The 2025 Critics Choice Awards was the night of nights, as it celebrated the best in both film and television. Several performances and productions received prestigious honors at the star-studded ceremony hosted by Chelsea Handler on Friday night. Some of the winners were quite unexpected, and the moving speeches made the event memorable for all involved.
Anora Shines as Best Picture
The evening’s biggest honor, Best Picture, went to Anora, a unique stripper fairy tale that captivated critics and audiences alike. This award is a significant recognition, as it often sets the tone for other major awards in the season. The film’s win is a testament to its creativity and powerful storytelling.
Directed by an emerging filmmaker, Anora combines fantasy elements with strong emotional moments to craft a narrative that appeals to genre fans and those who value emotional depth in cinema.
Emilia Pérez Thrives Amid Controversy
Despite a season marred by controversy surrounding one of its stars, Karla Sofia Gascon, Emilia Perez was another big winner of the night.
The film took home three awards, namely Best Foreign Language Film, Best Supporting Actress for Zoe Saldaña, and Best Song for “El Mal.” Gascon was mired in a swirl of internet storms due to her tweets about Black and Muslim communities that sparked outrage.
However, this aside, the film brought praise because of its unique narrative with stunning performances, especially from Saldaña, who played the role by infusing depth and authenticity. The Best Foreign Language Film was a particularly significant win for Emilia Pérez, as it showed that international cinema is now gaining influence worldwide and how critics have not stopped embracing films that defy cultural boundaries.
“El Mal,” the hauntingly beautiful song sung by Gascon, Saldaña, and Camille, showed how music can add much more impact on a film overall.
Best Actress: A Big Comeback by Demi Moore
Among the heartwarming moments of the evening was when Demi Moore received the Best Actress award for “The Substance”.
Returning after years out of the spotlight, Moore performed a powerful piece that reminded people why she is a talent not to be underestimated.
The Substance, written and directed by Coralie Fargeat, took home Best Original Screenplay. One of the night’s biggest highlights was Moore’s own acceptance speech where she got the chance to thank co-stars, her family, and the crew for keeping her passion for acting rekindled.
Surprise of the Night: Best Director Winner: Jon M. Chu
The Best Director category had yet another surprise winner when Jon M. won for his work on WickCh, highly anticipated to be one of the blockbuster adaptations to date of the widely acclaimed Broadway musical.
While the film’s eye candy and star-studded cast were to draw attention in, Chu’s direction helped bring that fantastical world of Wicked into the lives of its viewers. The movie about an unlikely friendship between two witches proved to be notable with its richly detailed world-building, as well as the outstanding work by each lead actress, who cut a fine figure themselves during the ceremony.
Especially as Chu was among the stiff competition in the category, many had predicted that either Greta Gerwig for Barbie or Christopher Nolan for Opp Categori would take the award. His win proved fresh takes on popular stories can capture the attention of critics and audiences alike and Wicked is a standout film for the year.
Shōgun Dominates TV Categories
On television, SShōgu won in the drama categories with four awards. The series was a capture of the hearts of many with an incredible novel such as that of James Clavell who took the feudal Japan into his heart and produced this masterpiece.
It saw Hiroyuki Sanada win as Best Drama Actor in the portrayal of samurai heroism. Tadanobu Asano and Moeka Hoshi were crowned Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress respectively for superb performances in supporting roles.
The ensemble cast of Shōgun brought the world of samurai and political intrigue to life, with each actor delivering nuanced performances that captivated critics and audiences.
The series’ success reflects the growing demand for high-quality period dramas, and it has set a high bar for future historical series in terms of both storytelling and performances.
Hacks’ Continued Success in the Comedy Categories
The hit comedy Hacks, starring Jean Smart, proved it’s here to stay on the industry charts with three more awards under its belt. Named Best Comedy Series, Smart’s role as a veteran comedian going through the twists and turns of navigating her own career in today’s entertainment business took home the award for Best Comedy Actress and Hannah Einbinder played her writer and confidant Ava, and snagged an award for Best Comedy Supporting Actress.
The series is praised for the sharp wit, great character development, and the accurate commentary on the world of entertainment; such continued success at Critics Choice Awards does nothing but assure it to be one of the best shows on television.
The chemistry between Smart and Einbinder had driven success for the show, and such wins were really well deserved performances.
Alongside these major accolades, many other notable wins took place, cutting across films and television productions.
Best Supporting Actor for the film came to Kieran Culkin as a result of his performance in A Real Pain, the dark comedy whose bold storytelling and performances had people buzzing.
Best Young Actor/Actress went to Maisy Stella in the coming-of-age film, My Old Ass, which related well to many because of the theme of growing up and where one fits into this world.
Best Animated Film went to The Wild Robot in a film of beautiful animation and was a good choice for young audiences.
Rebel Ridge is the Best TV Movie. Viewers are all impressed by this gripping story, with performances by its cast being truly stand out.
Best Actor and Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie were taken by Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti in The Penguin, a highly-anticipated crime drama that’s being praised for gritty, intense portrayals of Gotham’s underworld.
Celebrating Creativity and Excellence
The 2025 Critics Choice Awards was wonderful, as seen in the truly fabulous talent that continues to frame the world of entertainment. More importantly, great performances and novel storytelling were visible in the sense that winners emerged as a group who proved very true innovation along with passion core to the core of the two film and television industries.
The event commemorated the winners but also gave room to many of the skilled professionals behind the scenes who make these stories come alive.
It has been a thoroughly amazing ride so far, and this year only promises much more excitement with such wonderful winners and moments in the 2025 Critics Choice Awards.
With this season of awards, there is definitely much more excitement to come, not just for the film industry but also for television with much more recognition awaiting exceptional talent in that area.
