In the new year, cinephiles have one last thing to look forward to in the 2025 film year: the awards circuit. The Academy Awards, the Golden Globes, and other organizations combine talent from various parts of the filmmaking process to attempt to determine the best films of the year. Though they are often controversial, they are an important part of the film world and very fun to theorize about. 

Last year had many notable frontrunners for awards season, including Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, a period piece horror film which retained a high status for most of the year after its April release. Though in late September, a new one appeared. Paul Thomas Anderson’s blockbuster action-comedy One Battle After Another took over the awards discussion almost immediately after its release. The film topped early best-of-the-year lists, with the previously mentioned Sinners often hanging in the low top 10. But in these lists, a new face appeared. Uncut Gems co-director Josh Safdie had a new film, which was released on Christmas Day: Marty Supreme. The Timotheé Chalamet-led sports drama quickly became the third frontrunner. 

This doesn't even mention film festivals, where foreign films such as Sentimental Value and It Was Just an Accident, both received high marks. This isn’t all, though. The continuation of John M. Chu’s adaptation Wicked: For Good often received predictions due to the first film’s performance during last year’s season and its own new original music. Guillermo del Toro led an adaptation of Frankenstein, which was lauded for its technical prowess and performances, especially for Jacob Elordi’s portrayal of the creature. Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia became a major prediction for big awards but wasn’t a frontrunner. Similar reactions were had for Hamnet, directed by previous Oscar winner Chloé Zhao.

Other notable films in awards discussion are Zach Cregger’s Weapons for its memorable villain performance, Joseph Kosinski’s F1: The Movie for its technically impressive race sequences, Train Dreams for its stunning visuals, Avatar: Fire and Ash for its large-scale effects work, and KPop Demon Hunters for its chart-topping music. 

As of writing, official nominations for the Golden Globes and winners for Critics’ Choice Awards have been revealed, as well as shortlists for 12 categories at the Oscars. In a surprising late-game twist, Sinners led the nominations with 32 mentions across all three. One Battle After Another received 27. At Critics’ Choice, opinion swayed towards One Battle, which took best picture, director, and adapted screenplay. Sinners was able to take best original screenplay and best young actor. The other acting awards had more variety, with Marty Supreme taking actor, Hamnet taking actress, Frankenstein taking supporting actor, and Weapons taking supporting actress. After this, I am sure that awards discussions will skyrocket. I, for one, am happy with the variety and the chance that great creatives get their time in the spotlight without it feeling predictable. Hopefully, you can check out the previously mentioned films and keep tabs on who you think might win. Who knows? Maybe you’ll gain a larger appreciation for film as a medium.