AFI Names the Top 10 Films of 2025 in Annual list

The American Film Institute (AFI) announced its prestigious list of the Top 10 Films of the Year, historically a key indicator of frontrunners for the upcoming 2026 Academy Awards season.

The AFI Awards, which honor films judged to be culturally and artistically significant to the American experience, recognized a balanced mix of massive cinematic spectacles, intimate dramas, and critical darlings. The list, presented in alphabetical order, cements the standing of several major contenders and provides a crucial boost to others.

The ten films honored by the AFI:

• Avatar: Fire and Ash (20th Century Studios)

• Bugonia (Focus Features)

• Frankenstein (Netflix)

• Hamnet (Focus Features)

• Jay Kelly (Netflix)

• Marty Supreme (A24)

• One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)

• Sinners (Warner Bros.)

• Train Dreams (Netflix)

• Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)

Paul Thomas Anderson's film, One Battle After Another, solidifies its position as the awards season frontrunner. The film has already swept earlier critic prizes, including Best Feature at the Gotham Awards and Best Film from both the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Board of Review.

The list validated the critical success of major studio sequels and adaptations, including James Cameron's ambitious continuation, Avatar: Fire and Ash, and the second half of the beloved musical, Wicked: For Good.

Streamers continue their awards dominance, with Netflix landing three titles: Guillermo Del Toro's gothic remake Frankenstein, the Noah Baumbach-directed Jay Kelly, and the Western drama Train Dreams.

Independent powerhouse A24 earned a spot with the Josh Safdie-directed crime drama Marty Supreme, while Focus Features scored two nods with the highly-praised Chloé Zhao film Hamnet and Yorgos Lanthimos's comedy Bugonia.

The AFI also bestowed a Special Award upon the international feature It Was Just an Accident, a film from Iranian director Jafar Panahi. This distinction is often given to exceptional international works, which are ineligible for the main Top 10 list.

The AFI Awards are unique because they do not rank the films but rather celebrate them as a collective ensemble of the year's best achievements. The selection is made by a jury of critics, scholars, and industry professionals.

The AFI Top 10 list has proven to be an extremely reliable predictor for the Academy Award Best Picture race, with an average of 80% of the AFI honorees going on to earn a corresponding Oscar nomination in recent years. High-profile films notably missing from the AFI list this year include Rian Johnson's mystery Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery and the Brad Pitt-led racing drama F1.

The winners will be celebrated at the annual AFI AWARDS private luncheon on Friday, January 9, 2026, in Los Angeles.