Award 4 (2025)

Award 4 (2025) is the fourth chapter in a critically acclaimed anthology series exploring the high-pressure world behind the entertainment industry’s most prestigious honors. Directed by Ava DuVernay, this installment blends psychological drama and mystery with razor-sharp social commentary, examining the cost of success in a world obsessed with image.

Set against the backdrop of the fictional Global Artistry Awards, the story follows a tense 48-hour window leading up to the live broadcast. When a nominee suddenly disappears under suspicious circumstances, the event’s producers scramble to contain the fallout. Secrets begin to unravel, rivalries are exposed, and the glossy façade of celebrity culture quickly crumbles.

The film features an ensemble cast led by Mahershala Ali as Julian West, a former award-winner turned recluse who’s reluctantly pulled back into the spotlight after being accused of sabotaging another nominee. Florence Pugh plays Ava Sinclair, a rising actress with a spotless public image but a scandalous past she's desperate to keep buried. Riz Ahmed appears as Khalil Noor, a screenwriter-turned-director whose nomination threatens to reveal industry corruption tied to the very people funding the awards.

As the clock ticks down to the televised ceremony, tensions flare. Flashbacks reveal how ambition and compromise shaped each character’s path to this moment. Whispers of rigged votes, bribery, and cover-ups rise to the surface. When the missing nominee is found unconscious—just hours before going public with damning information—the true stakes come into view: this award could ruin careers or end lives.

DuVernay crafts the film with precision, balancing its tense thriller framework with poignant moments of reflection. The cinematography shifts between glossy red-carpet glamor and the dim backstage chaos where truth hides. The original score by Hildur Guðnadóttir builds quiet dread into explosive revelations.

Award 4 (2025) is not just a look at the entertainment world—it’s a mirror held to the industries we idolize and the moral decay beneath success. With rich character development, timely themes, and sharp performances across the board, the film stands as the most daring and emotionally resonant entry in the series yet.