The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC) announced the best film of 2025, with Ryan Coogler’s Sinners being declared the winner. The supernatural horror film was one of the most awarded titles of the annual honors. Overall, Sinners received seven awards on the night out of BFCC’s 13 competitive categories. Sinners’ awards include best film, best director for Coogler, best actor for Michael B. Jordan, best supporting actor for Delroy Lindo, best original screenplay, best cinematography, and best ensemble performance.

In a statement on Tuesday, December 18, announcing the winners, BFCC co-president Mike Sargent explained, “The artists we are championing, and films like Sinners in particular, affirm that our stories are not only relevant, but essential. At a moment when erasure is no longer abstract, Black creators and Black critics have a responsibility to amplify work that insists on visibility, history, and humanity.”

In addition to its competitive wins, Coogler is set to receive BFCC’s Pioneer Award, highlighting his decade-long career contributions to Black cinema. The circle noted that he “continues to redefine scale, ambition and authorship in contemporary Black cinema.”

Along with Sinners, Chase Infiniti was named the BFCC Rising Star Award recipient for her performance in One Battle After Another. Best adapted screenplay went to Paul Thomas Anderson. For her performance in One Battle After Another, Teyana Taylor earned the best supporting actress award for the same film. For her role in Amazon’s Hedda, Tessa Thompson won best actress.

BFCC also highlighted R.T. Thorne’s post-apocalyptic thriller 40 Acres, calling him a notable new voice in genre filmmaking. Some of the other honors included The Perfect Neighbor (documentary feature), K-Pop Demon Hunters (animated feature), and It Was Just an Accident (foreign language film), rounding out a year in which Sinners landed on top.