2025/2026 Key Dates

Film Critics Awards
What's New January 15: GALECA Dorian Awards nominations link.

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

24th Annual Visual Effects Society Awards Nominations


Yesterday, January 13, the Visual Effects Society (VES) announced the nominations for the 2026 edition of the awards that recognizes outstanding visual effects artistry and in innovation in features, animation, television, commercials, games and new media, and the VFX supervisors, VFX producers and hands-on Artists who bring this work to life.

Nominees were selected by VES members worldwide over the weekend via the Society’s Global Nomination Event, which hosted 46 in-person and 14 virtual judging panels. The 60 peer-led judging panels in seven worldwide regions – Asia, Europe, India, Oceania, and three in North America – show the Society’s global reach and engagement.

Avatar: Fire and Ash is this year’s most-nominated project with ten nominations, including in the key category of Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature. Among animated contenders, there is a three-way tie for top nominations with KPop Demon Hunters, Elio and Zootopia 2 each receiving five nominations.

As previously announced this year’s special honorees will include film producer Jerry Bruckheimer receiving the VES Lifetime Achievement Award, and Wētā Workshop co-founder and Chief Creative Officer Sir Richard Taylor receiving the VES Visionary Award.

Tuesday, January 13, 2026

73rd Annual MPSE Golden Reel Awards Nominations


Yesterday, January 12, the Motion Picture Sound Editors announced the nominations for the current year awards and One Battle After Another and Sinners lead with 3 nominations.

Let's recall that nominees represent the work of the world's most talented sound artists and their contribution to the past year's most outstanding feature film, television, animation, and computer entertainment productions.

The MPSE Golden Reel Awards recognize outstanding achievement in sound editing in 24 categories encompassing feature films, television, animation, computer entertainment and student work; and covers the various areas of sound editing: Dialogue, ADR, Effects, Foley and Music.

The Career Achievement Award is presented to a person whose career has made a significant impact on the sound community through exemplary work, service, or leadership. Supervising Sound Editor Mark Mangini will receive the MPSE Career Achievement Award current year.

Saturday, January 10, 2026

37th Annual Producers Guild of America Awards Nominations


Yesterday, January 9, the PGA announced their award nominees for motion picture and television program categories.

Guild honorees this year are the following:
David O. Selznick Achievement Award to Amy Pascal
Milestone Award to Jason Blum
Norman Lear Achievement Award to Mara Brock Akil

Worth to notice that top honor, the Darryl F. Zanuck award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures, is widely regarding as one of the strongest predictors of Oscar succes as has historically correlated closely with the Best Picture Oscar winner, with 17 of the previous 22 winners going to also win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

Friday, January 09, 2026

2026 BAFTA Film Awards Longlists


A few minutes ago BAFTA released the annual film awards longlists that are not that long but have the films that advance to the next round of voting to define the nominees in each category. A total of 221 films were submitted for consideration.

My biggest surprise is not finding Guillermo Del Toro in the director longlist of 10, what happened? Probably the awards requirement of 5 male and 5 female nominees for the 10 in longlist has something to do; but, still believe that Guillermo Del Toro skill with Frankenstein is above Yorgos Lanthimos with Bugonia, for example.

Round Two voting opens today, Friday, January 9th and will close on Tuesday, January 20th at 18:00GMT. The nominations will be announced on Tuesday, January 27th at 12:00 GMT via global livestream and the awards ceremony hosted by Alan Cumming on Sunday, February 22nd.

78th Annual Directors Guild of America Awards Nominations


Yesterday, January 7, 2026 the Guild announced their nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television, Commercials and Documentary.

Today the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film and for First-Time Theatrical Feature Fill will be announced; so, post will be in progress until after today's news. News have already been released and post is final.

