Just an Accident
No Other Choice
Sentimental Value
The Secret Agent
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
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
Jesse Plemons — Bugonia

Jessie Buckley as AGNES in HAMNET

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Jessie Buckley — Hamnet
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
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
Wunmi Mosaku — Sinners
Teyana Taylor — One Battle After Another

A still from WAKE UP DEAD MAN

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE

One Battle After Another
Marty Supreme
Sinners
Sentimental Value
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
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
Weapons

A still from BUGONIA

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Bugonia
Frankenstein
No Other Choice
One Battle After Another
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
Train Dreams

A still form MARTY SUPREME

BEST EDITING

F1
Marty Supreme
No Other Choice
One Battle After Another
Sinners

A still from WICKED: FOR GOOD

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
Sinners
Wicked: For Good

A still from 28 YEARS LATER

BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP

28 Years Later
Frankenstein
Sinners
Weapons
Wicked: For Good

A still from HAMNET

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Frankenstein
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
F1
Frankenstein
Sinners
Superman

A still from SIRAT

BEST SOUND DESIGN

F1
Frankenstein
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Sirât
Warfare

A still from SINNERS

BEST SCORE

Bugonia
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Train Dreams

A still from SINNERS

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“Golden” — KPop Demon Hunters
“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

A still from F1

BEST STUNT COORDINATION

F1
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
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
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)
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)
The Problem of the Hero (celebrating North Carolina’s literary and artistic heritage)