I am so thrilled to be part of the Pandora International Film Critics Awards this year. ⭐

When Filmotomy reached out, I was obviously excited but as I started to compile my list I had a crisis of confidence, I hadn’t managed to catch all of the festival buzz films this year, international productions have awkward release dates in the UK, and there’s only so many hours in the day.
But I gave it a go anyway (following a pep talk from Robin Write) and disrupted my Christmas film marathon to watch some brilliant, unusual, and international films. Two films that didn’t make the shortlist but have stayed with me are ‘One Woman One Bra’ and ‘With Hasan in Gaza’, if you get the chance to experience these films, please do.

Honourable mentions from my nominations that made the shortlist:
😱 I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the body horror in ‘The Ugly Stepsister’, and as a pretty desensitised viewer (I literally saw someone throw up on the tube on Saturday night) it takes a lot to make me look away, and this film definitely made me do that
🤗 I am still solidly on the ‘Sinners’ and ‘Pillion’ awards express, telling anyone who will listen to watch them if they haven’t already and I really hope they make it to the bigger award leagues for some much needed variety
😭 ‘Sorry, Baby’ really caught me in the feels in an unexpected way, and I’m so thrilled to see Eva Victor gaining recognition for this film
🏃‍♂️ ‘One Battle After Another’ was tremendous with some really cool cinematography that made me feel a bit seasick and I like that Leo is leaning into his chaos era

🍿 Films I missed and cannot wait to see: ‘Hamnet’, ‘The Secret Agent’, ‘It Was Just an Accident’, and ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’

See all the nominations here and the winners will be announced on Sunday 21st December, 2025: https://lnkd.in/epge7g6P