Oscars Watch: 2025 North Carolina Film Critics Association Awards

14TH ANNUAL North Carolina Film Critics Association AWARDS
Monday, January 26, 2026

BEST NARRATIVE FILM

SINNERS • Warner Bros. Pictures

Ryan Coogler | Director
Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Ryan Coogler | Producers


Frankenstein • Netflix
Hamnet • Focus Features
It Was Just an Accident • NEON
Marty Supreme • A24
No Other Choice • NEON
One Battle After Another • Warner Bros. Pictures
Sentimental Value • NEON
Train Dreams • Netflix
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery • Netflix
Weapons • Warner Bros. Pictures / New Line Cinema

Best Director

RYAN COOGLER
SINNERS • Warner Bros. Pictures

Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Ryan Coogler | Producers


Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein
Park Chan-wook – No Other Choice
Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme

Best Actor

MICHAEL B. JORDAN
SINNERS • Warner Bros. Pictures

Ryan Coogler | Director
Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Ryan Coogler | Producers


Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
Jesse Plemons – Bugonia

Best Actress

JESSIE BUCKLEY
HAMNET • Focus Features

Chloé Zhao | Director
Liza Marshall, Pippa Harris, Nicolas Gonda, Sam Mendes, Steven Spielberg | Producers


Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
Jennifer Lawrence – Die My Love
Emma Stone – Bugonia

Best Supporting Actor

JACOB ELORDI
FRANKENSTEIN • Netflix

Guillermo del Toro | Director
Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale, Scott Stuber | Producers


Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another
Delroy Lindo – Sinners
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value

Best Supporting Actress

AMY MADIGAN
WEAPONS • Warner Bros / New Line Cinema

Zach Cregger | Director
Zach Cregger, Roy Lee, Miri Yoon, J. D. Lifshitz, Raphael Margules | Producers


Odessa A’zion – Marty Supreme
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE IN ANIMATION OR MIXED MEDIA

Arden Cho
KPOP DEMON HUNTERS • Netflix

Chris Appelhans, Maggie Kang | Directors
Michelle L.M. Wong | Producer


Jason Bateman – Zootopia 2
May Hong – KPop Demon Hunters
Ke Huy Quan – Zootopia 2
Ji-young Yoo – KPop Demon Hunters

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE

SINNERS • Warner Bros. Pictures

Ryan Coogler | Director
Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Ryan Coogler | Producers


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

Best Original Screenplay

SINNERS • Warner Bros. Pictures

Written by Ryan Coogler

Ryan Coogler | Director
Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Ryan Coogler | Producers


It Was Just an Accident – Jafar Panahi
Marty Supreme – Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie
Sentimental Value – Eskil Vogt & Joachim Trier
Weapons – Zach Cregger

Best Adapted Screenplay

ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER •
Warner Bros. Pictures

Written by Paul Thomas Anderson

Paul Thomas Anderson | Director
Paul Thomas Anderson, Adam Somner, Sara Murphy | Producers


Bugonia – Will Tracy
Frankenstein – Guillermo del Toro
No Other Choice – Park Chan-wook, Don McKellar, Lee Kyoung-mi, Lee Ja-hye
Train Dreams – Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery – Rian Johnson

Image gallery image

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM

THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR • Netflix

Geeta Gandbhir | Director
Nikon Kwantu, Alisa Payne, Sam Bisbee, Geeta Gandbhir | Producers


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

Best Animated Film

KPOP DEMON HUNTERS • Netflix

Chris Appelhans, Maggie Kang | Directors
Michelle L.M. Wong | Producer


Arco
Elio
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Zootopia 2

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM (TIE)

IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT • NEON

Jafar Panahi | Director/Producer

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM (TIE)

SENTIMENTAL VALUE • NEON

Joachim Trier | Director
Andrea Berentsen Ottmar, Maria Ekerhovd | Producers


No Other Choice
The Secret Agent
The Voice of Hind Rajab

Best Cinematography

SINNERS • Warner Bros. Pictures

Cinematography by Autumn Durald Arkapaw

Ryan Coogler | Director
Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Ryan Coogler | Producers


Frankenstein – Dan Laustsen
No Other Choice – Kim Woo-Hyung
One Battle After Another – Michael Bauman
Train Dreams – Adolpho Veloso

BEST EDITING

SINNERS • Warner Bros. Pictures

Editing by Michael P. Shawver

Ryan Coogler | Director
Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Ryan Coogler | Producers


F1: The Movie – Stephen Mirrione
Marty Supreme – Josh Safdie & Ronald Bronstein
No Other Choice – Kim Sang-Beom & Kim Ho-Bin
One Battle After Another – Andy Jurgensen

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

FRANKENSTEIN • Netflix

Costume Design by Kate Hawley

Guillermo del Toro | Director
Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale, Scott Stuber | Producers


Hamnet – Malgosia Turzanska
Marty Supreme – Miyako Bellizzi
Sinners – Ruth E. Carter
Wicked: For Good – Paul Tazewell

