The time has come for the queers to take it away! (When isn't it that time...) The queer critics guild GALECA (of which yours truly is a member) has announced the nominations for our annual Dorian Awards today, and per usual we did good, better, best than most. As ever, because I'm an old crank, I could take issue with some of the people who did get nominated -- I loathe Ethan Hawke's performance in Blue Moon, for instance -- and I could take issue with some of the people who didn't get nominated -- I can't believe we, a group of queer people, didn't have love in our hearts for the best animated movie oif the year by leaps and bounds Boys Go To Jupiter -- but I'll just shut my yap and clap my paws because overall...
Wednesday Jan. 14, 2026 - Los Angeles - GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, the second largest entertainment journalists organization in the world, today announced the group’s 2026 Dorian Film Award nominations for the best in mainstream and LGBTQ-themed productions. Leading the pack: Director Paul Thomas Anderson's resonant dystopian thriller One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.) with nine nods, Ryan Coogler's full-bodied vampire mystery Sinners (also W.B.) with eight, and Josh Safdie's brash-American satire Marty Supreme (A24) with five.
In GALECA's gender-neutral acting races, Marty's energetic star Timothée Chalamet, Rose Byrne (for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You), Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon), Michael B. Jordan (Sinners), Tessa Thompson (Hedda) and six more standouts vie for Film Performance of the Year. Jacob Elordi of Guillermo del Toro’s emotional take on Frankenstein, Sinners' Wunmi Mosaku, and Battle favorite Teyana Taylor are those competing for best supporting performance.
GALECA members continue to celebrate less-hyped cinematic gems across its Dorian film categories (currently 22). For starters, A24's raunchy-sweet romance Pillion starring Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling and writer-director-star Eva Victor’s bittersweet wellness drama Sorry, Baby (also from A24) are among the titles up for LGBTQ Film of the Year. Other 2025 movie releases getting some love from the group: Director Mona Fastvold's feverish historical musical The Testament of Ann Lee, the twisted stalker comedy Twinless, and Viet and Nam, a drama about two male Vietnamese coal miners in love that was banned in its native land.
Contenders in the group's cheeky trademark Campiest Flick category include the likes of A Simple Favor director Paul Feig's bonkers naughty-housekeeper drama The Housemaid, the ridiculous horror sequel Final Destination: Bloodlines, the whacked-out witch tale Weapons, and Wicked: For Good.
In the per-studio counts, Warner Bros. Pictures reigns with 21 nods, followed by A24 with 14 and Neon with 10.
As for special accolades, Odessa A’zion (Chalamet’s skeptical love in Marty Supreme), Sinners’ charismatic Miles Caton, and One Battle After Another breakout Chase Infiniti are among the fresh names on GALECA’s shortlist for Rising Star of the Year. Dynamic types like director Coogler, Cynthia Erivo, and Pedro Pascal are nominated for Wilde Artist (in homage to iconic disruptor Oscar Wilde), while indie director Gregg Araki (Mysterious Skin, The Living End, the upcoming I Want Your Sex), actress-director Kristen Stewart, and equally bold talents Thompson and Victor are among those vying for LGBTQIA+ Film Trailblazer.
"Across genres and borders, LGBTQ filmmakers and performers are telling stories that are bold, personal, and adventurous—often in the face of cultural resistance," said GALECA Vice President Gerrick Kennedy of this year's Dorian nominations mix. "GALECA is proud to honor a class of nominees that don’t just reflect the moment, but challenge and expand it.”
The recipient of GALECA's Timeless Star career achievement honor will be announced on Thursday, March 3, along with the rest of the winners at the 2026 Dorians Film Toast, the group's first in-person event in Los Angeles since its 2020 toast held just as the pandemic hit.
The recipient of GALECA's Timeless Star career achievement honor will be announced on Thursday, March 3, along with the rest of the winners at the 2026 Dorians Film Toast, the group's first in-person event in Los Angeles since its 2020 toast held just as the pandemic hit.
"GALECA is excited to be able to raise a glass of bubbly and cheer some of our Dorian winners and nominees as well," said Executive Director Diane Anderson-Minshall and president Walter Hickey in a joint statement. "It will be great to take a break from the onslaught of unsettling headlines and put a light on so many stellar creative spirits."
About GALECA & The Dorian Awards
Formed in 2008, GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics honors the best in film, television and Broadway/Off Broadway theater, mainstream to LGBTQIA+, via the Dorian Awards. A 501(c)6 nonprofit, GALECA serves to remind bigots, bullies and our own beleaguered communities that the world looks to the queer world for tips on great entertainment. The organization also advocates for better pay, access, and respect for its members, especially those in our most underrepresented and vulnerable communities.
GALECA’s efforts include the Crimson Honors, a film/TV criticism contest for LGBTQ college students, and a vibrant YouTube channel that includes past Dorian Awards specials and fresh video chats with a variety of Hollywood notables. For more information about our group and members, follow @DorianAwards on social media, and visit GALECA.org.
GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment journalists is a core member of CGEM: Critics Groups for Equality in Media, an alliance of underrepresented entertainment journalists organizations.
GALECA: THE SOCIETY OF LGBTQ ENTERTAINMENT CRITICS
2026 DORIAN FILM AWARDS LIST OF NOMINEES
FILM OF THE YEAR
Hamnet (Focus Features)
Marty Supreme (A24)
One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Sorry, Baby (A24)
LGBTQ FILM OF THE YEAR
Blue Moon (Sony Pictures Classics)
Hedda (Amazon MGM Studios)
Pillion (A24)
Sorry, Baby (A24)
Twinless (Lionsgate, Roadside Attractions)
DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Ryan Coogler, Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Jafar Panahi, It Was Just an Accident (Neon)
Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme (A24)
Chloé Zhao, Hamnet (Focus Features)
SCREENPLAY OF THE YEAR
Original or adapted
Hamnet, Chloé Zhao, Maggie O’Farrell (Focus Features)
Marty Supreme, Josh Safdie, Ronald Bronstein (A24)
One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson (Warner Bros.)
