SFFILM Announces 2025 Awards Night Honorees

San Francisco, CA—November 20, 2025—Today, SFFILM announced the honorees for its annual 2025 SFFILM Awards Night, recognizing four distinguished artists who continue to shape contemporary cinema: award-winning director Scott Cooper, Academy Award-winning actor Benicio Del Toro presented by actor Regina Hall, award-winning actor Wunmi Mosaku presented by actor Delroy Lindo, and Academy Award-nominated actor and filmmaker Kristen Stewart presented by actor Imogen Poots.

The celebratory event honors exemplary achievement in film craft and is a fundraiser with proceeds from the event supporting SFFILM’s enduring mission to discover, nurture, and showcase the next generation of film artists. As the Bay Area’s leading film arts and culture institution since 1957, SFFILM sustains the full cycle of the cinema experience through its youth education initiative, artist development programs, and year-round curated film programming. SFFILM Awards Night will take place on Monday, December 8, 2025 at San Francisco’s Gateway Pavilion at Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture.

Anne Lai, the Executive Director of SFFILM said, “The work of our honorees will resonate for years to come, and central to our mission at SFFILM is nurturing the next generation of artists and audiences. Along with our Director of Programming Jessie Fairbanks, we couldn’t be more thrilled to honor such notable talents as Scott, Benicio, Wunmi, and Kristen for their stellar contributions to film this year.”

Irving M. Levin Award for Film Direction: Scott Cooper

The Irving M. Levin Award for Film Direction is presented each year to one of the masters of world cinema and is given in memory of the founder of SFFILM’s San Francisco International Film Festival. Past recipients include Denis Villeneuve (2024), Greta Gerwig (2023), Ryan Coogler (2022), Jane Campion (2021), Chloé Zhao (2020), Marielle Heller (2019), Steve MᶜQueen (2018), Kathryn Bigelow (2017), Mira Nair (2016), Guillermo del Toro (2015), Richard Linklater (2014), Philip Kaufman (2013), Kenneth Branagh (2012), Oliver Stone (2011), Walter Salles (2010), Francis Ford Coppola (2009), Mike Leigh (2008), Spike Lee (2007), and Werner Herzog (2006), among others.

Scott Cooper is the critically acclaimed filmmaker known for directing, writing, and producing emotional character-led stories that span a variety of genres. He is best known for helming two time Academy Award-winning feature Crazy Heart starring Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell, and Robert Duvall; Black Mass starring Johnny Depp; and Hostiles starring Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike, Wes Studi, Jesse Plemons, Rory Cochrane, and Ben Foster. His latest film Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere starring Jeremy Allen White and Jeremy Strong is in theaters now.

Maria Manetti Shrem Award for Acting: Benicio Del Toro

The Maria Manetti Shrem Award for Acting has been awarded since 1996 and honors a performer whose work in film exemplifies brilliance, independence, and integrity. Past recipients include Demi Moore (2024), Nicolas Cage (2023), Margot Robbie (2022), Oscar Isaac (2021), Glenn Close (2020), Adam Driver (2019), Amy Adams (2018), Kate Winslet (2017), Ellen Burstyn (2016), Richard Gere (2015), Jeremy Irons (2014), Harrison Ford (2013), Judy Davis (2012), Terence Stamp (2011), Robert Duvall (2010), and Robin Williams (2007), among others.

Benicio Del Toro has earned critical accolades and nominations throughout his career, winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic and a Palme d’Or for Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival for Che. He has worked with award-winning directors including Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu, Bryan Singer, Julian Schnabel, Wes Anderson, Ben Stiller, Denis Villeneuve, James Gunn, Rian Johnson, Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller, Peter Weir, George Huang, Christopher McQuarrie, William Friedkin, Susanne Bier, Terry Gilliam, and many more. Del Toro is currently starring in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Chase Infiniti, in theaters now.

The Maria Manetti Shrem Award for Acting will be presented to Benicio Del Toro by actor Regina Hall.
George Gund III Award for Virtuosity: Wunmi Mosaku
The George Gund III Award for Virtuosity is presented each year to one of world cinema’s outstanding visionaries, regardless of their craft. As a result of activist, arts advocate, and philanthropist Agnes Gund’s generous support, this honor calls attention to an artist who exemplifies excellence, integrity, and promise—all qualities epitomized by the award’s titular figure. Past honorees celebrated for their singular and virtuous work are director Malcolm Washington (The Piano Lesson, 2024), writer/director Cord Jefferson (American Fiction, 2023), and actor Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All At Once, 2022).

Wunmi Mosaku is a Nigerian-born British actress of screen and stage currently starring as Annie in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners. She is best known for her roles as Ruby Baptiste in HBO‘s Lovecraft Country and Hunter B-15 in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) television series Loki, and for reprising the role in the 2024 film Deadpool & Wolverine. She won a BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Gloria Taylor in the TV film Damilola, Our Loved Boy; starred in the fifth series of Luther; and was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Actress and won the BIFA for Best Performance by an Actress in a British Independent Film for her role as Rial in the film His House.

The George Gund III Award for Virtuosity will be presented to Wunmi Mosaku by actor Delroy Lindo.

