Sinners, Frankenstein, and a Whole Lot of Chaos: Inside the 2025 Astra Creative Arts Film Awards Winners Circle

The Hollywood awards-season machine may be gearing up for its usual spectacle, but the 2025 Astra Creative Arts Film Awards reminded everyone that before the glamorous red carpets and teary Best Picture speeches, there’s a battalion of craftspeople doing the real heavy lifting. And this year, the artisans behind Sinners, Frankenstein, and a handful of cinematic firecrackers walked away with some of the night’s biggest bragging rights.

Held Friday, December 12 at Castaway Burbank, the Hollywood Creative Alliance’s craft-centric celebration was equal parts industry appreciation and a gentle reminder that filmmaking isn’t just actors emoting into a lens — it’s also the lens, the lighting, the people chasing actors with boom mics, the folks in dark rooms stitching scenes together, and the wizards turning pixels into dragons, ghosts, or whatever fresh chaos Hollywood comes up with.

Below, a full deep dive into the film winners — who dominated, who surprised, and what the results say about the awards-season landscape.

Sinners and Frankenstein Lead the Pack — with Style, Grit, and a Lot of Technical Flex

If you had “Sinners and Frankenstein are going to be the craft darlings of awards season” on your cinematic bingo card, congratulations — you’re psychic. Both films pulled in three wins each, giving them a shared spotlight at the top of the leaderboard.

Sinners — Warner Bros.’ moody, high-impact drama — snatched up victories in Best Casting, Best Cinematography, and Best Sound, a trifecta that says a lot about how the film plays. Francine Maisler’s casting win feels especially earned; the ensemble in Sinners has been one of the most talked-about of the year, and Maisler has a reputation for assembling groups that feel like they’ve lived entire lives before the cameras start rolling.

Autumn Durald Arkapaw’s win for cinematography wasn’t exactly a shocker either. Her work on the film is the kind of visually electric storytelling that critics drool over — stylized yet grounded, bold but not showy, and rich with atmosphere. Pair that with a sound team featuring industry legends like Benjamin A. Burtt and Steve Boeddeker, and it’s no wonder Sinners carved out a pocket of dominance.

Meanwhile, over on Netflix, Frankenstein — the streamer’s ambitious, visually lush interpretation of the classic tale — also claimed three awards, specifically in Costume Design, Makeup & Hairstyling, and Production Design. That trifecta essentially screams “this movie looks incredible,” and honestly… it does.

Kate Hawley’s win for costume design continues her streak of crafting instantly iconic looks. The makeup and hairstyling team (Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, and Cliona Furey) delivered creations that manage to be grotesque, beautiful, and heartbreaking all at once — no easy feat for a story that’s been adapted more times than anyone can count. And Tamara Deverell’s production design? Pure gothic excellence. Moody corridors, eerie lab spaces, decayed elegance — exactly the kind of visual world that lingers in your mind long after the credits roll.

If awards season is partly about momentum, both Sinners and Frankenstein just got a sizable boost.

The Two-Category Club: One Battle After Another and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

Two films walked away with two wins each, though for very different reasons.

One Battle After Another (WB) earned victories in Best Film Editing and Best Second Unit Direction — a combination that screams “this thing must move.” Andy Jurgensen’s editing work apparently kept this one tight, tense, and kinetic. Add in Adam Somner’s second unit direction, and you’ve got a film where every explosion, chase, and possibly-questionable decision by the leads feels meticulously executed.

On the flashier end of the spectrum, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning racked up wins for Best Stunts and Best Stunt Coordinator (Wade Eastwood). If we’re being honest, this might be the least shocking outcome of the entire night. A Mission: Impossible film winning stunt awards is like a shark winning “Most Likely to Bite Something.” It’s what they do. Tom Cruise could probably parachute into the ceremony himself and accept the trophies mid-air.

Single-Win Standouts: Weapons and Wicked: For Good

Even with the heavyweights dominating the conversation, two additional films broke through with single but significant wins.

Weapons (WB) snagged Best Marketing Campaign, which is a category that too often gets ignored despite being the reason we all end up thinking about a movie even before it hits theaters. The team behind this one clearly understood the assignment.

Meanwhile, Wicked: For Good (Universal) grabbed the trophy for Best Visual Effects, beating out what was likely a fiercely competitive category. Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, Anthony Smith, Dale Newton, and Paul Corbould led a team whose work blended fantasy and spectacle with enough finesse to win over the voters.

A Quick Look at the Film Wins Tally

• Sinners (WB) – 3

• Frankenstein (Netflix) – 3

• One Battle After Another (WB) – 2

• Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Paramount) – 2

• Weapons (WB) – 1

• Wicked: For Good (Universal) – 1

It’s a spread that leans heavily on studio-backed powerhouses, but the craft categories tend to favor big visual swings — and this roster definitely reflects that.

Why These Wins Matter Heading Into Awards Season

The Astra Creative Arts Awards aren’t just another trophy stop; they’re a strong temperature check for the technical categories we’ll see throughout the rest of the season. Wins here often signal repeat victories (or at least repeat nominations) at major guild awards and sometimes even at the Oscars.

Sinners just positioned itself as a crafts contender across casting, cinematography, and sound — three categories that can carry a film deep into the awards race.Frankenstein, meanwhile, established itself as a style powerhouse. Costumes, makeup, production design — those wins can shape a film’s entire awards narrative.And Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning reminded everyone that if there’s a stunt category anywhere, it will likely be involved.

Final Thoughts: A Strong Night for Craft, Style, and Supremely Talented Behind-the-Scenes Wizards

The 2025 Astra Creative Arts Film Awards delivered a lineup of winners that felt both expected and exciting. Sinners and Frankenstein may have taken the biggest bites, but the overall field showcased an industry thriving on technical innovation, stylistic ambition, and the kind of collaborative artistry that makes movies — real movies — worth watching.

If this year’s Astra results are any indication, awards season is about to get very interesting… and probably very loud, very stylish, and very full of monsters, spies, and morally questionable heroes.

Stay tuned at The TV Cave for more awards coverage, snark-filled commentary, and all the TV and film chaos heading our way.