Sinners And One Battle After Another Lead Houston Film Critics Nominations

Ryan Coogler’s epic horror/musical Sinners leads the nominees for the 20th annual awards from the Houston Film Critics Society. The film received 14 nominations including Best Picture of 2025.

On its heels with 13 nominations, also including Best Picture, is One Battle After Another, the alternate(?) future family dramedy from Paul Thomas Anderson. Rounding out the Best Pic noms are the conspiratorial satire Bugonia, the ode to oligarch spectator sports F1, Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein, the *cough* overrated Hamnet, Marty Supreme, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, Train Dreams and the horror movie that really annoyed my wife, Weapons.

The HFCS will announce all winners on January 20. An annual highlight of the awards will be the Texas Independent Film Award, honoring productions made in the Lone Star State. This year’s nominees are Joseph Kahn’s ode to science fiction B-movies Ick, Kim A. Snyder’s documentary The Librarians, the Houston Oilers documentary Luv Ya Bum, Isabel Castro’s documentary Selena y Los Dinos and Rod Lurie’s second chance story The Senior.

For more information about the HFCS and its members, go to houstonfilmcritics.com

2025 Houston Film Critics Society Nominees

Best Picture
Bugonia
F1
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Train Dreams
Weapons

Best Director
Chloé Zhao, Hamnet
Guillermo del Toro, Frankenstein
Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Ryan Coogler, Sinners

Best Actor – Leading Role
Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon
Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another
Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme
Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent

Best Actress – Leading Role
Chase Infiniti, One Battle After Another
Emma Stone, Bugonia
Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue
Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value
Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Best Actor – Supporting Role
Benicio Del Toro, One Battle After Another
Delroy Lindo, Sinners
Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein
Paul Mescal, Hamnet
Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value

Best Actress – Supporting Role
Amy Madigan, Weapons
Ariana Grande, Wicked: For Good
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value
Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another
Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners

Best Screenplay
Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Rian Johnson, Wake Up Dead Man
Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme
Ryan Coogler, Sinners

Best Animated Feature
Arco
The Bad Guys 2
KPop Demon Hunters
Ne Zha 2
Zootopia 2

Best Cinematography
Adolpho Veloso, Train Dreams
Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Sinners
Claudio Miranda, F1
Dan Laustsen, Frankenstein
Michael Bauman, One Battle After Another

Best Documentary Feature
The Alabama Solution
Cover-Up
My Mom Jayne
Orwell: 2+2=5
The Perfect Neighbor

Best Foreign Language Feature
It Was Just an Accident
No Other Choice
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sirāt

Best Original Score
Alexandre Desplat, Frankenstein
Daniel Lopatin, Marty Supreme
Hans Zimmer, F1
Jonny Greenwood, One Battle After Another
Ludwig Göransson, Sinners

Best Original Song
“Golden”, KPop Demon Hunters
“I Lied to You”, Sinners
“Last Time (I Seen the Sun)”, Sinners
“Our Love”, The Ballad of Wallis Island
“Train Dreams”, Train Dreams

Best Visual Effects
Avatar: Fire and Ash
F1
Frankenstein
Sinners
Superman

Best Stunt Coordination Team
Ballerina
F1
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
One Battle After Another
Sinners

Best Casting
Cassandra Kulukundis, One Battle After Another
Francine Maisler, Sinners
Jennifer Venditti, Marty Supreme
Nina Gold, Hamnet
Robin D. Cook, Frankenstein

Best Ensemble
One Battle After Another
Marty Supreme
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Wake Up Dead Man

Texas Independent Film Award
Ick
The Librarians
Luv Ya Bum
Selena y Los Dinos
The Senior