The Blind Film Critics Society recently announced their nominations and awards for the 2025 slate of films. While One Battle After Another won Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and Sinners earned the most nominations of any film at the Oscars, the BFCS nominations look a little different. First, eligible titles must have English Audio Description to be considered, which immediately knocked out several Oscar winners and nominees, including Sentimental Value, The Secret Agent, Mr Nobody Against Putin, The Ugly Stepsister, and Little Amelie or the Character of Rain.The BFCS also has a few diffferent categories, trading out more visual Oscar categories like Cinematography, Production Design, and visual Effects for genre specific categories like Best Horror and Best Comedy, four Audio Description specific categories, and a Disability Representation honor.

The BFCS votes using a ranked choice ballot, meaning that where a film or nominee is placed on the list matters.

Sinners, which led the pack at the Oscars, also led at the BFCS Awards receiving nine nominations including Best Picture. Other films nominated for Best Picture by the Blind Film Critics Society were Bugonia with 7 nominations total, Frankenstein with 5 nominations,Marty Supreme with 4 nominations,and Train Dreams with 2 nominations, all of which earned Oscar nominations for Best Picture. Oscar Winner One Battle After Another was shut out of the Best Picture race, yet still garnered two nominations for Oscar winners Paul Thomas Anderson and Sean Penn.Hamnet, which also was nominated at the Oscars in Best Picture, was left with two nominations as well for Oscar Winner Jessie Buckley and a surprise supporting nomination for Jacobi Jupe. F1, which slid into the Best Picture race at the Oscars was left with a lone nomination in Sound.

Instead of the more traditional picks, the Blind Film Critics Society opted instead to give Picture nominations to The Long Walk, The Plague, Twinless, Sorry Baby, and Weapons. Weapons did quite well for itself, earning five nominations, including two for Zach Cregger, who was shut out at the Oscars.

The nominees and winners are:

Best Picture:

Bugonia (Focus Features)

Frankenstein (Netflix)

The Long Walk (Lionsgate)

Marty Supreme (A24)

The Plague (IFC Films)

Sinners (Warner Bros)

Sorry Baby (A24)

Train Dreams (Netflix)

Twinless (Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate)

Weapons (Warner Bros)

Winner: Bugonia

Analysis: While the Oscars may have gone with One Battle, the remake of Save The Green Planet earned the Blind Film Critics attention,ending up winning in Picture, where it had not won across the season. Another note of interest is that while most Best Picture nominees usually get another nod outside the category, the Plague was only nominated in best Picture. The other nine receive more nominations. Although, The Plague was still a part of awards season, as it was nominated for Best Picture at the Indie Spirit Awards (along with fellow BFCS nominees Twinless, Sorry Baby, and Twinless). The Plague also won Best Picture at Fantastic Fest, and was nominated for Best Picture by the Indiana Film Journalists Association.

Best Director:

Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another (Warner Bros)

Ryan Coogler, Sinner (Warner Bros)

Zack Cregger, Weapons (Warner Bros)

Josh Safdi, Marty Supreme (A24)

Yorgos Lanthrimos, Bugonia (Focus Features)

Winner: Ryan Coogler, Sinners

Analysis: Only Anderson, Coogler, and Safdi managed to also get Oscar nominations, our two different choices were more on the fringe. Lanthrimos received a BAFTA nomination for directing Bugonia. Cregger is a unique nomination in this category, as a crowded race often left him out here, in favor of screenplay recognition.

Best Actor:

Timothee Chalamet, Marty Supreme (A24)

Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon (Sony Pictures Classics)

Michael B Jordan, Sinners (Warner Bros)

Dylan O’Brien, Twinless (Roadside/Lionsgate)

Jesse Plemons, bugonia (Focus Features)

Winner: *TIE* Timothee Chalamet, Marty Supreme AND Michael B Jordan, Sinners

Analysis: Our small numbers and ranked choice allowed for a tie between Jordan (who won the Oscar and the SAG prize), and Timothee Chalamet (who won the Golden Globe).This is now the second win for Sinners. Ethan Hawke also managed an Oscar nomination this year for his performance as Lorenz Hart in blue moon, the only nomination for the title this year. Plemons did fail to get the Oscar nomination, but in addition to the BFCS nomination he got a BAFTA, Globe, and Screen Actors Guild nomination. O’Brien seems like the most unlikely contender, except he was nominated in Lead for the Indie Spirit Awards, ASTRA, and New York Film Critics Online. Extra fun fact: Both Jordan and O’Brien played twins.

