19th Cinema Eye Honors

The 19th Cinema Eye Honors, destined to recognize outstanding artistry and craft in nonfiction filmmaking of 2025, took place at the New York Academy of Medicine in East Harlem, New York on January 8, 2026.^[1]

The broadcast categories as well as the Short Films shortlist, the Audience Choice Prize longlist and the recipients for The Unforgettables, were announced on October 23, 2025.^[2] FX on Hulu series Social Studies, which follows a group of follows teenagers over the course of a school year in Los Angeles, led the nominations with three.^[3]

As per usual, the nominations for the film categories were announced later, on November 13, 2025.^[1] Come See Me in the Good Light, which follows poet and activist Andrea Gibson, led the nominations with six. 2000 Meters to Andriivka, Cover-Up and Seeds follow with five nods each.^[4][5] Nominees for the Heterodox Award as well as the recipients for the Legacy Award were announced in December 15.

Four films were announced as recipients for the Legacy Award: Portrait of Jason by Shirley Clarke, which covers the life of nightclub performer Jason Holliday; Burden of Dreams by Les Blank, which chronicles the turbulent production of Werner Herzog's film Fitzcarraldo; Sans Soleil by Chris Marker, a meditational film on human memory; and Tongues Untied by Marlon T. Riggs, which explores the Black gay identity. Additionally, the Cinema Eye-Con Award for Career Achievement was introduced, with Danish editor Janus Billeskov Jansen being the inaugural recipient.^[6]