For 15 years, the Advanced Imaging Society has presented its annual Lumiere Awards for outstanding creative and technical achievements in storytelling and cinematic technology. Among this year’s winners include Dune: Part Two, Wicked, and The Wild Robot in the film categories, while Shōgun and Arcane Season 2 scored wins in the episodic categories. Alien: Romulus, Deadpool & Wolverine, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, and V-U2 An Immersive Concert Film at Sphere Las Vegas were among the Best Technical Achievement winners.
The Advanced Imaging Society has announced the winners of the 2025 Lumiere Awards, recognizing outstanding creative and technical achievements in its 15th annual celebration. The awards honor the artists, engineers, and innovators whose work continues to push the boundaries of storytelling and cinematic technology.
The Advanced Imaging Society was formed more than a decade ago by senior Hollywood executives to identify game-changing filmmaking technologies and foster their deployment to accelerate the success of next-generation consumer experiences. The organization honors creative and technical professionals for groundbreaking filmmaking and entertainment technology. Its Lumiere Awards annually recognize distinguished achievement in the creation of immersive storytelling using advanced visual technologies. The Society honors content and experiences produced for film, television, advertising, gaming, mobile, online, and much more.
The Lumiere Awards recognize distinguished directors and professionals in film, television, and emerging media, voted for by members of the Hollywood creative and technology community. Technological advancements expand the possibilities of storytelling, and these awards celebrate their significance for all who love film and television. “Our awards have humorously been called the Oscars for geeks,” remarked Jim Chabin, AIS president.
The society awarded the Best Live Action Feature Film Lumiere toDune: Part Two, as well as Best Scene or Sequence for Riding the Sandworm and Best Use of HDR for Feature Film. Voters praised Dune: Part Twoas a marvelous example of advanced imaging and advanced technology. Voters called the film a “cinematic masterpiece [that] transformed what a modern science-fiction film could be, not just with stunning, vast visuals and rich sound design, but with a story that grips and moves the soul.”
The Lumiere for Best Animated Feature Film went to The Wild Robot. Voters praised the excellent story and animation, saying it is the most “visually impressive animated feature film of 2024,” attributed to its “groundbreaking approach to animation, and its employment of a unique hand-painted aesthetic that blends traditional artistry with cutting-edge technology.”
Among the episodic winners was Shōgun, which received the Award for Best Episodic – Live Action, as well as Best Use of HDR – Episodic. Voters called it “beautifully immersive, with rich storytelling, exceptional production quality, and compelling performances.” Arcane Season 2 won for Best Episodic – Animation, with voters saying it was “visually spectacular and arresting; head and shoulders the best animated episodic in years.”
In the world of immersive projects, The Lumiere Award for Best Use of VR/AR/XR went to What If…? — An Immersive Story.
The Production Technology Lumiere Award went toF1 Las Vegas Grand Prixfor their 3D Interactive experience leveraging AI by MeetMo with AR added by NantStudios and T-Mobile.
Best Achievement in 8K Production was awarded to Deep Ocean: Mysterious Worlds of the Red Sea—a 72-hour consecutive observation filming expedition.
In addition to this year’s winners, special honors were also awarded. Producers Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher received The Harold Lloyd Awardin recognition of their dedication to cinematic excellence, resulting in epic films such as Memoirs of a Geisha, The Great Gatsby, the Divergent series, and both Gladiator and Gladiator II.
The Governor’s Award for Education, Technology and Innovation was presented to Texas A&M University’s Virtual Production Institute, which is part of the College of Performance, Visualization, and Fine Arts. Texas A&M is advancing virtual production education and supporting workforce development through cutting-edge technology and industry collaboration.
The complete list of winners includes:
Best Feature Film – Live Action: Dune: Part Two
Best Feature Film – Animated: The Wild Robot
Best Documentary: Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Best Motion Picture – Musical: Wicked
Best Audio – Theatrical: Alien: Romulus
Best Audio – Episodic: Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
Best Original Song: Moana 2 “Beyond”
Best Use of VR/AR/XR: What If…? – An Immersive Story
Best Use of High Dynamic Range – Feature Film: Dune: Part Two
Best Use of High Dynamic Range – Episodic: Shōgun
Best 2D to 3D Conversion: Deadpool & Wolverine
Best Musical Scene or Sequence: Wicked “Defying Gravity”
Best Theatrical Scene or Sequence: Dune: Part Two “Riding the Sandworm”
Best Episodic – Animated: Arcane Season 2
Best Episodic – Live Action: Shōgun
Best Live Event Cinema Experience: V-U2 An Immersive Concert Film at Sphere Las Vegas
Best Achievement in 8K Production: Deep Ocean: Mysterious Worlds of the Red Sea
Best Location Based Entertainment: Orbital
Production Technology Award: F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix
Governor’s Award for Education, Technology and Innovation: The Virtual Production Institute of Texas A&M, Sony Electronics, Synapse Virtual Production
Harold Lloyd Award: Douglas Wick & Lucy Fisher
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