BEST HAIR & MAKE-UP

FRANKENSTEIN • Netflix

Guillermo del Toro | Director
Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale, Scott Stuber | Producers


28 Years Later
Sinners
Weapons
Wicked: For Good

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

FRANKENSTEIN • Netflix

Production Design by Tamara Deverell & Shane Vieau

Guillermo del Toro | Director
Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale, Scott Stuber | Producers


Hamnet – Fiona Crombie & Alice Felton
Marty Supreme – Jack Fisk & Adam Willis
One Battle After Another – Florencia Martin & Anthony Carlino
Sinners – Hannah Bleacher & Monique Champagne
Wicked: For Good – Nathan Crowley & Lee Sandales

Best Score

SINNERS • Warner Bros. Pictures

Composed by Ludwig Göransson

Ryan Coogler | Director
Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Ryan Coogler | Producers


Bugonia – Jerskin Fendrix
Marty Supreme – Daniel Lopatin
One Battle After Another – Jonny Greenwood
Train Dreams – Bryce Dessner

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“GOLDEN” from
KPOP DEMON HUNTERS • Netflix

Written by Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, IDO, 24 and Teddy

Chris Appelhans, Maggie Kang | Directors
Michelle L.M. Wong | Producers


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

BEST SOUND DESIGN

SINNERS • Warner Bros. Pictures

Ryan Coogler | Director
Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Ryan Coogler | Producers


F1: The Movie
Frankenstein
One Battle After Another
Sirât
Warfare

BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS

AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH •
20th Century Studios

James Cameron | Director
James Cameron, Jon Landau | Producers


F1: The Movie
Frankenstein
Sinners
Superman

BEST STUNT COORDINATION

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING • Paramount Pictures

Christopher McQuarrie | Director
Christopher McQuarrie, Tom Cruise | Producers


F1: The Movie
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Superman

BEST DIRECTORIAL DEBUT

EVA VICTOR
SORRY, BABY • A24

Mark Ceryak, Barry Jenkins, Adele Romanski | Producers


Andrew DeYoung – Friendship
Lawrence Lamont – One of Them Days
Ben Leonberg – Good Boy
Charlie Polinger – The Plague

BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE

MILES CATON
SINNERS • Warner Bros. Pictures

Ryan Coogler | Director
Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Ryan Coogler | Producers


Odessa A’zion – Marty Supreme
Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
Jacobi Jupe – Hamnet
Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT: COSTUME DESIGN

Ruth E. Carter


Colleen Atwood
Jenny Beavan
Edith Head
Sandy Powell

KEN HANKE MEMORIAL TAR HEEL AWARD

Roofman • Miramax

(Set and Filmed in North Carolina)

Derek Cianfrance | Director
Dylan Sellers, Jamie Patricof, Lynette Howell Taylor, Alex Orlovsky, Duncan Montgomery | Producers


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

Best in Fur Award (President’s Discretionary Honor)

INDY
GOOD BOY • IFC Films

Ben Leonberg | Director
Kari Fischer | Producer

North Carolina Film Critics Association

Best Narrative Film:
Best Director:
Best Actor:
Best Actress:
Best Supporting Actor:
Best Supporting Actress:
Best Documentary:
Best Animated Feature:
Best Foreign Language Film:
Best Vocal Performance:
Best Acting Ensemble:
Best Original Screenplay:
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Best Cinematography:
Best Editing:
Best Costume Design:
Best Hair & Makeup:
Best Production Design:
Best Score:
Best Original Song:
Best Sound Design:
Best Special Effects:
Best Stunt Coordination:
Best Directorial Debut:
Best Breakthrough Performance:
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT:
Ken Hanke Tar Heel Award:

“Sinners”
Ryan Coogler – “Sinners”
Michael B. Jordan – “Sinners”
Jessie Buckley – “Hamnet”
Jacob Elordi – “Frankenstein”
Amy Madigan – “Weapons”
“The Perfect Neighbor”
“KPop Demon Hunters”
“It Was Just An Accident” | “Sentimental Value”
Arden Cho – “KPop Demon Hunters”
“Sinners”
“Sinner” – Ryan Coogler
“One Battle After Another” – Paul Thomas Anderson
“Sinners” –
“Sinners” –
“Frankenstein” –
“Frankenstein”
“Frankenstein” –
“Sinners” –
“Golden” from “KPop Demon Hunters”
“Sinners”
“Avatar: Fire and Ash”
“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”
Eva Victor – “Sorry, Baby”
Miles Caton – “Sinners”
Ruth E. Carter
“Roofman”

North Carolina Film Critics Association

The NCFCA was formed by Kenneth R. Morefield in 2012 to promote film journalism in North Carolina. They are comprised of film journalists who either live in North Carolina or write for outlets that serve readers in this state. The NCFCA votes annually on awards for achievements in film. We also recognize the favorites of participating critics at certain film festivals.

Christopher Haskell

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