The Chicago Indie Critics (CIC) have announced their 2025 Windie Award Nominations. Ryan Coogler’s Sinners leads with 19 nominations, while Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another follows with 13.
The winners will be announced on January 15, 2026. Here are the nominees.
Best Independent Film
Best Studio Film
Sinners
Best International Film
It Was Just an Accident
No Other Choice
The Secret Agent
Best Documentary
Best Animated Film
Looney Tunes: The Day the Earth Blew Up
Best Director
Ryan Coogler – Sinners
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
Chloé Zhao – Hamnet
Jafar Panahi – It Was Just an Accident
Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein
Best Original Screenplay
Sinners
Sorry, Baby
Marty Supreme
Best Adapted Screenplay
One Battle After Another
Hamnet
Frankenstein
28 Years Later
Best Actor
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
Timotheé Chalamet – Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Jesse Plemons – Bugonia
Best Actress
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby
Amanda Seyfried – The Testament of Ann Lee
Emma Stone – Bugonia
Best Supporting Actor
Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
Delroy Lindo – Sinners
Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value
Best Supporting Actress
Amy Madigan – Weapons
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
Hailee Steinfeld – Sinners
Odessa A’zion – Marty Supreme
Best Ensemble (Given to Casting Director)
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Marty Supreme
It Was Just an Accident
Best Breakout Performance
Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
Odessa A’zion – Marty Supreme
Miles Caton – Sinners
Jacobi Jupe – Hamnet
Best Breakout Artist (Behind the Camera)
Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby
Client Bentley – Train Dreams
Scarlett Johansson – Eleanor the Great
Best Sight Unseen Performance
Oona Chaplin – Avatar: Fire and Ash
Will Patton – Train Dreams
Nick Offerman – The Life of Chuck
Jason Bateman – Zootopia 2
Best Cinematography
Sinners
One Battle After Another
Frankenstein
Train Dreams
Best Production Design
Frankenstein
Sinners
28 Years Later
Best Editing
Sinners
One Battle After Another
Marty Supreme
F1
Weapons
Best Costume Design
Frankenstein
Sinners
Wicked: For Good
Fantastic Four: First Steps
Best Makeup
Sinners
Frankenstein
28 Years Later
Weapons
Best Visual Effects
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Frankenstein
Sinners
F1
Superman
Best Stunts
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
F1
One Battle After Another
Best Sound
Sinners
F1
28 Years Later
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Best Original Score
Sinners
One Battle After Another
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
Best Original Song
“I Lied to You” – Sinners
“Golden” – KPop Demon Hunters
“Pale, Pale Moon” – Sinners
“Clothed by the Sun” – The Testament of Ann Lee
“Highest 2 Lowest” – Highest 2 Lowest
Impact Award
Given to the individual or group who has made a positive impact on local Chicago cinema
Michael Phillips – Film Critic
Elizabeth Arnott – Programmer, Music Box Theatre
Anna Pattison – Editor in Chief, Cinema Femme Magazine
Tyler Michael Balentine – Programmer, Music Box Theatre
Matthew C. Hoffman – Programmer, Pickwick Theatre
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WINDIE AWARD NOMINATIONS BY THE NUMBERS:
19: Sinners
13: One Battle After Another
9: Frankenstein
8: Marty Supreme
6: Hamnet
5: 28 Years Later, F1
4: Sorry, Baby, It Was Just an Accident, Train Dreams, Weapons
3: Bugonia, Avatar: Fire and Ash
2: KPop Demon Hunters, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, The Testament of Ann Lee, Sentimental Value, Zootopia 2, The Life of Chuck, Superman
News Update Courtesy of Adam Patla
Feature Image from ‘Sinners’ via Warner Bros