“Sinners,” “Zootopia 2” and “KPop Demon Hunters” took top honors at the Advanced Imaging Society Awards.
The Lumiere Awards recognized outstanding creative and technical achievements at its 16th annual gala. This award recognizes artists, engineers, and innovators who continue to push the boundaries of storytelling and film technology.
“These Lumière winners have created incredible stories by pushing the limits of what is creatively and technically possible,” said Jim Chavin, president of the Advanced Imaging Society. “In these winners, we see the future of our industry, and that future is truly more exciting than ever.”
The association awarded the Best Live-Action Feature Film Lumiere Award to “Sinners,” and Best Supporting Actor nominee Delroy Lindo presented the award to producer Seb Ohanian. The film’s sound team, Chris Welker, Steve Bodeker, and Benny Burtt, were in attendance and accepted the Lumiere award for best sound. Voters praised “Sinners” as a “wonderful and meaningful story” and noted that it was “perfectly accomplished” as a film.
“Zootopia 2” won the Best Animated Feature Award. Actor and voice actor Patrick Warburton presented the award to director Byron Howard. Voters noted not only its stunning visuals, but also its “unprecedented technology integration across all aspects of production.”
“KPop Demon Hunters” won two Lumiere Awards, winning Best Original Song for “Golden” and Best Musical Scene or Sequence for “Golden.”
Picturehouse’s “The King of Color,” written and directed by Patrick Credon, won the award for best documentary. The film follows Larry Herbert, the inventor of the Pantone Matching System, which established a universal color standard. Credon was present to accept the award and read a message of thanks from Herbert, 97. AIS commented, “We are an organization that spans film production, post-production and technology, united by our commitment to educating our audiences. ‘King of Color’ tells our origin story.”
“Wicked: For Good” won the Best Motion Picture (Musical) award. AIS winner and director Jon M. Chu accepted the award. Voters commented, “How the difficult and high production value VFX and image work was perfectly integrated into the musical storytelling throughout the film. The work of all departments on this film was exceptional.”
The Lumiere Award for Best Theatrical Scene or Sequence was awarded to Avatar: Fire and Ash for the Act III Flux Devil Fire Tornado Battle Sequence. Oscar-nominated visual effects supervisor Eric Saindon of Wētā FX accepted the award on behalf of the VFX team, which included Joe Letteri and Richard Banneham of Lightstorm. Voters clearly agreed that the unforgettable third-act sequence once again set a new benchmark for visual effects-driven storytelling.
Among the episodic winners were “Andor” Season 2, which won the Lumiere Award for Best Episode – Live Action, recognized by executive producer John Gilroy; Meanwhile, the award for Best Episode – Animation went to “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man,” which was recognized by showrunner Jeff Trammell.
Other technical awards went to Apple TV’s “Severance” for Best Audio (Episode), which went to scoring mixer Chris Fogel. Stranger Things Season 5 received a Lumiere Award for its excellent use of high dynamic range – an episodic piece recognized by Company 3 colorist Jared Arcuraly. “F1” was also recognized by Colorist Stefan Sonnenfeld of Company 3 in the Best Use of High Dynamic Range – Feature Film category.
Google won the association’s annual Sir Charles Wheatstone Award for innovations such as the VEO model, Imagen model, Google Cloud, and YouTube production tools. The award was presented to Anil Jain, Global Managing Director, Strategic Industries.
The awards also recognized five organizations this year for their “impact and innovation” in advancing the media and entertainment ecosystem. The following companies received the Production Technology Lumiere Awards: AMD for EPYC CPUs and Threadripper PRO workstation tools. Conductor by CoreWeave was recognized as the desktop tool for cloud optimization. Flawless became the first AI company recognized as a pioneer in assistive AI that sustains and supports human creativity. 6P Color has been recognized as a “full color range” format for electronic color images. DisneyResearch|Studios wins Lumiere Award for artistically controllable ML stereo conversion toolset.
In addition, VUE and CEO Tim Richards received the Association’s Excellence in Cinema Award for the new generation of premium EPIC screen cinemas with state-of-the-art laser projection and sound.
As previously announced, Ethan Hawke won the 2026 Outstanding Artist Award for his performance in Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon. Kathleen Kennedy, former president of Lucasfilm, presented Hawke with the award, saying, “Whether he plays a young idealist, a tortured poet, or, most recently, Lorenz Hart in Blue Moon, Ethan shows us the essence of what makes us human.” “His work invites us to feel more, to understand more, to care more. That honesty, that humanity, is at the heart of everything he does. Ethan doesn’t just step into that world.” Spotlight – he is the light. ”
Chu accepted the inaugural Judy Garland Legacy Award, which was introduced by Garland’s daughter Lorna Luft and presented by actor Josh Gad.
The Harold Lloyd Award was presented to Joseph Kosinski and Jerry Bruckheimer by Suzanne Lloyd, Chairman of Harold Lloyd Entertainment.
See the full list of winners below.
Best Feature Film – Live Action: “Sinners”
Best Feature Film – Animation: Zootopia 2
Best Documentary: “The King of Color”
Best Picture – Musical: “Wicked: For Good”
Best Sound Award – Theatrical Version: “Sinners”
Best Audio Award – Episode: “Disconnection”
Best Original Song Award: “Golden” from “KPop Demon Hunters”
Making the Most of High Dynamic Range – Feature Film: “F1”
Optimal Use of High Dynamic Range – Episode: “Stranger Things” Season 5
Best Musical Scene or Sequence: “KPop Demon Hunters” – “Golden”
Best Theatrical Scene or Sequence: “Avatar: Fire and Ash” – “Flux Devil”
Best Episode – Animation: “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man”
Best Episode – Live Action: “Andor” Season 2
Best International 3D Documentary Award: NHK “The Mark of Beauty” Imperial Palace
How to best use VR: Reef Dolphins, InMotion
Production Technology Award: AMD, DisneyResearch|Studios Flawless, 6P Color, CoreWeave
Governor’s Award for Excellence in Film: VUE
Sir Charles Wheatstone Award: Google
Judy Garland Legacy Award: Jon M. Chu, “Wicked: For Good”
Harold Lloyd Award: Joseph Kosinski & Jerry Bruckheimer “F1”
