Voting proved one battle after another in several close races honoring the KCFCC’s top films of the year.
The Kansas City Film Critics Circle (KCFCC) convened on Sunday, December 21 to hold voting for the 2025 Loutzenhiser awards. The occasion marked an important milestone as the 60th Annual Awards for the organization, which holds the distinction of being the second oldest film critics group in the country.
One Battle After Another proved the year’s favorite, winning in five categories out of nine nominations. Incidentally, this was one of the films that members of the KCFCC discussed on a radio appearance on KCUR’s Up to Date back in October.
Sinners, which also had nine nominations, secured wins in three categories. The pair held off competition from other favorites including Frankenstein and Wake Up Dead Man. The sleeper horror hit Weapons proved a dark horse in voting as well, securing two wins. (For a list of all nominees please see this summary from our friends at The Pitch).
Full list of winners:
BUSTER KEATON AWARD FOR BEST STUNT FILM
Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning
TOM POE AWARD FOR THE BEST LGBTQ FILM
Hedda
VINCE KOEHLER AWARD FOR THE BEST SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY/HORROR FILM
Sinners
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Secret Mall Apartment
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
It Was Just an Accident
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
KPop Demon Hunters
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Sinners – composed by Ludwig Göransson
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
One Battle After Another – Director of Photography: Michael Bauman
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
One Battle After Another – written by Paul Thomas Anderson, inspired by the novel Vineland by Thomas Pynchon
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Weapons – written by Zach Cregger
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Madigan, Weapons
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
BEST ACTRESS
Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
BEST ACTOR
Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
BEST FILM
One Battle After Another
About Kansas City Film Critic’s Circle:
The KCFCC, the second oldest professional film critic organization in the United States, was founded in 1966 by the late Dr. James Loutzenhiser (1931–2001) who served as the group’s president for over 30 years.