Previously announced, the Special Award winners and the recipients are:
Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award to David Charles
Frank Capra Achievement Award to Gregory G. McCollum

40th American Society of Cinematographers Awards


Yesterday, January 8th the American Society of Cinematographers announced the nominees for its 2026 Outstanding Achievement Awards, spanning feature films, documentaries, television and music videos.

Previously announced were their annual awards honorees:
Lifetime Achievement Award to Robert Yeoman
Career Achievement in Television Award to M. David Mullen
President Award to Cynthia Pusheck
Award of Distinction to Stephen Pizzello
Curtis Clark Technology Award to Kodak

Winners will be honored at the Awards Gala on Sunday, March 8, 2026, at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. For those who can't attend in person, the ceremony will be live-streamed on theasc.com.

Thursday, January 08, 2026

2026 The Actors Awards


Yesterday, January 7, nominees for Actor Awards Presented by SAG-AFTRA honoring outstanding individual, cast and ensemble performances for the past year were announced by Janelle James and Connor Storrie via Netflix’s YouTube channel.

The nominees for outstanding action performances by film and television stunt ensembles were announced by Actor Awards Committee Members Jason George and Elizabeth McLaughlin. SAG-AFTRA President, Sean Astin, kicked off the livestream with opening remarks.

This is the new name for what was known as the Screen Actors Guild Awards and this is the 32nd edition of these awards that honor actors and more people who entertain and inform audiences around the world.

Tuesday, December 30, 2025

13th Annual Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Awards Nominations


Yesterday, December 29, Julie Socash, President of MUAHS, IATSE Local 706, announced the nominations for the 2025 MUAHS Guild Awards.

The MUAHS Awards honor outstanding achievements in the artistry and creativity of Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists across multiple entertainment platforms, including feature films, television, music videos, and live stage productions, including Broadway, international theater, and theme parks.

As previously announced, Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning make-up artist Greg Nelson and Oscar-nominated hair stylist Judy Alexander Cory will receive Lifetime Achievement Awards. Emmy-nominated make-up artist Michael Johnston will receive the prestigious Vanguard Award. The Distinguished Artisan honoree will be announced soon.

Friday, December 19, 2025

7th The Society of Composers and Lyricists Nominations


Recently the Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL) announced the nominations for the 2026 edition of the group committed to advancing the interests of composers and lyricist working in visual media, including film, television, theater, video games and beyond.

The organization was born during the summer of 1983 with their first meeting taking place on February 14, 1984 with 310 composers and lyricists - including Henry Mancini, John Williams, Quincy Jones- and today continues in its non-union role of education, support and mutual benefit. It is in 2020 when the society established the annual SCL awards.

Ludwig Göransson and director Ryan Coogler will receive the Spirit of Collaboration Award, which recognizes a composer/director partnership that has created a significant and enduring body of work.

Wednesday, December 17, 2025

#Oscars2025 International Feature Film Shorlists


Yesterday, December 16, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced the shortlist for the International Feature Film category and most films in the shortlist of fifteen (15) were expected by industry pundits and me. Still, there are some surprises and snubs that call my attention.

Best positive surprise is the inclusion of US born Cherien Dabis film as I really enjoy her films and also Iraq's The President's Cake. But biggest surprise it to find the many (7 out of 15) films by female directors!!! Very noticeable is the fact that 9 out 15 films come from Cannes Film festival.

Most notable snubs are Colombia's A Poet, UK's My Father's Shadow (has collected some independent awards accolades), Morocco's Calle Málaga, Philippines' Magellan, Poland's Franz and Chile's The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo. Not in shorlist Denmark's Mr. Nobody Against Putin but it is in the Documentary Shortlist along with Ukraine's 2000 Meters to Andriivka. By-the-way in the documentary shortlist the biggest snub of all is North Macedonia submission The Tale of Silyan.

Tuesday, December 16, 2025

38th Annual Scripter Awards


Yesterday, December 15, the USC Libraries announced the finalists for the current edition of the awards that honor the writers of the year's most accomplished film and episodic series adaptations, as well as the writers of works on which they are based.