Best Actress:

Jessie Buckley, Hamnet (focus Features)

Rose Byrne, if I Had Legs I’d Kick you (A24)

Emma Stone, Bugonia (Focus Features)

Sydney Sweeney, Christie (Black Bear)

Ava Victor, Sorry Baby (A24)

Winner: Jessie Buckley (Hamnet)

As with Jordan, we also agreed on Buckley, whose stunning work as a fictional representation of Shakespeare’s wife earned her an Oscar, among her many prizes this year. Byrne and Stone also managed Oscar nominations, but taking a swing on Sydney Sweeney in christie is probably the most unique take. Sweeney Sweeney didn’t really move past the ASTRA awards, as her divisive biopic didn’t land as well as her competition. But with the BFCS, we thought she packed quite a punch. We also got behind Victor, who was nominated for best Actress in a drama at the Golden Globes, but in the Comedy category at the ASTRA awards. Of the five nominees, this is the only nomination for if I Had Legs I’d Kick You.

Best Supporting Actor:

Ben Foster, Christie (Black Bear)

David Johnston, The Long Walk (Lionsgate)

Jacobi Jupe, Hamnet (Focus Features)

Jack O’Connell, Sinners (Warner Bros)

Sean Penn, One Battle After Another (Warner Bros)

Winner: Ben Foster, christie

Analysis: The BFCS took a big swing on Foster, who remained absent for most of awards season for his haunting and terrifying portrayal of a relentless and abusive husband in the true story Christie, which earned two BFCS nominations this year.Sean Penn is the only nominee who also got an Oscar nomination, going on to win. He is one of two nominations for One Battle After Another. Jupe, the youngest of our acting nominees at 12 years old, leaped over his co-star Paul Mescal. Jupe mostly earned accolades this season in categories reserved specifically for young performers. O’Connell meanwhile seemed like he’d go the entirety of awards season losing to his co-stars, but with the BFCS appreciating horror, and its villains, he snuck in a surprise nomination. And David Yohnston, considered a dark horse in the supporting actor race, earning nominations from the ASTRA Awards, Austin Film Critics, and London Film Critics.

Best Supporting Actress:

Odessa A’Zion, Marty Supreme (A24)

Glenn Close, Wake Up Dead Man (Netflix)

Ariana Grande, Wicked For Good (Universal)

Sally Hawkins, Bring Her Back (A24)

Amy Madigan, Weapons (Warner Bros)

Winner: Amy Madigan, Weapons

Analysis: We concurred, surprisingly, with the Oscars on Madigan deserving the win. She’s also the only actress nominated here that was also nominated for an Oscar. Two were ineligible, and the other two didn’t make the cut in favor of a bunch of also rams that fell short all season. A’Zion came closest to the Oscars with nominations at the BAFTA and SAG awards. Grande also got close, with a SAG nomination, Globe, and Critics Choice.Ultimately, Wicked For Good was shut out at the Oscars. Sally Hawkins was mostly left out of awards season, though her performance in Bring her Back, which takes place in Australia, did win her an Australian version of an Oscar, and she was nominated at Critics Choice for Performance in a Horror Movie. Close managed an ASTRA nomination, as well as a Kansas City critics nod. This is the only nomination for Wake Up Dead Man.

Best Screenplay:

Ryan Coogler, Sinners (Warner Bros)

Zack Cregger, Weapons (Warner Bros)

JT Moulner, The Long Walk (Lionsgate)

Will Tracy, Bugonia (Focus Features)

Ava Victor, Sorry Baby (A24)

Winner: Ryan Coogler, Sinners

Analysis: we combined Original and adapted, and even with that, only two of these were nominated at the Oscars, with Coogler receiving the Best Original Screenplay Oscar. Tracy was also nominated for Bugonia. Cregger did manage a WGA nomination, while Victor showed up at Critics Choice, and won at the Indie Spirit Awards. Moulner is the outlier, with his lone recognition (aside from BFCS) coming from the San Diego Film critics. Coogler, Cregger, and Victor were also the directors of their films, and are all double nominees at this year’s BFCS. Coogler won both Director and Screenplay, while Cregger was nominated for both. Victor, while not nominated for director, was nominated in Lead Actress.

