“Sinners” Leads Houston Film Critics Society Nominations With 14 Nods

Houston Film Critics Society announces 2025 nominees, highlighting a Best Picture lineup packed with swings.

The Houston Film Critics Society announced its nominees for the 20th annual awards, and Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” rose to the top with 14 nominations, including best picture of 2025.

Close behind, Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” earned 13 nominations, also landing in the best picture lineup. The remaining best picture nominees are “Bugonia,” “F1,” “Frankenstein,” “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme,” “The Secret Agent,” “Sentimental Value,” “Train Dreams” and “Weapons.”

“Years from now, we will look back on 2025 as the year where filmmakers just ‘went for it’ in a big way,” said Travis Leamons, the society’s president. “The highs are really, really high; and our organization doesn’t shy away from recognizing films that might drive a stake to the heart or pull at your heartstrings. The films this year made it fun to see stuff on the biggest screens possible.”

“Sinners” and “One Battle After Another” drive the top races

HFCS described “Sinners” as an epic musical horror show, and the film showed up across the board, from picture and director to acting, music, and multiple craft categories.

“One Battle After Another” also spread its nominations widely, with nods for Anderson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio Del Toro, and Sean Penn, helping make it one of the year’s biggest contenders with the group.

The best director nominees are Chloé Zhao for “Hamnet,” Guillermo del Toro for “Frankenstein,” Josh Safdie for “Marty Supreme,” Anderson for “One Battle After Another,” and Coogler for “Sinners.”

Acting categories highlight star-led swings

The best actor nominees include Timothée Chalamet as a table tennis superstar in “Marty Supreme,” DiCaprio as an aging revolutionary in “One Battle After Another,” Ethan Hawke as Broadway composer Lorenz Hart in “Blue Moon,” Michael B. Jordan as twin brothers in “Sinners,” and Wagner Moura as a research scientist in “The Secret Agent.”

Best actress nominees include Jessie Buckley as a loving wife and mother in “Hamnet,” Rose Byrne as a troubled wife and mother in “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” Kate Hudson as a single mother and determined singer in “Song Sung Blue,” Chase Infiniti as a fearless daughter in “One Battle After Another,” Renate Reinsve as a questioning daughter in “Sentimental Value,” and Emma Stone as a questioned CEO in “Bugonia.”

Winners set for Jan. 20, with Texas indie spotlight

The Houston Film Critics Society will announce the winners on Jan. 20. The group will also present its Texas Independent Film Award, which honors productions made in the Lone Star State.

The society’s 40 members are working film journalists across television, radio, online outlets, and print. HFCS says its mission is to promote the advancement and appreciation of film in the Houston community and beyond.

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

Winners will be revealed Jan. 20, closing out a nomination year that proves Houston critics are all-in on big swings, bold voices, and movies built for the biggest screens.

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