Nion McEvoy & Leslie Berriman Award for Storytelling: Kristen Stewart

The Nion McEvoy & Leslie Berriman Award for Storytelling acknowledges the critical importance that storytelling plays in the creation of outstanding films and is presented annually to a filmmaker whose work exemplifies brilliance, ambition, independence, and integrity. Past recipients include Jason Reitman (2024), Roger Ross Williams (2023), Sarah Polley (2022), Maggie Gyllenhaal (2021), Aaron Sorkin (2020), Lulu Wang (2019), Boots Riley (2018), Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani (2017), Tom McCarthy (2016), Paul Schrader (2015), Stephen Gaghan (2014), Eric Roth (2013), David Webb Peoples (2012), Frank Pierson (2011), and James Schamus (2010), among others.

Kristen Stewart is an Academy Award-nominated actress for her portrayal of Princess Diana in the Pablo Larraín-directed Spencer. Stewart won 22 critic awards for her performance as well as a Best Actress nomination for the Critics Choice Awards and the Golden Globe Awards. Since 2002, Kristen’s career has displayed a challenging assortment of characters. Stewart made her directorial debut with the short film Come Swim which premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, and directed a short film for the band Boygenius, which tied together three music videos of songs from their recent album. Her feature directorial debut The Chronology of Water made its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and will begin limited release in December.

The Nion McEvoy & Leslie Berriman Award for Storytelling will be presented to Kristen Stewart by actor Imogen Poots.

VENUES

Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture (FMCAC) is a nonprofit operating within a Historic Landmark District along the northern waterfront of the San Francisco Bay. Part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, FMCAC hosts an ever-evolving rotation of artistic programming for over 1.2 million annual visitors that includes theater and dance performances, art installations, as well as educational and cultural classes. For more information, please visit fortmason.org.

To learn more about their accessibility resources, parking, and transit go to fortmason.org/visit/

ACCESSIBILITY

SFFILM is committed to providing accessible experiences at all events whether in-person or online. The Gateway Pavilion at Fort Mason Center for Arts and Culture is a wheelchair accessible venue.

For more information about accessibility at specific venues or programs, please visit sffilm.org/accessibility or contact ada@sffilm.org.

SFFILM AWARDS NIGHT HOST COMMITTEE

SFFILM Awards Night is co-chaired by Alexandra Wells and Leslie Olrich. The Host Committee includes Jennifer Hymes Battat, Courtney Benoist & Jason Fish, Heidi W. Castelein, Lisa Kleiner Chanoff & Matt Chanoff, Lee Flynn, Katie Hall & Tom Knutsen, Fred M. Levin, Merriman & Eric Mathewson, Leslie & Scott Olrich, Robina Riccitiello, Sarah Schoellkopf & William Neil, Maria Manetti Shrem, Kristy & Charles Thornton, Pasha & Laney Thornton, Katie & Todd Traina, Alexandra & Spencer Wells , Diane B. Wilsey, and Penelope Wong & Tim Kochis.

Support for SFFILM’s year-round programming is made possible by our Board of Directors, whose leadership and generosity empower artists, audiences, and the future of independent film.

SPONSORS + PARTNERS

SFFILM Awards Night is possible through the generous support from sponsors including Warner Bros. Discovery, 20th Century Studios, and The Forge.

ABOUT SFFILM AWARDS NIGHT

SFFILM Awards Night is San Francisco’s premier awards season event. It brings together the film industry’s
most influential talent for an evening that celebrates cinematic excellence and fuels the next generation of
storytellers by raising funds for SFFILM, the Bay Area’s leading film arts and culture institution since 1957. The proceeds from this event provides vital support for all facets of SFFILM’s work to fuel the full cycle of the cinema experience, including youth education, artist development, and year-round public film programming.

SFFILM Awards Night honors include the Irving M. Levin Award for Film Direction, the Maria Manetti Shrem
Award for Acting, the George Gund III Award for Virtuosity, and the Nion McEvoy and Leslie Berriman Award for Storytelling. Honorees throughout the years have included Amy Adams, Robert Altman, Kathryn
Bigelow, Jane Campion, Ryan Coogler, Glenn Close, Francis Ford Coppola, Adam Driver, Harrison Ford,
Greta Gerwig, Marielle Heller, Stephanie Hsu, Oscar Isaac, Cord Jefferson, Abbas Kiarostami, Spike Lee,
Steve McQueen, Demi Moore, Mira Nair, Sarah Polley, Margot Robbie, Guillermo del Toro, Denis
Villeneuve, Malcolm Washington, Kate Winslet, and Chloé Zhao, among many others.

ABOUT SFFILM

For nearly 70 years, SFFILM has been transforming the world through the creativity and inspiration of film. As the Bay Area’s premier film institution since 1957, SFFILM cultivates an enduring and vibrant film culture, expertly connecting singular storytellers with passionate audiences. With world-class festivals, accessible youth programs, and robust filmmaker support, SFFILM champions cinema as a force for connection, creativity, and change. Our annual film festivals include the San Francisco International Film Festival and Doc Stories. The SFFILM Presents series and Family programming give Bay Area audiences early, exclusive access to film events all year. SFFILM’s youth Education program empowers over 15,000 local students and educators with learning opportunities that foster media literacy, global citizenship, and a lifelong love of movies. And, SFFILM propels the careers of independent filmmakers from the Bay Area and beyond through vital grants, residencies, and diverse creative development services in our Artist Development initiative.

For more information visit sffilm.org
This press release is available online at sffilm.org/press/releases

Follow SFFILM
Instagram
Letterboxd
YouTube
TikTok
LinkedIn
Facebook

###

For further information and press inquiries, please contact Jessie Cohen PR & Consulting

Jessie Cohen
jessie@jcpr-c.com
+1 415 623 0150

Nate Rynaski
nate@jcpr-c.com
+1402 547 7204