Best Animated Feature:

Arco (Neon)

Elio (Disney/Pixar)

In Your Dreams (Netflix)

K-Pop Demon Hunters (Netflix/ Sony Animation)

Zootopia 2 (Disney)

Winners: *TIE*- K-Pop Demon Hunters and Zootopia 2

Analysis: our second tie of the evening, and with four of the five nominees ending up at the Oscar’s, we were pretty close to every other voting body this year. Our odd film out is In your dreams, which did get nods from Critics Choice, ASTRAS, and the Alliance of Women Journalists.

Best Documentary Feature:

The Alabama Solution (HBO)

Come See Me in The Good Light (Apple)

Deaf President Now (Apple)

John Candy: I Like me (Amazon)

The Perfect Neighbor (Netflix)

Winner: The Perfect neighbor

Analysis: While it did not win the Oscar, it benefitted from having audio description, as Mr Nobody Against Putin, the winner, did not. The perfect Neighbor had racked up plenty of wins, and along with Come See Me in the Good Light and The Alabama Solution earned Oscar nominations. deaf President now, which hit Apple in may was actually nominated at the Emmy awards, despite premiering at Sundance, but our rules do not exclude it. John Candy: I Like Me, directed by Colin hanks, wasn’t exclusive to us having earned recognition from Critics Choice and the Las Vegas Film Critics.

Best Film not Primarily In The English Language:

2000 Meters To Andriivka (PBS/Frontline)

Arco (Neon)

Nouvelle Vague (Netflix)

rental Family (Fox searchlight)

A Private Life (Sony Pictures Classics)

Winner: rental Family

With Neon choosing to not describe their Oscar darlings, this category was wide open. We primarily went for films that at least half the film was in another language. In the case of Arco, it qualifies much the way an anime would, as the film is a French production, so the A-list cast you hear is just a well cast dub. 2000 Meters To Andriivka is the spiritual sequel to the Oscar winning 20 Days in Mariupol, and while it did not get an Oscar nomination this year, it was on the shortlist. A Private Life and Nouvelle vague are both also set in France, and both had audio description, and an American actress anchoring them, though Jodie Foster’s performance in A Private Life was done in French. the winner, rental Family, would not typically be considered, as it is an American production set in japan, with Brendan Fraser as the lone American. It was enough to qualify, and good enough to win. Only 2000 Meters To Andriivka would have been eligible in this category at the Oscar’s.

Best Horror:

Bring her Back (A24)

Final Destination: Bloodlines (New Line cinema)

Frankenstein (Netflix)

Sinners (Warner Bros)

Weapons (Warner Bros)

Winner: Final Destination Bloodlines

Analysis: While we don’t exclude films nominated in Best Picture, when it came time to voting, it did feel like the focus was more on the two titles that did not get the Picture nominations. All films in this category have more than one nomination, with Final Destination Bloodlines still having one more. The gory sequel proved enough against A24’s disturbing horror title to win.

Best Comedy:

The Ballad Of Wallis Island (Focus features)

Fackham hall (Bleeker Street)

Friendship (A24)

One Of Them Days (Sony)

The Naked Gun (Paramount)

Winner: the Naked Gun

the reboot of the classic spoof series earned its first nomination and award, though this is not its only BFCS nomination. this category is, however, the lone nomination for The Ballad of Wallis Island and One Of Them Days.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:

Daniel Bloomberg, the Testament Of Ann Lee (Fox Searchlight)

Alexandre Desplat, Frankenstein (Netflix)

Jerskin Fendrix, Bugonia (Focus Features)

Michael Giacchino, Fantastic Four First Steps (Disney/Marvel)

Ludwig Gorensen, Sinners (Warner Bros)

Winner: Ludwig Gorensen, Sinners

The fourth win for Sinners, matching its Oscar tally, it wins Original Score for its amazing blend of styles in a film centered around music and culture. the scores for Frankenstein and bugonia were also nominated at the Oscars, but we took gambles on Bloomberg for his score to the historical musical The Testament Of Ann lee, for which he was shut out everywhere this year, despite winning an Oscar the previous year for his score to the Brutalist. So, we are officially the only group to nominate him. Giacchino’s score also was shut out, and didn’t even make the Oscar shortlist. So, another unique BFCS nomination.

