North Dakota Film Society (NDFS) Awards: ‘Sinners’ Takes Best Picture
The North Dakota Film Society has revealed the winners of its 7th Annual North Dakota Film Society Awards, honoring outstanding achievements in filmmaking of 2025. Ryan Coogler’s Sinners emerged as this year’s biggest winner, taking home Best Picture, Best Ensemble, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Score.
Other notable winners include Paul Thomas Anderson, who was recognized with Best Director and Best Screenplay for One Battle After Another, which also earned Best Editing and Best Supporting Actor for Sean Penn’s electric performance. Jessie Buckley was awarded Best Actress for Hamnet, while Timothée Chalamet won Best Actor for Marty Supreme. This is Chalamet’s second year in a row being named the year’s Best Actor; he was awarded last year for A Complete Unknown. The acting categories were further highlighted by Amy Madigan, who received Best Supporting Actress for Weapons.
Other winners included Avatar: Fire and Ash for Best Visual Effects, Frankenstein for Best Costume Design, Best Makeup & Hairstyling, and Best Production Design, and Sirāt for Best Sound. International cinema was celebrated with Norway’s Sentimental Value winning Best International Feature, while the documentary The Perfect Neighbor earned Best Documentary Feature.
Here is the complete list of winners.
Best Picture
SINNERS
Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian
Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Best Actress
Jessie Buckley
HAMNET
Best Actor
Timothée Chalamet
MARTY SUPREME
Best Supporting Actress
Amy Madigan
WEAPONS
Best Supporting Actor
Sean Penn
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Best Ensemble
SINNERS
Miles Caton, Michael B. Jordan, Jayme Lawson, Li Jun Li, Delroy Lindo, Wunmi Mosaku, Jack O’Connell, Hailee Steinfeld
Best Screenplay
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Paul Thomas Anderson
Best Cinematography
SINNERS
Autumn Durald Arkapaw
Best Costume Design
FRANKENSTEIN
Kate Hawley
(Netflix)
Best Editing
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Andy Jurgensen
Best Visual Effects
AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH
Richard Baneham, Daniel Barrett, Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon
Best Makeup & Hairstyling
FRANKENSTEIN
Cliona Furey, Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel
Best Original Score
SINNERS
Ludwig Göransson
Best Original Song
KPOP DEMON HUNTERS
”Golden”
EJAE and Mark Sonnenblick
Best Production Design
FRANKENSTEIN
Tamara Deverell
Best Sound
SIRAT
Laia Casanovas
Best Animated Feature
ZOOTOPIA 2
Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Yvett Merino
Best Documentary Feature
THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR
Alisa Payne, Geeta Gandbhir, Nikon Kwantu, Sam Bisbee
Best International Feature
SENTIMENTAL VALUE
Norway
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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