F1, KPop Demon Hunters & Becoming Led Zeppelin Win Cinema Audio Society Awards: Oscar Preview?

The sound mixing teams behind F1, KPop Demon Hunters, and Becoming Led Zeppelin were the top honorees at the 62nd Cinema Audio Society Awards, held Saturday night at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. The awards, hosted by comedian Chris Hardwick, recognize outstanding achievement in sound mixing for both film and television.

F1 took the prize for live action motion picture sound mixing, while KPop Demon Hunters was recognized in the animated feature category, and Becoming Led Zeppelin earned the award for documentary sound mixing. The wins come just a week before the 2026 Academy Awards ceremony on March 15th, leading many to see the CAS Awards as a potential bellwether for Oscar success.

Historically, the Cinema Audio Society winner for live action has aligned with the Academy Award winner three out of the last five years – for Sound of Metal, Dune, and Top Gun: Maverick. However, The Zone of Interest and Dune: Part Two lost to the CAS-honored Oppenheimer and A Complete Unknown respectively, demonstrating the guild’s awards don’t always predict the Oscars.

According to predictions, F1 is currently favored to win Best Sound at the Oscars, followed by Sinners and Sirât. Frankenstein and One Battle After Another also remain in contention.

Beyond the feature film categories, The Pitt was awarded for its sound mixing in a drama television series, while The Studio won for comedy, Adolescence for a limited series, and Billy Joel: And So It Goes for a non-fiction, variety, or music series or special.

The Cinema Audio Society also honored industry veterans at the ceremony. Skip Lievsay was presented with the CAS Career Achievement Award, recognizing his four-decade career and collaborations with acclaimed directors like Alfonso Cuarón, Martin Scorsese, and Spike Lee. Guillermo del Toro received the Filmmaker Award, and the inaugural Jeffrey S. Wexler Award for Advancement in Sound Technology was presented to Evan Brooks, Peter Gotcher, Glenn Sanders, and Howard Stark. Mingxi Xu of the National Film and Television School received the CAS Student Recognition Award, along with a $5,000 prize.

“Tonight we celebrate the very best of our profession,” said CAS president Peter Kurland. “Sound mixing demands both technical skill and artistic intent, and these honorees exemplify the precision, creativity, and discipline that define our craft. We are proud to recognize professionals whose dedication and excellence continue to elevate the standard for our industry.”

The complete list of winners is as follows:

Motion Pictures – Live Action

F1
Production Sound Mixer – Gareth John
Re-Recording Mixer – Gary A. Rizzo
Re-Recording Mixer – Juan Peralta
Scoring Mixer – Alan Meyerson
ADR Mixer – Alan Freedman
Foley Mixer – Dennis Leonard

Motion Pictures – Animated

KPop Demon Hunters
Original Dialogue Mixer – Howard London
Re-Recording Mixer – Michael Babcock
Re-Recording Mixer – Tony Lamberti
Scoring Mixer – Erich Talaba
Foley Mixer – Giorgi Lekishvili

Motion Pictures – Documentary

Becoming Led Zeppelin
Production Sound Mixer – Nigel Albermaniche
Re-Recording Mixer – Nick Bergh

Non-Theatrical Motion Pictures or Limited Series

Adolescence – “Episode 1”
Production Sound Mixer – Kiff McManus
Production Sound Mixer – Rob Entwistle
Re-Recording Mixer – Jules Woods
Re-Recording Mixer – James Drake
ADR Mixer – Mike Tehrani
ADR Mixer – Simon Diggins
Foley Mixer – Adam Mendez

Television Series – One Hour

The Pitt – “7:00 PM”
Production Sound Mixer – Von Varga
Re-Recording Mixer – Todd M. Grace
Re-Recording Mixer – Edward C. Carr III
ADR Mixer – Tami Treadwell
Foley Mixer – Alex Jongbloed

Television Series – Half-Hour

The Studio – “Golden Globes”
Production Sound Mixer – Buck Robinson
Re-Recording Mixer – Lindsey Alvarez
Re-Recording Mixer – Fred Howard
Scoring Mixer – Adrià Serrano
ADR Mixer – Brian Magrum
Foley Mixer – Ron Mellegers

Television Non-Fiction, Variety or Music – Series or Specials

Billy Joel: And So It Goes – “Part One”
Production Sound Mixer – Mark Mandler
Production Sound Mixer – David Mitlyng
Production Sound Mixer – Michael Stewart
Re-Recording Mixer – Bob Chefalas
Score & Music Mixer – Bradshaw Leigh
Music Mixer – Brian Ruggles
Music Mixer – Jay Vicari

Student Recognition Award

Mingxi Xu, National Film and Television School