The USC Literary Achievement Award goes to author Michael Connelly for his contributions to the art of mystery storytelling, both on the page and on the screen.

The 2026 Scripter selection committee selected the finalists from a field of 43 film and 64 television adaptations. USC professor Howard Rodman, a former president of the Writers Guild of America, West, chairs the committee. Remember the award qualifications requires the written word as a source of inspiration for storytellers, only works adapted from books or book series, novellas, short stories, graphic novels, plays, or magazine articles are eligible.

Saturday, December 13, 2025

31st Prix Lumières Nominations


Yesterday, December 12, 2025, the Académie des Lumières announced the nominations for the 2026 edition of these awards given by its members that are international media correspondents from 36 countries. The awards honors French and French-language cinema from France and abroad.

L’étranger by François Ozon leads with 6 nominations followed by Nouvelle Vague by Richard Linklater with 5 plus Dossier 137 by Dominik Moll and l'Inconnu de la Grande Arche by Stéphane Demoustier with 4 nominations each and with 3 nominations Mektoub my love: Canto Due by Abdellatif Kechiche, Nino by Pauline Loquès and le chant des forêts by Vincent Munier. Perhaps the most notorious snub is for the film that recently won the prestigious Louis Delluc prize, La Petite Dernière by Hafsia Herzi.

The award ceremony will be on January 18 at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris. Thirteen categories will be honored, each with one Lumière trophy creation of Monnaie de Paris by Joaquín Jiménez.

28th Costume Designers Guild Nominations


Yesterday, December 12, 2025, the guild announced the nominations for the 2026 edition of the Costume Designers Guild Awards (CDGA) celebrating excellence in film, television, short form costume design and costume illustration. As film categories define different film genres there is no film leading and nominated films include films like Bugonia, Frankenstein, One Battle After Another, Hamnet, Sinners, and Wicked: For Good that could have nomination chances in this category at the 2026 Oscars.

When considering all costume design categories that CDGA honors is costume designer Colleen Atwood that leads with three nominations; but, when considering only film categories is costume designer Lindsay Pugh who leads with two nominations one for Hedda and another for How To Train Your Dragon.

Only costume designers are listed in the initial release. Assistant costume designers will be announced at a later date, pending vetting and approval by the awards team.

Wednesday, December 10, 2025

2025 Prix Louis Delluc Winners


A few minutes ago the award jury presided by Gilles Jacob announced the winners for the 2025 edition of the prestigious Louis Delluc prize and perhaps the greatest very pleasant surprise is that both awards are given to films by female directors, which undoubtedly is not common for the award and the global film industry. Bravo!

Let's recall that award was founded in 1936 by film critics Maurice Bessy, Marcel Idzkowski and Georges Cravenne to "défendre avec enthousiasme et franchise le cinéma, art jeune et art de jeunes" (to defend cinema with enthusiasm and candor, a young art and an art of young people).  Louis Delluc, who died in 1924, was the theorist of a "French-style" cinema then in full development. A campaigner for institutional recognition of cinema, a prolific writer, and a leader of an early avant-garde of French cinema, he died at the age of 33 after having directed only 7 films.

Tuesday, December 09, 2025

83rd Golden Globes Winners


Yesterday, December 9, the Golden Globes LLC presided by Helen Hoehne announced the nominations for the 2026 edition of the once controversial Golden Globes. The announcement was presented by Marlon Wayans and Skye P. Marshall at a press conference at the Beverly Hilton with top categories airing at morning news while rest of categories were unveiled via live streaming only.

In the past this award had many eyebrow-raising inclusions as well as genre assignation for some films that clearly are not comedy; but as the voters have become more international and organizers are trying to become respectable -again-, current edition seems a step forward into the right direction. Still, there are some nominations that clearly are trying to bring more glamour to the televised show than given because merit for remarkable performance.

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