The 31st annual Critics Choice awards kicked off Saturday night (January 4) at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, bringing together film and television’s biggest contenders as awards season continues to take shape.

Going into the night, Sinners Ryan Coogler’s supernatural meditation on American history and race, led the film nominations with a commanding 17 nods, including best picture, director, and multiple acting mentions. Paul Thomas Anderson’s politically charged drama One Battle After Another (featuring an ensemble cast that includes Teyana Taylor, Regina Hall, and Chase Infiniti) followed closely behind with 14 nominations, while Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein and Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet trailed with 11 apiece.On the television side, netflix’s Adolescence entered the evening as the most-nominated series.

The 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards: Celebrating the Best in Film and Television

Hosted by Chelsea Handler for the fourth consecutive year, the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards kicked off with a bang. The very first award of the night-Best Young Actor/Actress-went to Miles Caton for his breakout role as Sammie in Sinners, immediately setting the tone for the film’s strong showing.That momentum continued when casting director Francine Maisler won Best Casting and Ensemble for Sinners, prompting the full cast to join her onstage. Delroy Lindo delivered an emotional, harrowing acceptance speech as director Ryan Coogler and Proximity Media co-founder Zinzi Coogler looked on from the crowd.

Television honors soon followed. Abbott Elementary star Janelle James picked up Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy series, while Tramell Tillman won Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his effort as Seth Milchick on Apple TV+’s Severance.

2026 Film Awards Winners

BEST ACTOR
Timothée Chalamet – marty Supreme (A24)

BEST ACTRESS
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet (Focus Features)

BEST DIRECTOR
paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Ryan Coogler – Sinners (Warner Bros.)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix)

BEST COMEDY
the Naked Gun (Paramount)

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Secret Agent (Neon)

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Tamara Deverell, Shane vieau – Frankenstein (Netflix)

BEST EDITING
Stephen Mirrione – F1 (Apple Original Films)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Kate Hawley – Frankenstein (Netflix)

BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP
Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, cliona Furey – Frankenstein (Netflix)

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric saindon, Daniel Barrett – Avatar: Fire and Ash (20th Century Studios)

BEST SOUND
Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo, Juan Peralta, Gareth John – F1 (Apple Original Films)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Adolpho Veloso – Train Dreams (Netflix)

BEST SONG
“Golden” – Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, Ido, 24, Teddy – KPop demon Hunters (Netflix)

BEST SCORE
ludwig Göransson –