Chicago Film Critics Association Awards (CFCA) 2025: “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners” Lead With 12 Nominations Each

The Chicago Film Critics Association has named its picks for the best movies of the year. Two major films are in a close race for the top spot, each earning a remarkable twelve nominations.

One Battle After Another, the new film from director Paul Thomas Anderson, and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners are the frontrunners for the 2025 awards. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Chicago on Thursday, December 11.

A total of 42 different films received recognition across 19 categories, highlighting a wide range of work from big studio projects to independent films.

Which Movies Are Competing for Best Picture?

The race for the top prize features five very different films. The nominees for Best Picture are:

• It Was Just an Accident
• Marty Supreme
• One Battle After Another
• Sinners
• Train Dreams

The two leaders, One Battle After Another and Sinners, are joined by Josh Safdie’s rock-and-roll drama Marty Supreme, which earned seven nominations. Clint Bentley’s Train Dreams and Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident each round out the category with five nominations.

Key Acting Categories Feature Tight Races and New Talent

The competition for acting honors is especially strong this year. The Best Actor category has six nominees instead of the usual five due to a tie in the voting. The nominees are:

• Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme)
• Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another)
• Joel Edgerton (Train Dreams)
• Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon)
• Michael B. Jordan (Sinners)
• Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent)

The Best Actress category includes:

• Jessie Buckley (Hamnet)
• Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You)
• Jennifer Lawrence (Die My Love)
• Amanda Seyfried (The Testament of Ann Lee)
• Tessa Thompson (Hedda)

The Best Supporting Actress category also expanded to six nominees. They are Odessa A’Zion (Marty Supreme), Nina Hoss (Hedda), Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (Sentimental Value), Amy Madigan (Weapons), Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners), and Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another).

A major story from the nominations is the success of Eva Victor. She received more individual nominations than anyone else this year. She is nominated for Best Original Screenplay for Sorry, Baby, is in the running for Most Promising Performer, and is also a candidate for the Milos Stehlik Breakthrough Filmmaker Award.

Full List of 2025 Chicago Film Critics Association Nominees

Here is the complete list of nominees across all categories announced by the Chicago Film Critics Association.

Best Director

• Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another)
• Ryan Coogler (Sinners)
• Mona Fastvold (The Testament of Ann Lee)
• Jafar Panahi (It Was Just an Accident)
• Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme)

Best Supporting Actor

• Benicio del Toro (One Battle After Another)
• Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein)
• Delroy Lindo (Sinners)
• Sean Penn (One Battle After Another)
• Stellan Skarsgård (Sentimental Value)

Best Original Screenplay

• Blue Moon by Robert Kaplow
• It Was Just an Accident by Jafar Panahi
• Marty Supreme by Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie
• Sinners by Ryan Coogler
• Sorry, Baby by Eva Victor

Best Adapted Screenplay

• Hamnet by Chloe Zhao & Maggie O’Farrell
• No Other Choice by Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don McKellar, & Jahye Lee
• One Battle After Another by Paul Thomas Anderson
• Train Dreams by Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar
• Wake Up Dead Man by Rian Johnson

Best Animated Feature

• Arco
• Boys Go to Jupiter
• KPop Demon Hunters
• Little Amelie or the Character of Rain
• Zootopia 2

Best Documentary

• Cover-Up
• My Undesirable Friends, Part 1 – Last Air in Moscow
• The Perfect Neighbor
• Predators
• Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk

Best Foreign Language Film

• It Was Just an Accident
• No Other Choice
• The Secret Agent
• Sentimental Value
• Sirat

Best Art Direction/Production Design

• Frankenstein
• Marty Supreme
• One Battle After Another
• The Phoenician Scheme
• Sinners

Best Cinematography

• Dan Laustsen (Frankenstein)
• Łukasz Żal (Hamnet)
• Michael Bauman (One Battle After Another)
• Autumn Durald Arkapaw (Sinners)
• Adolpho Veloso (Train Dreams)

Best Costume Design

• Kate Hawley (Frankenstein)
• Lindsay Pugh (Hedda)
• Ruth E. Carter (Sinners)
• Malgorzata Karpiuk (The Testament of Ann Lee)
• Paul Tazewell (Wicked: For Good)

Best Editing

• Jon Harris (28 Years Later)
• Stephen Mirrione & Patrick J. Smith (F1: The Movie)
• Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme)
• Kim Sang-beom & Kim Ho-bin (No Other Choice)
• Andy Jurgensen (One Battle After Another)

Best Original Score

• Rob Mazurek (The Mastermind)
• Jonny Greenwood (One Battle After Another)
• Ludwig Göransson (Sinners)
• Daniel Blumberg (The Testament of Ann Lee)
• Bryce Dessner (Train Dreams)

Best Use of Visual Effects

• Avatar: Fire and Ash
• Frankenstein
• Mickey 17
• Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning
• Sinners

Milos Stehlik Award for Breakthrough Filmmaker

• Mary Bronstein (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You)
• Sarah Friedland (Familiar Touch)
• Carson Lund (Eephus)
• James Sweeney (Twinless)
• Eva Victor (Sorry, Baby)

Most Promising Performer

• Miles Caton (Sinners)
• Chase Infiniti (One Battle After Another)
• Abou Sangare (Souleymane’s Story)
• Tonatiuh (Kiss of the Spider Woman)
• Eva Victor (Sorry, Baby)

How and When to Watch the Winners Announcement

The Chicago Film Critics Association will announce the winners during their annual awards ceremony. The event is scheduled for Thursday, December 11, 2025. The winners will be announced starting at 8:00 PM Central Time.

The CFCA is comprised of professional film critics from major outlets including the Chicago Sun-Times, The New York Times, Variety, and NPR. In addition to the main awards, the organization is known for its focus on highlighting new talent through its breakthrough performer and filmmaker categories.

Also Read: Velma Awards 2025 winners: Jurassic World and Firebuds Win Big

Sources: (1)(2)

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