Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards

Overview

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards are presented annually by LAFCA, a group of approximately 60 professional film critics based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Founded in 1975, LAFCA is the West Coast counterpart to the New York Film Critics Circle. The 51st awards, recognising the best films of 2025, were announced on December 7, 2025. The annual banquet took place on January 10, 2026, at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

LAFCA named One Battle After Another Best Picture of 2025, with Paul Thomas Anderson winning Best Director. The acting categories are gender-neutral, with two winners in each of Lead Performance and Supporting Performance. Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I'd Kick You) and Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon) shared Best Lead Performance, while Stellan Skarsgard (Sentimental Value) and Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another) shared Best Supporting Performance.

The full list of 2025 LAFCA Award Winners is published on Variety, with official results at lafca.net.

Eligibility and Voting

LAFCA members vote annually in December for films released during the calendar year. There are no submission fees or formal entry processes; members determine eligibility based on theatrical and streaming release schedules. The organisation accepts applications for new members annually from May 1 to May 31, with applicants required to be at least 21 years old, living in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, and producing film criticism throughout the year. Members are expected to attend quarterly meetings and vote in the annual awards.

LAFCA uses a runner-up system in most categories, announcing both a winner and a runner-up. This system provides additional recognition and signals the strength of consensus behind the winner. In the acting categories, LAFCA uses gender-neutral performance categories rather than separate male and female awards, a format adopted in 2022 and maintained for four consecutive years.

The current LAFCA leadership includes Robert Abele (president), Katie Walsh (vice president), Justin Chang (secretary), and Annlee Ellingson (treasurer). Notable members include Justin Chang of The New Yorker, Peter Debruge of Variety, Amy Nicholson of the Los Angeles Times, and Leonard Maltin.

Key Categories

• Best Picture - with a named runner-up
• Best Director - with a named runner-up
• Best Lead Performance - gender-neutral, typically two winners
• Best Supporting Performance - gender-neutral, typically two winners
• Best Screenplay
• Best Cinematography
• Best Editing
• Best Production Design
• Best Music Score
• Best Animation
• Best Documentary / Non-Fiction Film
• Best Film Not in the English Language
• New Generation Award - recognizing emerging filmmakers
• Career Achievement Award
• Douglas Edwards Experimental / Independent Film Award
• Douglas Edwards Special Award
• Special Citation - for institutions or individuals contributing to cinema culture

Recent Results (51st Awards, December 2025)

• Best Picture: One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.) - Runner-up: The Secret Agent (Neon)
• Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another - Runner-up: Ryan Coogler, Sinners
• Best Lead Performance: Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You (A24) and Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon (Sony Pictures Classics) - Runners-up: Timothee Chalamet, Marty Supreme and Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent
• Best Supporting Performance: Stellan Skarsgard, Sentimental Value (Neon) and Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.) - Runners-up: Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value and Andrew Scott, Blue Moon
• Best Screenplay: Jafar Panahi, It Was Just an Accident (Neon) - Runner-up: Eva Victor, Sorry, Baby (A24)
• Best Cinematography: Adolpho Veloso, Train Dreams (Netflix) - Runner-up: Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Sinners (Warner Bros.)
• Best Editing: Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme (A24) - Runner-up: Andy Jurgensen, One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
• Best Production Design: Hannah Beachler, Sinners (Warner Bros.) - Runner-up: Tamara Deverell, Frankenstein (Netflix)
• Best Music Score: Kangding Ray, Sirat (Neon) - Runner-up: Ludwig Goransson, Sinners (Warner Bros.)
• Best Animation: Little Amelie or the Character of Rain (GKids) - Runner-up: KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix)
• Best Documentary / Non-Fiction: My Undesirable Friends: Part I - Last Air in Moscow - Runner-up: The Perfect Neighbor (Netflix)
• Best Film Not in the English Language: The Secret Agent (Neon) - Runner-up: It Was Just an Accident (Neon)
• New Generation Award: Eva Victor, Sorry, Baby (A24)
• Douglas Edwards Experimental Film Prize: Albert Serra, Afternoons of Solitude (Grasshopper Films)
• Douglas Edwards Special Award: Thom Andersen, for his body of work
• Career Achievement Award: Philip Kaufman
• Special Citation: Judy Kim of Gardena Cinema, a historic 800-seat single-screen movie palace operating since 1976

At the 50th awards (2024), Anora won Best Picture before going on to win the same award at the 97th Academy Awards.

