Sinners, One Battle After Another and Frankenstein lead the charge
The 98th Academy Awards are just around the corner, and the race to the top looks tougher than ever. Although initially Paul Thomas Anderson One war after another clinches best picture, Ryan Coogler’s sinners He secretly hid behind it as awards season progressed, and it became everyone’s game at movie nights.
During raucous political black comedy One war after another It has largely dominated the guild awards’ biggest awards so far (Golden Globes, PGAs, DGAs, BAFTAs), sinners He managed to turn heads later in the game, thanks to his best ensemble award win at the Actor Awards (formerly the SAG Awards) earlier this month. It is also worth noting that the film has already made history. Most Oscar nominations ever (16).
This is particularly impressive sinners A vampire horror movie set during the Jim Crow era. Horror has historically not done well at the Oscars, along with many iconic films. Shining And Hereditary missing any recognition. If sinners manages to pip A War On Monday, it would become the second horror movie to win the gong for best picture ever. The Silence of the LambsHe won in 1992. If it wins in more than 11 of the 16 categories it was nominated for, it will become the most awarded film of the Oscars. Ben-Hur, Titanic And The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Two major competitors sinners And A War, They are very different movies, but they are similar in more ways than you might think.
Both films explore themes such as racism, immigration, and disillusionment with dominant political or cultural structures. They show versions of struggle, resistance, and American history, as well as the consequences of trying to silence those who have something important to say. This puts them both in close conversation with the current situation Political turmoil troubling the United States and beyond, today.
So will veteran filmmaker Anderson finally get his flowers? Or will Coogler make history with his bloodthirsty masterpiece?
All will be revealed during Monday’s ceremony.
In the meantime, we have compiled all the candidates for the 2026 Academy Awards for you.
best picture
bugonia
Frankenstein
F1
hamnet
Marty Supreme
One war after another
Secret agent
Emotional Value
sinners
Train Dreams
best director
Paul Thomas Anderson- One war after another
Ryan Coogler- sinners
Josh Safdie- Marty Supreme
Joachim Trier- Emotional Value
Chloé Zhao – hamnet
best actor
Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio – One war after another
Ethan Hawke- Blue Moon
Michael B.Jordan – sinners
Wagner Moura- Secret agent
Best actress
Jessie Buckley- hamnet
Rose Byrne If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Kate Hudson- Song Sung Blue
Renate Reinsve – Emotional Value
Emma Stone – bugonia
Best supporting actress
Elle Fanning- Emotional Value
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Emotional Value
Amy Madigan-Weaponry
Wunmi Mosaku- sinners
Teyana Taylor- One war after another
Best supporting actor
Benicio del Toro One war after another
Jacob Elordi- Frankenstein
Delroy Lindo- sinners
Sean Penn One war after another
Stellan Skarsgard – Emotional Value
Best adapted screenplay
bugonia
Frankenstein
hamnet
One war after another
Train Dreams
Best original screenplay
Blue Moon
It Was Just an Accident
Marty Supreme
Emotional Value
sinners
best original song
Dear Me – Diane Warren: Ruthless
Gold – KPop Demon Hunters
I Lied to You – Sinners
Sweet Dreams of Joy – Hooray for Giving!
Train Dreams – Train Dreams
Best original score
bugonia
Frankenstein
hamnet
One war after another
sinners
Best international feature
It Was Just an Accident
Emotional Value
Sirat
Secret agent
Voice of Hind Recep
Best animated feature
arco
Elio
KPop Demon Hunters
Little Amélie or the Character of the Rain
Zootopia 2
Best documentary feature
Come See Me in the Good Light
Cutting Rocks
Mr. Nobody is Against Putin
Alabama Solution
Perfect Neighbor
Best costume design
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Frankenstein
hamnet
Marty Supreme
sinners
The best make-up and hair styling
Frankenstein
Kokuho
sinners
Shredding Machine
Ugly Step-Sister
Best production design
Frankenstein
hamnet
Marty Supreme
One war after another
sinners
best sound
Frankenstein
F1
One war after another
sinners
Sirat
Best movie editing
F1
Marty Supreme
One war after another
Emotional Value
sinners
Best cinematography
Frankenstein
Marty Supreme
One war after another
sinners
Train Dreams
Best visual effects
Avatar: Fire and Ash
F1
Rebirth of Jurassic World
sinners
Lost Bus
Best live action short
a friend of Dorothy
Butcher’s Stain
Jane Austen’s Period Drama
singers
Two Person Saliva Exchange
Best animated short
Butterfly
forever green
Retirement Plan
Pearl Crying Girl
Three Sisters
Best short documentary
All Vacant Rooms
Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud
No More Children: Was and Gone
Devil’s Busy
A Perfect Weirdness
best casting
hamnet
Marty Supreme
One war after another
sinners
Secret agent
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Nell Geraets is a Culture and Lifestyle reporter for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect with: X or email.
