The Substance Wins Best Feature At Girls On Film 2025 Awards

The 2025 Girls On Film Awards have unveiled this year’s winners  with The Substance  winning best feature film, Emilia Perez Best ensemble cast.

The glittering ceremony hosted by Girls On Film co-founders Anna Smith and Hedda Lornie Archbold.Celebrates exceptional achievements by women and people of marginalised genders in film.  the awards reward women-led filmmaking, with a particular focus on diversity, inclusion and representation.

The Substance claimed Best Feature, with Coralie Fargeat in attendance to collect her award, while Black Box Diaries triumphed in Best Documentary and Activist Impact Award. Marianne Jean-Baptiste was awarded Best Actress for her formidable portrayal of a woman deep in the throes of depression in Hard Truths, with director Mike Leigh picking up the Ally Award,  an award given to a male ally in the film industry who has shown a commitment to the representation of women.

Co-founders of the Girls On Film podcast Anna Smith and Hedda Lornie Archbold said: “In today’s challenging world, it is more important than ever for diverse women to each other. This year’s nominations reflect the spirit of sisterhood and the power of film to inspire, inform, and create community. These awards honour the strength of storytelling in fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

They added: “We are proud that our nominees and winners showcase progress on screen and thrilled to celebrate with them at our fourth awards. As a member of our community said: ‘Girls On Film is more than a podcast: it’s a state of mind.’”

Full List of Winners and Nominees:

BEST FEATURE FILM

The Substance
All We Imagine as Light
Blink Twice
Emilia Pérez
La Chimera

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Black Box Diaries
Copa 71
Dahomey
Four Daughters
Witches

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A LEADING ROLE

Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths)
Cynthia Erivo (Wicked)
Demi Moore (The Substance)
Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez)
Mikey Madison (Anora)
Naomi Ackie (Blink Twice)

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A ING ROLE

Danielle Deadwyler (The Piano Lesson)
Ariana Grande (Wicked)
Emily Watson (Small Things Like These)
Lesley Manville (Queer)
Michele Austin (Hard Truths)
Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez)

FEMALE FRIENDSHIP ON SCREEN

All We Imagine as Light
Chuck Chuck Baby
The Last Showgirl
My Old Ass
Wicked

ENSEMBLE CAST

Emilia Pérez
All We Imagine as Light
Girls Will Be Girls
Hoard
Wicked Little Letters

THE GIRLS ON FILM ALLY AWARD SPONSORED BY IMDb

Mike Leigh (Hard Truths)
Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez)
Jon M. Chu (Wicked)
Pedro Almodóvar (The Room Next Door)
Sean Baker (Anora)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY SPONSORED BY CREWHQ

Hélène Louvart AFC (La Chimera)
Alice Brooks ASC (Wicked)
Maria von Hausswolff DFF (Janet Planet)
Polly Morgan ASC BSC (Back to Black)
Tasha Back (In Camera)

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Judy Becker (The Brutalist)
Emmanuelle Duplay (Emilia Pérez)
Gemma Jackson (Lee)
Jagna Dobesz (The Girl with the Needle)
Suzie Davies (Conclave/Hard Truths)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Linda Muir (Nosferatu)
Emmanuelle Youchnovski (The Substance)
Jacqueline Durran (Blitz)
Jocelyn Pierce (Anora)
Rebecca Gore (Timestalker)

BEST COMPOSER

Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear (Moana 2)
Andrea Datzman (Inside Out 2)
Hildur Guðnadóttir (Joker: Folie à Deux)
Isobel Waller-Bridge (Wicked Little Letters)
Lucrecia Dalt (On Becoming a Guinea Fowl)

BEST PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN

Universal (Wicked)
Emilia Pérez – Netflix
Inside Out 2 – Disney
The Substance – MUBI
Timestalker – Vertigo

ACTIVIST IMPACT AWARD

Shiori Ito (Black Box Diaries)
LFF Critics Fund
MilkTea
TAPE Collective
Jeanie Finlay (Your Fat Friend)

FEMALE ORGASM ON SCREEN SPONSORED BY INTIMACY ON SET

Nicole Kidman (with Nicole Kidman, and later Harris Dickinson) (Babygirl)
Anne Hathaway (with Nicholas Galitzine) – The Idea of You
Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian – Love Lies Bleeding
Geraldine Viswanathan (with Margaret Qualley) – Drive-Away Dolls
Preeti Panigrahi (with Preeti Panigrahi and Kesav Binoy Kiron) – Girls Will Be Girls