History

LAFCA was established in 1975 by a group of Los Angeles-based film critics, with the formation spearheaded by the late Ruth Batchelor, a writer for the L.A. Free Press and correspondent for KTTV-TV. The first awards were voted on February 13, 1976, at the Cock'n'Bull Restaurant in Hollywood. The organisation was created to provide a formal critical voice independent of the studios, in a city where the entertainment industry's presence can shape public discourse about film.

LAFCA has maintained a reputation for championing artistically ambitious work. Since 2009, six LAFCA-winning directors have gone on to win the Oscar for Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker, 2009), Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity, 2013), Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water, 2017), Bong Joon Ho (Parasite, 2019), Chloe Zhao (Nomadland, 2020), and Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog, 2021). Anora (2024) continued the pattern, winning LAFCA Best Picture before winning the Oscar.

The Douglas Edwards Award specifically recognises experimental and independent work, categories rarely honored by other critics groups. The New Generation Award has identified filmmakers at the very start of their careers, with the 2025 recipient Eva Victor receiving recognition for her debut feature Sorry, Baby.

Business Impact for Filmmakers

LAFCA's Los Angeles base means its selections receive immediate attention from Academy voters, publicists, and campaign strategists. A LAFCA Best Picture win generates coverage in the trade publications (Deadline, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter) that Oscar voters read daily. The December voting timing places LAFCA results ahead of the Critics Choice Awards, BAFTA longlists, and Academy nomination voting, making it one of the earliest high-impact endorsements of the awards season.

For independent and international filmmakers, LAFCA recognition provides visibility in the most competitive film market in the world. The Best Film Not in the English Language category has historically championed international cinema that might otherwise struggle for US visibility. The 2025 winner The Secret Agent (Neon) also received the Best Picture runner-up spot, signaling strong cross-category support.

The New Generation Award is particularly valuable for emerging directors seeking representation and financing. Past recipients have used the award as leverage in agency meetings and pitch rooms, as it signals critical recognition from a body of established LA-based critics.

Watch

Eligibility Quirks That Trip People Up

• No submission process or fees: LAFCA does not accept submissions. Members determine eligibility based on theatrical and streaming release schedules throughout the year. There is no entry form, no fee, and no formal way to "submit" a film for consideration. Filmmakers must rely on LAFCA members seeing their film through press screenings, festival screenings, or industry screeners.
• Gender-neutral acting categories: Since 2022, LAFCA uses gender-neutral Best Lead Performance and Best Supporting Performance categories rather than separate male and female awards. Each category typically produces two winners. This format differs from the Academy Awards and most other critics groups, which can cause confusion when comparing LAFCA results to gendered awards.
• Runner-up system in most categories: LAFCA announces both a winner and a runner-up in most categories. The runner-up is not a "nominee" in the traditional sense but receives public recognition. Films that place as runner-up can leverage this in awards campaign materials, though the distinction is less impactful than an outright win.
• Membership is restricted to LA-based critics: Only professional film critics living in the Los Angeles metropolitan area who produce film criticism at least monthly for a commercial publication can vote. Applications for new members are accepted annually from May 1 to May 31. This geographic restriction means LAFCA's perspective is specifically West Coast and LA-based.
• December voting is among the earliest: LAFCA votes in December, making it one of the earliest high-impact critics groups to announce. Films that open late in the calendar year may not have been seen by all members before voting, which can disadvantage late releases unless screeners are distributed early.

Prestige Tier

The LAFCA Awards are one of the three most influential US critics' awards, alongside the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Society of Film Critics. Among critics groups, LAFCA and NYFCC are considered the top tier, with LAFCA's Los Angeles base giving it unique proximity to Academy voters and the industry campaign infrastructure. Since 2009, six LAFCA-winning directors have gone on to win the Oscar for Best Director, making it one of the strongest Oscar predictors among critics groups. The December voting timing places LAFCA results ahead of the Critics Choice Awards, BAFTA longlists, and Academy nomination voting, giving it outsized influence on the early awards season narrative. The gender-neutral performance categories and the runner-up system distinguish LAFCA from other critics groups and reflect its commitment to a deliberative, non-conventional approach. For independent and international filmmakers, LAFCA recognition provides visibility in the most competitive film market in the world.

See Also

For understanding how critics awards shape the awards season narrative, see Festival Strategy for Independent Films. To model how awards visibility affects revenue, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For evaluating the cost of an awards-season campaign against projected returns, use the Ad Spend Break-Even Calculator.