ACE Eddie Awards Honor 'Sinners' and 'One Battle After Another'

The annual editing awards recognize outstanding work in film, television, and more.

Published on Feb. 28, 2026

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The 76th ACE Eddie Awards were held at UCLA's Royce Hall, honoring the best editing in film, television, documentaries, shorts, and digital content. 'Sinners' and 'One Battle After Another' took home the top live-action feature awards, while 'KPop Demon Hunters' won for best edited animated feature. The ACE Eddies are seen as a key indicator for the Oscars race, with the winners in the best film drama and comedy/musical editing categories matching the eventual Oscar winners 17 times in the past 26 years.

Why it matters

The ACE Eddie Awards are a prestigious honor in the entertainment industry, recognizing the crucial role that editors play in shaping the final product. The winners often go on to receive Oscar nominations and wins, making the ACE Eddies an important precursor to the Academy Awards.

The details

In addition to the feature film categories, the ACE Eddies also handed out awards for edited documentary, television, and short film. Notable winners included 'The Perfect Neighbor' for best edited documentary, 'The Studio' and 'The Pitt' for best edited comedy and drama series respectively, and 'All The Empty Rooms' for best edited short film. Ang Lee received the ACE Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award, while Kim Larson & YouTube Will were honored with the ACE Visionary Award.

  • The 76th ACE Eddie Awards ceremony took place on Friday, February 28, 2026 at UCLA's Royce Hall.

The players

Ang Lee

Acclaimed filmmaker who received the ACE Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award. Lee has collaborated with editor Tim Squyres on most of his films over the past 35 years.

Tim Squyres

Lee's go-to editor, having cut all of his films except 'Brokeback Mountain'.

Erin Casper

Editor who won the award for best edited short film, 'All The Empty Rooms', which focuses on the bedrooms of children killed in US school shootings.

David List

Editor who won for best edited animated series for 'South Park', praising creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone for challenging the boundaries of censorship and free speech.

Paul Reubens

Comedian and actor known for his Pee-wee Herman character, whom editor Damian Rodriguez dedicated his award win to.

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What they’re saying

“We wouldn't be here without him. He was such an amazing artist, and he influenced so many people, including myself. I wish he was here.”

— Damian Rodriguez, Editor (Variety)

“It was especially gratifying to work on these last 10 episodes because Trey and Matt really, really went for it. They challenged the boundaries of censorship and how far all of us can exercise our First Amendment rights, whether it's political commentary, mocking celebrity or that expertly timed fart joke.”

— David List, Editor (Variety)

“The word gun is never mentioned in our film, and this was intentional on our part, because we've all grown so numb to this epidemic.”

— Erin Casper, Editor (Variety)

“When you give me this award, you actually give me it to Tim Squyres. He missed that one because I told him, after 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,' I'm retiring, I said 'I had enough.' So he took another movie.”

— Ang Lee (Variety)

“It's very hard to say, but let me put this way, my wife said, I can only do two things, right, making movies and cooking. So let me use cooking as a metaphor. Shooting is like buying groceries, and the real cooking is on the editing table. That's how I feel about editing. I've feel I have this editing machine in my head when I'm making movies, every section, every setup, editing is at the center of my consciousness. Every working day I have to answer, hundreds of questions about what I want. The only reason I can give directions and put the whole movie together is because I have that editing table in my head.”

— Ang Lee (Variety)

What’s next

The ACE Eddie Awards are seen as a key precursor to the Oscars, so the winners in the feature film categories will be closely watched as potential Oscar contenders in the editing categories.

The takeaway

The ACE Eddie Awards highlight the vital role that editors play in shaping the final product, whether in film, television, or other media. The winners demonstrate the creativity, technical skill, and storytelling prowess that editors bring to their craft, and their recognition at the Eddies often translates to success at the Academy Awards.