Best Original Song:

Golden, K-Pop Demon Hunters (Netflix)

Soda Pop, K-Pop Demon Hunters (Netflix)

I Lie To You, Sinners (Warner Bros)

Waiting On A Wish, Snow White (Disney)

Girl In The Bubble, Wicked: For Good (Universal)

Winner: Golden from K-Pop Demon Hunters

Analysis: The pop sensation won again here, and we liked K-Pop so much we gave it two songs in the category. Of course, Sinners makes an appearance here as it did at the Oscars, and Girl In The Bubble, while not nominated at the Oscars, was a strong presence this season getting nominations at Critics Choice and the Golden Globes. The big swing is the swing, as most critics groups didn’t want to see Snow White anywhere on their lists. However, the song, which is penned by powerhouse duo Pasek and Paul, earned a nod from the BFCS.

Best Sound:

Ballerina (Lionsgate)

F1 (Apple)

Frankenstein (Netflix)

Sinners (Warner Bros)

Warfare (A24)

Winner: Warfare

Analysis: While three of our nominees were also nominated at the Oscars, F1, Sinners, and Frankenstein, we took a hard left and picked Ballerina, which was ignored by critics groups, and awarded Warfare, which criminally didn’t even make the Oscar shortlist. However, we were not totally alone on our love for Warfare, as the action title won this category at the British Independent Film Awards, and also was nominated in Sound at both the BAFTA and Critics Choice awards.

Best Disability Representation:

Sora Wong, Bring Her Back (A24)

A category where representation isn’t wide enough to fill a category, we just awarded Wong the prize for her intentional casting in A24’s chilling Bring Her Back, where her authentic casting as a blind actress translated into her performance.

Best Audio Description: Drama

Father, Mother, Sister/Brother (Princess Productions) (Mubi)

A House Of Dynamite (International Digital Center) (Netflix)

The Long Walk (Deluxe) (Lionsgate)

Train Dreams (International Digital Center) (Netflix)

Warfare (Deluxe) (A24)

Winner: Train Dreams (International Digital Center)

Analysis: Train Dreams only managed two nominations, Picture and Audio Description, and it won a category. This is the second nomination for Warfare, and the 4th nomination for The Long walk. This is the only nomination for Father, Mother, Sister/Brother and A House of Dynamite. This is also the first nomination ever for Princess Productions.

Best Audio Description: Comedy

Friendship (Deluxe) (A24)

Happy Gilmore 2 (Descriptive Video Works) (Netflix)

Marty Supreme (Deluxe) (A24)

The Naked Gun (Eye Con Group) (Paramount)

Twinless (Roadside/Lionsgate)

Winner: The Naked Gun, Eye Con Group

Analysis: The visual gags of Naked Gun ended up taking this category, giving the naked Gun its second BFCS award. This is also the second nomination for Friendship, the fourth nomination for Marty Supreme, and the third for Twinless. This is the only nomination for Happy Gilmore 2.

Best Audio Description: Horror

28 Years Later (Deluxe) (Lionsgate)

Bring Her Back (Deluxe) (A24)

Fear Street: Prom Queen (International Digital Center) (Netflix)

Final Destination: Bloodlines (Deluxe) (New Line Cinema)

Frankenstein (International Digital Center) (Netflix)

Winner: Final Destination Bloodlines (Deluxe)

Analysis: The horror sequel impressed us with its excellent depiction of gore, something this genre is all about. This is the only nomination for Fear Street, which would probably be surprised to find out it got a nomination somewhere, but it is another gory film with a script that knows it.

Best Audio Description: Action/Science-Fiction

Ballerina (Deluxe) (Lionsgate)

Bugonia (Media Access Group) (Focus Features)

Predator Badlands (Deluxe) (Disney)

Superman (Deluxe) (Warner Bros)

Tron Ares (Deluxe) (Disney)

Winner: Ballerina, Deluxe

Analysis: Ballerina was nominated for two awards and won one, while Bugonia was nominated for even and only won one, but that one win was Best Picture. Meanwhile, Superman, Predator Badlands, and Tron Ares were only nominated in this category.

If you’d like to join the BFCS, we are accepting new members.Applicants must be blind, or low vision enough that you routinely use audio description. You must agree to see at least 25 new films released from the calendar year, which is less restrictive since we allow streaming debuts. we also require you have a visible public presence that you share your reviews on, either a website/blog like this, a podcast, a YouTube channel, a TickTock channel, or even a Letterboxed account. of course there are other options too, like Substack, so if you have a presence let us know where it is.

You can send me an email: macthemovieguy at aol.com, if interested.