Sinners silenced any doubt about the power of Black storytelling by sweeping the Black Film Critics Circle awards in New York City. The movie and others emerged as celebrated films of 2025.
The Ryan Coogler directed drama was named “Best Film of the Year” by the Black Film Critics Circle and led the organization’s annual honors with wins for “Best Director,” “Best Actor” for Michael B. Jordan, “Best Supporting Actor” for Delroy Lindo, “Best Original Screenplay,” “Best Cinematography” and “Best Ensemble Performance.”
The results followed BFCC’s year end voting process recognizing achievements in theatrical motion pictures across 13 competitive categories.
The announcement was delivered by BFCC co-president Mike Sargent, who framed the film’s success within a broader cultural context that extends far beyond awards season.
“We live in a time of cultural erasure for Black folks in America and people of color in general. Books are being banned and achievements are being erased. Yet somehow a film like Sinners can come out and remind not just the importance of Black stories, but how a genre like a horror-vampire movie can speak to the human condition and have social relevance,” Sargent said.
Sargent pointed to industry data to underline the magnitude of Coogler’s achievement, citing a recent industry analysis.
“The stories we consume as a recent article in Hollywood Reporter pointed out. 92% of the Top Scripted Streaming Series Come From white creators,” he continued. “If our creations ( non-white creators) make up only 8% what is actually getting produced, it makes what Ryan Coogler achieved here even more monumental. They may try to erase our past, but they cannot erase our future.”
Co-president Wilson Morales echoed that sentiment, noting that this year’s BFCC honorees reflected a refusal to retreat amid political pressure and industry gatekeeping.
“What we saw this year is a community of filmmakers refusing to shrink in the face of political headwinds or industry gatekeeping. From Ryan Coogler’s vision to the range of performances recognized by BFCC, these films demonstrate that Black stories are not a trend or a niche; they are a vital part of the cinematic conversation,” Morales said.
Beyond Sinners, the BFCC honored Tessa Thompson as Best Actress for Hedda and awarded Best Supporting Actress to Teyana Taylor for One Battle After Another, which also won Best Adapted Screenplay. Chase Infiniti received the Rising Star Award for her breakout performance in that film. The Perfect Neighbor was named Best Documentary Feature, K Pop Demon Hunters earned Best Animated Feature and It Was Just an Accident took Best Foreign Language Film.
Coogler also received the BFCC Pioneer Award recognizing his sustained influence on contemporary Black cinema. The honor cited his ability to balance scale, ambition and authorship while merging spectacle with social consciousness.
Sargent concluded his remarks with a direct appeal to audiences that doubled as a statement about the strength of genre filmmaking.
“I could go on, but I’ll just say if you haven’t seen the film see it if you’ve seen the film see it again. The beauty of genre storytelling is that it’s disarming. You can speak about things in a genre film be a comedy science fiction or horror that may seem heavy handed in a straight drama that’s the power of genre. That’s the power of storytelling and that’s the power of Sinners.”
THE COMPLETE LIST OF BFCC 2025 AWARD WINNERS
Best Film: Sinners
Best Director: Ryan Coogler – Sinners
Best Actor: Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
Best Actress: Tessa Thompson – Hedda
Best Supporting Actor: Delroy Lindo – Sinners
Best Supporting Actress: Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another
Original Screenplay: Sinners
Adapted Screenplay: One Battle After Another
Cinematography: Sinners
Documentary Feature: The Perfect Neighbor
Animated Feature: K-Pop Demon Hunters
Foreign Language Film: It Was Just an Accident
Ensemble Performance: Sinners
BFCC Special Mention: 40 Acres
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