Introduction to the 98th Academy Awards
The 98th Academy Awards will take place on March 15, 2026, and the nominations have been announced. Ryan Coogler’s horror film "Sinners" has made history by receiving a total of 16 Oscar nominations, breaking the previous record of 14 held by All About Eve, Titanic, and La La Land.
Notable Nominations
The nominations were notable because horror films are typically excluded from Oscar consideration. "Sinners" is considered a frontrunner in the Best Film category, with competition for Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Original Song, among others. Directed by Ryan Coogler, the film features actor Michael B. Jordan playing the dual role of twin brothers who are confronted with supernatural forces in the Jim Crow-era South of the USA.
Best Film Nominees
A total of ten films were nominated for the Oscar for Best Film. In addition to "Sinners," "One Battle After Another" and "Sentimental Value" are also considered strong competitors. The latter, "Sentimental Value," a family drama, recently won the European Film Prize. The other best picture nominees are "Bugonia," "F1," "Frankenstein," "Hamnet," "Marty Supreme," "The Secret Agent," and "Train Dreams."
Best Director and Actor Nominees
In addition to Coogler, other candidates for the award for best director are Chloe Zhao ("Hamnet"), Josh Safdie ("Marty Supreme"), and Joachim Trier ("Sentimental Value"). Timothee Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ethan Hawke, Michael B. Jordan, and Wagner Moura all received best actor nominations, while Jessie Buckley, Rose Byrne, Kate Hudson, Renate Reinsve, and Emma Stone were nominated in the leading actress category.
New Category: Best Cast
Best Cast, the first new category added to the Oscars in 25 years, highlights the work involved in selecting actors for a film. Five films received nominations, including "Sinners." The animated musical hit "KPop Demon Hunters" picked up awards for best animated film and best original song for the catchy tune "Golden."
International Feature Film Nominees
At the international level, films from Brazil ("The Secret Agent"), France ("It was Just an Accident"), Norway ("Sentimental Value"), Spain ("Sirat"), and Tunisia ("The Voice of Hind Rajab") made it to the final for the award for best international feature film.
The Future of the Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, are Hollywood’s most important cinema awards. The nominations are decided by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, all of whom work professionally in film production. The Academy Awards have struggled to stay relevant as viewership has declined over the years and streaming platforms increasingly eclipse theaters as the go-to place to watch movies. The 98th edition of the annual Academy Awards will take place on March 15 at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, with TV personality Conan O’Brien as host. In the future, the ceremony will be broadcast on television until 2029 and then streamed exclusively on YouTube.