Sinners, Ryan Coogler (Warner Bros.)
Sorry, Baby, Eva Victor (A24)
LGBTQ SCREENPLAY OF THE YEAR
Blue Moon, Robert Kaplow (Sony Pictures Classics)
Hedda, Nia DaCosta (Amazon MGM Studios)
Pillion, Harry Lighton (A24)
Sorry, Baby, Eva Victor (A24)
Twinless, James Sweeney (Lionsgate, Roadside Attractions)
NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
It Was Just an Accident (Neon)
No Other Choice (Neon)
Sentimental Value (Neon)
Sirāt (Neon)
The Secret Agent (Neon)
LGBTQ NON-ENGLISH FILM OF THE YEAR
Cactus Pears (Strand Releasing)
Misericordia (Janus Films, Sideshow)
Sauna (Breaking Glass)
The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo (Altered Innocence)
Viet and Nam (Strand Releasing)
UNSUNG FILM OF THE YEAR
To an exceptional movie worthy of greater attention
Black Bag (Focus Features)
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (A24)
Lurker (Mubi)
The Testament of Ann Lee (Searchlight Pictures)
Twinless (Lionsgate, Roadside Attractions)
UNSUNG LGBTQ FILM OF THE YEAR
To an exceptional LGBTQ-themed movie worthy of greater attention
A Nice Indian Boy (Blue Harbor Entertainment)
Kiss of the Spider Woman (Lionsgate,
Roadside Attractions, LD Entertainment)
Peter Hujar’s Day (Janus)
Plainclothes (Magnolia)
The Wedding Banquet (Bleecker Street)
FILM PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (A24)
Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme (A24)
Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Jessie Buckley, Hamnet (Focus Features)
Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon (Sony Pictures Classics)
Michael B. Jordan, Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Dylan O’Brien, Twinless (Lionsgate, Roadside Attractions)
Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value (Neon)
Amanda Seyfried, The Testament of Ann Lee (Searchlight Pictures)
Tessa Thompson, Hedda (Amazon MGM Studios)
SUPPORTING FILM PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
Benicio del Toro, One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein (Netflix)
Ariana Grande-Butera, Wicked: For Good (Universal)
Nina Hoss, Hedda (Amazon MGM Studios)
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value (Neon)
Amy Madigan, Weapons (Warner Bros.)
Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Sean Penn, One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value (Neon)
Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR
Come See Me in the Good Light (Apple)
Cover-Up (Netflix)
My Mom Jayne (HBO)
The Perfect Neighbor (Netflix)
Predators (MTV Documentary Films)
LGBTQ DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR
Come See Me in the Good Light (Apple)
Heightened Scrutiny (Fourth Act Film)
I Was Born This Way (JungeFilms / Goodform)
The Librarians (8 Above)
Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story (Zeitgeist Films)
ANIMATED FILM OF THE YEAR
Arco (Neon)
Elio (Disney)
KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix, Sony)
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (GKIDS)
Zootopia 2 (Disney)
GENRE FILM OF THE YEAR
For excellence in science fiction, fantasy and horror
28 Years Later (Sony)
Bring Her Back (A24)
Frankenstein (Netflix)
Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Weapons (Warner Bros.)
VISUALLY STRIKING FILM OF THE YEAR
Avatar: Fire and Ash (Disney)
Frankenstein (Netflix)
One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Train Dreams (Netflix)
FILM MUSIC OF THE YEAR
KPop Demon Hunters - Marcelo Zarvos, EJAE,
Mark Sonnenblick, Danny Chung, Vince, Kush,
Lindgren, Daniel Rojas, et al. (Netflix, Sony)
Marty Supreme - Daniel Lopatin (A24)
One Battle After Another - Jonny Greenwood (Warner Bros.)
Sinners - Ludwig Göransson (Warner Bros.)
The Testament of Ann Lee - Daniel Blumberg
(Searchlight Pictures)
CAMPIEST FLICK
Final Destination: Bloodlines (Warner Bros.)
Kiss of the Spider Woman (Lionsgate, Roadside
Attractions, LD Entertainment)
The Housemaid (Lionsgate)
Weapons (Warner Bros.)
Wicked: For Good (Universal)
“WE’RE WILDE ABOUT YOU!” RISING STAR AWARD
Odessa A’zion
Miles Caton
Chase Infiniti
Tonatiuh
Eva Victor
WILDE ARTIST AWARD
To a truly groundbreaking force in entertainment
Ryan Coogler
Cynthia Erivo
Jinkx Monsoon
Jafar Panahi
Pedro Pascal
GALECA LGBTQIA+ FILM TRAILBLAZER
For creating art that inspires empathy, truth and equity
Gregg Araki
Jonathan Bailey
Kristen Stewart
Tessa Thompson
Eva Victor
Posts
2 comments:
Seems weird for the press release to name only some of the nominees in a category (e.g. "Timothée Chalamet, Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke, Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson and six more standouts vie for Film Performance of the Year"). All the nominees are "standouts", but some stand out more than others I guess! Are they telling the voters "you're supposed to vote for one of these"?
Agree with Anon. Is the last category a list of nominees? B/c it's weird to put Araki in with that lot.
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