The Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA) is proud to announce nominees for its forthcoming 2025 awards — with winners to be revealed on Monday, Dec. 15.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another led the way with 15 nominations, followed by Ryan Coogler’s Sinners with 11 and first-time feature director Charlie Polinger’s The Plague with 10.
The IFJA considers films on a chronological calendar, determined by when screenings/screeners are made available to all voting members. A winner and runner-up will be determined in all categories, with the exception of the Edward Johnson-Ott Hoosier Award. As a special award honoring a film, filmmaker, performer or industry professional with a strong Indiana connection, only the winner is announced. Nominees for this award are not released.
In addition to the Best Film winner and runner-up, the IFJA will publish their Top 10 Films of 2025.
Established in 2009, the IFJA’s mission is to promote the art of film criticism in the Hoosier state, to support Indiana’s growing film industry, and to promote quality film criticism in Indiana. Logan and Andy are both active members, Andy having held membership since 2020, and Logan having joined in January of this year.
Here are the nominees, listed alphabetically:
BEST FILM
28 Years Later
Black Bag
Bob Trevino Likes It
Bugonia
Frankenstein
Friendship
Hamnet
Jay Kelly
The Life of Chuck
Marty Supreme
No Other Choice
One Battle After Another
The Phoenician Scheme
The Plague
Sinners
Splitsville
Superman
Train Dreams
Wake Up Dead Man
Weapons
BEST ANIMATED FILM
In Your Dreams
KPop Demon Hunters
The Legend of Hei 2
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Ne Zha 2
Predator: Killer of Killers
Zootopia 2
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Cloud
It Was Just an Accident
Left-Handed Girl
No Other Choice
Reflection in a Dead Diamond
Rental Family
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Universal Language
The Voice of Hind Rajab
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Are We Good?
Deaf President Now!
Disposable Humanity
Grand Theft Hamlet
Hacking at Leaves
Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5
Pavements
The Perfect Neighbor
The Tenderness Tour
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Noah Baumbach and Emily Mortimer, Jay Kelly
Mary Bronstein, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme
Ryan Coogler, Sinners
Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin, Splitsville
Zach Cregger, Weapons
David Koepp, Black Bag
Tracie Laymon, Bob Trevino Likes It
Jafar Panahi, It Was Just an Accident
Charlie Polinger, The Plague
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar, Train Dreams
Guillermo del Toro, Frankenstein
Mike Flanagan, The Life of Chuck
Alex Garland, 28 Years Later
Dan Gregor, Doug Mand and Akiva Schaffer, The Naked Gun
James Gunn, Superman
Rian Johnson, Wake Up Dead Man
Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don McKellar, and Lee Ja-hye, No Other Choice
Will Tracy, Bugonia
BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Clint Bentley, Train Dreams
Ryan Coogler, Sinners
Michael Angelo Covino, Splitsville
Zach Cregger, Weapons
James Gunn, Superman
Park Chan-wook, No Other Choice
Charlie Polinger, The Plague
Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme
Steven Soderbergh, Black Bag
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE
Everett Blunck, The Plague
Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme
David Corenswet, Superman
Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another
Joel Edgerton, Train Dreams
Michael Fassbender, Black Bag
Barbie Ferreira, Bob Trevino Likes It
Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
Liam Neeson, The Naked Gun
Josh O’Connor, Wake Up Dead Man
Jesse Plemons, Bugonia
Emma Stone, Bugonia
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
Pamela Anderson, The Naked Gun
Miles Caton, Sinners
Benicio del Toro, One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein
Nicholas Hoult, Superman
Chase Infiniti, One Battle After Another
John Leguizamo, Bob Trevino Likes It
Amy Madigan, Weapons
Paul Mescal, Hamnet
Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
Adam Sandler, Jay Kelly
Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value
French Stewart, Bob Trevino Likes It
Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another
BEST VOCAL / MOTION-CAPTURE PERFORMANCE
Oona Chaplin, Avatar: Fire and Ash
Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Will Patton, Train Dreams
Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, Predator: Badlands
Zhu Jing, The Legend of Hei 2
BEST ENSEMBLE ACTING
Black Bag
Bugonia
The Life of Chuck
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
The Plague
