Celebrating our Favorite Films of 2025!
On our first anniversary, Cinapse’s one-year celebration of cinema coincided with another little-known ceremony called “The Oscars.” We’re here 13 years later to continue the tradition with the Twelfth Annual Cinapse Awards!
At Cinapse, a huge part of what we do is champion the movies we love—so launching our own awards has always felt like the most natural extension of that mission. Think of it as our way of planting a flag for the films that defined the year for us, whether they’re massive conversation starters like Sinners, ambitious big-screen spectacle like Avatar: Fire and Ash, or the kind of bold, genre-bending swings like Weapons that remind us why we obsess over movies in the first place.
We hope you have as much fun reading through our picks as we did passionately arguing about them. And honestly, the debate is half the fun. Jump into the comments, hit us up on Twitter or Facebook, and tell us: What did we miss? Where are we totally off base? Which picks had you nodding along in total agreement? Film culture works best when it’s a conversation, and we’d love to hear where you land.
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
WINNER: The Secret Agent
BEST ANIMATED FILM
BEST DOCUMENTARY
TIE! : Deaf President Now & The Perfect Neighbor
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Best Cinematography: Sinners
BEST SCREENPLAY Adapted or Original
BEST SCREENPLAY Adapted or Original: Sinners
MALE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
MALE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE: Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another
FEMALE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
FEMALE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE: Amy Madigan – Weapons
MALE IN A LEADING ROLE
MALE IN A LEADING ROLE: Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
FEMALE IN A LEADING ROLE
FEMALE IN A LEADING ROLE: Jessie Buckley – Hamnet & Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
BEST ENSEMBLE
BEST ENSEMBLE: Sinners
BEST DIRECTION
BEST DIRECTION: Tie! Ryan Coogler – Sinners & Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
and the BEST PICTURE or The CINAPSE PURE CINEMA AWARD goes to……
PURE CINEMA AWARD: SINNERS!
