Thurs, Dec. 18th – The Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) announces its 2025 award winners. 

One Battle After Another leads the way, winning 5 awards from its 12 nominations in 11 categories – including Best Film, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Supporting Actor (Benicio del Toro).

Other acting award winners include Rose Byrne as Best Actress for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Timothée Chalamet as Best Actor for Marty Supreme, and Amy Madigan as Best Supporting Actress for Weapons.

Sinners, which garnered 11 nominations, secured wins for Best Ensemble, Best Cinematography and Best Original Score (Ludwig Göransson).

Other major awards include KPop Demon Hunters winning Best Animated Feature. The Perfect Neighbor was awarded Best Documentary, while The Secret Agent won Best International Film. Our new award categories of Best Visual Effects and Best Remake/Franchise Film went to Avatar: Fire and Ash and Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery respectively.

Eva Victor was the recipient of our Best First Film Award for Sorry, Baby, and was also one of five recipients of this year’s Robert R. “Bobby” McCurdy Memorial Breakthrough Award.

Our Best Austin Film Award winner was Blue Moon (dir. Richard Linklater).

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The full list of winners, including the AFCA Best Austin Film and AFCA Top Ten Films of 2025, is included below.

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Best Film: One Battle After Another

Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another

Best Actress: Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Best Actor: Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme

Best Supporting Actress: Amy Madigan, Weapons

Best Supporting Actor: Benicio del Toro, One Battle After Another

Best Ensemble: Sinners

Best Original Screenplay: Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme

Best Adapted Screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another

Best Cinematography: Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Sinners

Best Editing: Andy Jurgensen, One Battle After Another

Best Original Score: Ludwig Göransson, Sinners

Best International Film: The Secret Agent

Best Documentary: The Perfect Neighbor

Best Animated Film: KPop Demon Hunters

Best Voice Acting/Animated/Digital Performance: Oona Chaplin, Avatar: Fire and Ash

Best Stuntwork: Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

Best Visual Effects: Avatar: Fire and Ash

Best Remake/Franchise Film: Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

Best First Film: Eva Victor, Sorry, Baby

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The Robert R. “Bobby” McCurdy Memorial Breakthrough Award: 

• Odessa A’zion, Marty Supreme
• Miles Caton, Sinners
• Chase Infiniti, One Battle After Another
• Maggie Kang, KPop Demon Hunters
• Eva Victor, Sorry, Baby

 

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As part of the organization’s annual voting, the Austin Film Critics Association awards titles with local ties — works made by directors who live in Austin. This award is distinct to our group of critics. Thanks to the support of the AFS Cinema, a special screening to celebrate this film will be announced soon.

2025 Austin Film Award Winner: Blue Moon (dir. Richard Linklater)

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Special Awards:

The Dual Threat Special Award to Elle Fanning (Predator: Badlands), Theo James (The Monkey), Michael B. Jordan (Sinners), Diego Luna/Tonatiuh/Jennifer Lopez (Kiss of the Spider Woman), Dylan O’Brien (Twinless), Robert Pattinson (Mickey 17), and Rosamund Pike/Matthew Rhys (Hallow Road). 

Indy the Dog for Good Boy: For a uniquely realized performance in the field of animal acting

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AFCA Top 10 Films of 2025

1. One Battle After Another
2. Sinners
3. Marty Supreme
4. Sentimental Value
5. Weapons
6. The Secret Agent
7. The Testament of Ann Lee
8. Frankenstein
9. Train Dreams
10. Bugonia

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Founded in 2005 by Cole Dabney & Bobby McCurdy, the AFCA has seen its membership grow from single digits to over 35 members. The diverse outlets our members contribute to include the Austin Chronicle, Bullz-Eye, But Why Tho?, Certified Forgotten, Cinapse, Cinema Scholars, Consequence, Daily Grindhouse, Double Toasted, Dread Central, Edge Media Network, Fangoria, Film School Rejects, Hyperreal Film Club, Indiewire, Horror’s Not Dead, Junkfood Cinema, KOOP 91.7 FM Radio, Mendowerks, One Movie Punch, One Of Us, Paste, The Playlist, Sightlines, Slashfilm, True View Reviews, Uproxx, and We Got This Covered.