Sinners
Superman
Wake Up Dead Man
Weapons
BEST EDITING
Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme
Barry Alexander Brown and Allyson C. Johnson, Highest 2 Lowest
Mike Flanagan, The Life of Chuck
Jon Harris, 28 Years Later
Andy Jurgensen, One Battle After Another
Kim Sang-bum, No Other Choice
Brian Scott Olds, The Naked Gun
Sara Shaw, Splitsville
Michael P. Shawver, Sinners
Steven Soderbergh, Black Bag
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Autumn Donald Arkapaw, Sinners
Michael Bauman, One Battle After Another
Steven Breckon, The Plague
Anthony Dod Mantle, 28 Years Later
Darius Khondji, Marty Supreme
Dan Laustsen, Frankenstein
Larkin Seiple, Weapons
Steven Soderbergh, Black Bag
Fraser Taggart, Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning
Adolpho Veloso, Train Dreams
BEST MUSICAL SCORE
Jerskin Fendrix, Bugonia
Ludwig Göransson, Sinners
Jonny Greenwood, One Battle After Another
Ryan Holladay, Hays Holladay, and Zach Cregger, Weapons
David Holmes, Black Bag
Johan Lenox, The Plague
Daniel Lopatin, Marty Supreme
John Murphy and David Fleming, Superman
Nine Inch Nails, Tron: Ares
Young Fathers, 28 Years Later
BEST STUNT / MOVEMENT CHOREOGRAPHY
Wade Eastwood (second-unit director / stunt coordinator), Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning
Timothy Eulich (stunt coordinator), Eddington
Tyler Hall (stunt coordinator / stunt driver) and
Dave McKeown (stunt coordinator), Splitsville
Brian Machleit (stunt coordinator), One Battle After Another
Mandy Moore (choreographer), The Life of Chuck
Alain Moussi (stunt coordinator), Brahim Chab (fight coordinator), László Kósa (stunt coordinator, Hungary), and Balázs Lengyel (fight coordinator, Hungary), Fight or Flight
Celia Rowlson-Hall (choreographer), The Testament of Ann Lee
Jacob Tomuri (stunt coordinator), Predator: Badlands
BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS
Dennis Berardi, Ayo Burgess and Ivan Busquets (visual effects supervisors) and José Granell (miniatures / models supervisor), Frankenstein (2025)
John Capogreco (visual effects supervisor), Dave Funston (visual effects supervisor, OPSIS), Ross McCabe (visual effects supervisor, Image Engine), Abishek Nair (visual effects supervisor, Industrial Light and Magic / visual effects supervisor, second unit), Vincent Papaix (visual effects supervisor, Industrial Light and Magic), and Cameron Waldbauer (special effects supervisor), Tron: Ares
Stephane Ceretti, Enrico Damm, Stéphane Nazé, and Guy Williams (visual effects supervisors), Superman
Olivier Dumont and Sheldon Stopsack (visual effects supervisors, Wētā), Kathy Siegel (visual effects producer / co-producer), and Karl Rapley (animation supervisor, Wētā), Predator: Badlands
Dan Glass, Chris McLaughlin, and Stuart Penn (visual effects supervisors), Dominic Tuohy (special effects supervisor), Mickey 17
Joe Letteri (senior visual effects supervisor), Richard Baneham (visual effects supervisor, Lightstorm / virtual second unit director), Eric Saindon (senior visual effects supervisor, Wētā Digital), and Daniel Barrett (senior animation supervisor, Wētā Digital), Avatar: Fire and Ash
Charlie Noble (visual effects supervisor), David Zaretti (visual effects supervisor, Industrial Light and Magic), Russell Bowen (visual effects supervisor, beloFX), and Brandon K. McLaughlin (special effects coordinator), The Lost Bus
Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, and Guido Wolter (visual effects supervisors),
Donnie Dean (special effects coordinator), Sinners
Scott Stokdyk (visual effects supervisor, Marvel), Robert Allman (visual effects supervisor, Framestore), Danielle Bigi (visual effects supervisor, Industrial Light and Magic), Theodore Bialek (visual effects supervisor, SPI), and Alistair Williams (special effects supervisor), The Fantastic Four: First Steps
BREAKOUT OF THE YEAR
Clint Bentley (director / co-writer), Train Dreams
Everett Blunck (performer), The Plague
Miles Caton (performer), Sinners
Aidan Delbis (performer), Bugonia
Chase Infiniti (performer), One Battle After Another
Jacobi Jupe (performer), Hamnet
Tracie Laymon (director / writer), Bob Trevino Likes It
Charlie Polinger (director / writer), The Plague
Eva Victor (director / writer / performer), Sorry, Baby
Alfie Williams (performer), 28 Years Later
ORIGINAL VISION
Good Boy
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
One Battle After Another
The Plague
Reflection in a Dead Diamond
The Testament of Ann Lee
Train Dreams
Established in 2009 by a dedicated group of Indiana journalists, the Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA) endeavors to promote quality film criticism in the Hoosier state and support Indiana’s growing film industry.
For more information, visit http://indianafilmjournalists.com.