Michigan Movie Critics Guild Announces Winners for the Best of 2025

The Michigan Movie Critics Guild has announced its winners for the best films and performances of 2025. Ryan Coogler’s Sinners was the year’s major winner, taking home eight awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress. Other big winners included Hamnet’s Jessie Buckley for Best Actress and One Battle After Another for Best Screenplay. Livonia native Judy Greer received the MMCG Award for Film Excellence for her performance in The Long Walk

This year’s full list of winners below (winners bolded):

  • Best Picture
    • Frankenstein
    • Hamnet
    • Marty Supreme
    • One Battle After Another
    Sinners
  • Best Director
    • Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
    Ryan Coogler – Sinners
    • Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein
    • Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
    • Chloé Zhao – Hamnet
  • Best Actor
    • Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
    • Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams
    • Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
    • Brendan Fraser – Rental Family
    Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
  • Best Actress
    • Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
    • Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
    • Cynthia Erivo – Wicked: For Good
    Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
    • Emma Stone – Bugonia
  • Best Supporting Actor
    Miles Caton – Sinners
    • Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
    • Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another
    • Paul Mescal – Hamnet
    • Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
  • Best Supporting Actress
    • Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good
    • Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
    Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
    • Hailee Steinfeld – Sinners
    • Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another
  • Best Animated Film
    • Arco
    • Dog Man
    • KPop Demon Hunters
    • Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
    • Zootopia 2
  • Best Documentary
    • Orwell 2+2=5
    • Pee-Wee as Himself
    • Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk
    The Perfect Neighbor
    • The Tale of Silyan
  • Best Ensemble
    • Avatar: Fire and Ash
    • Marty Supreme
    • One Battle After Another
    • Sinners
    • Wake Up Dead Man
    • Wicked: For Good
  • Best Screenplay
    • Hamnet
    • Marty Supreme
    • One Battle After Another
    • Sorry, Baby
    • Sinners
  • Best Cinematography
    • Avatar: Fire and Ash
    • Frankenstein
    • One Battle After Another
    • Sinners
    • Train Dreams
  • Breakthrough
    • Miles Caton – (Actor) Sinners
    • Chase Infiniti – (Actress) One Battle After Another
    • Jacob Elordi – (Actor) Frankenstein
    • Jacobi Jupe – (Actor) Hamnet
    • Eva Victor – (Writer, director, actor) Sorry, Baby
  • Best Stunts
    • Avatar: Fire and Ash
    • Ballerina
    Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
    • Nobody 2
    • One Battle After Another
  • The MMCG Award for Film Excellence
    • Paul Feig – (Director) The Housemaid / Another Simple Favor
    • Judy Greer – (Actress) The Long Walk
    • Paul Walter Hauser – (Actor) The Naked Gun / Fantastic Four: First Steps
    • Tim Robinson – (Actor) Friendship
    • J.K. Simmons – (Actor) The Accountant 2

The MMCG is a collective of film critics who are committed to enhancing the conversation about cinema and further establishing the state’s reputation as a film-loving community. This year’s MMCG is composed of 18 critics, who cover films for a variety of outlets across the state. From websites to newspapers and podcasts to YouTube, they capture the diversity of the field and bring a range of expertise, outlooks, and tastes. 

This year’s lineup includes: 

  • Nate Adams, The Only Critic; The Clinton Local
  • Chris Azzopardi, The New York Times; Pride Source
  • Landon Defever, Films for the Void
  • Mark Eaton, MovieReelist
  • Becky Fixel, Week99er
  • Christopher George, Spoiler Free Movie Sleuth
  • Seth Hay, Cat with a Monocle
  • Michelle Kisner, Spoiler Free Movie Sleuth
  • Jessica Knapik, What’s Up Weirdo podcast
  • Megan Loucks, Wonder Watchlist; Wonder Meg YouTube; CBR
  • Cheryl Murray, Cat with a Monocle
  • Joshua Polanski, Midwest Film Journal; In Review Online; Boston Hassle; There Were No Gods Left; Bay Area Reporter; DMovies
  • Tom Santilli, Movie Show Plus
  • Perry Seibert, WLBY 1290 The Lucy Ann Lance Show; We’re Watching Here Podcast
  • Montilee Stormer, MovieReelist
  • Mike Tyrkus, Cinema Nerdz
  • Carl Wheeler, The Reel Godfather
  • Chris Williams, Collider; Chrisicisms; We’re Watching Here Podcast

Information about the MMCG and its members is available at its website. For further information, email michiganmoviecritics@gmail.com
You can find them on Facebook, Blue Sky, Instagram and X.

About the author

Becky is an entertainment writer in Metro-Detroit. She is currently an active member of the MMCG and within the local community. You can reach her at becky@week99er.com