The 2026 Oscar nominations were announced on January 22, while the ceremony itself is set for March 15. It’s given fans plenty of time to comment on their many reactions to the talented actors, directors, and production teams that have worked tirelessly once again to produce culturally defining works of cinema this past year.
F1
F1 tells the fictional story of race car driver Sonny Hayes, who, after thirty years out of the spotlight, is approached by his former teammate and owner of a struggling F1 team, and is asked to return as a driver. The movie tackles his enduring love of the sport and a young, arrogant fellow driver who pushes him to become a mentor and learn to work as a team.
F1 has 3 additional nominations, including best sound, best visual effects, and best film editing.
Bugonia
Bugonia, a comedy thriller film, tells the story of Teddy, a part-time beekeeper who works in a warehouse owned by a major corporation that makes drugs and pesticides according to NPR. Following a clinical trial for a drug that puts his mother in a coma, Teddy becomes convinced that female CEO Michelle is an alien and kidnaps her in an attempt to force her alien species to leave Earth for good.
Bugonia also has 3 additional nominations, including best actress for Emma Stone, best adapted screenplay, and best original score.
Frankenstein
Frankenstein is a gothic drama film based on the 1818 novel by Mary Shelley. The film tells the story of a man named Victor Frankenstein who, following the death of his mother, becomes blinded by insane ambition to create life through a series of experiments. Once creating the horrified creature known as the creature, Victor attempts to reconcile with what he has done while the creature grapples with his own humanity and lack of real connection.
Frankenstein has 8 other nominations, including best supporting actor for Jacob Elordi’s portrayal of the creature, best adapted screenplay, best cinematography, best production design, best costume design, best makeup and hairstyling, best sound, and best original score.
Hamnet
Hamnet tells a dramatized version of the family life of William Shakespeare and his wife, Anne Hathaway. The movie tells the story of how they cope with the death of their 11-year-old son Hamnet. The film focuses on the grief of Agnes and their marriage.
Hamnet is nominated for 7 other Oscars: best director, best actress for Jessie Buckley, adapted screenplay, original score, costume design, production design, and casting.
Marty Supreme
Marty Supreme, set in the 1940s and ‘50s, tells the story of a New York City shoe salesman named Marty Mauser and his dream of becoming a famous table tennis player. The movie follows many schemes and a high-stakes quest to become a world champion.
Marty Supreme has 8 additional nominations, including best director, best actor for Timothée Chalamet, original screenplay, cinematography, casting, film editing, production design, and costume design.
One Battle After Another
One Battle After Another tells the story of ex-revolutionary Bob Ferguson, who is living off the grid with his daughter Willa when old military nemesis Colonel Lackjaw attempts to hunt him and his daughter down because of Bob and Willa’s mother, Perfidia’s, past connections to a rebel group known as the French 75.
One Battle Another is nominated for 12 other Oscars, including best director, best adapted screenplay, best actor for Leonardo DiCaprio, best supporting actress for Teyana Taylor, best supporting actor for Benicio Del Toro and Sean Penn, original score, cinematography, editing, production design, and sound.
The Secret Agent
The Secret Agent tells the story of Armando, a former professor hiding in 1977 Recife during a military dictatorship. While trying to reunite with his son, Armando navigates a dangerous environment while being pursued by hitmen.
The Secret Agent has 3 other nominations, including best international feature film, best actor for Wagner Moura, and casting.
Sentimental Value
Sentimental Value follows the story of two sisters, actress Nora and Agnes, who reunite with their estranged filmmaker father Gustav after their mother’s death.
Sentimental Value is nominated for 8 other Academy Awards, including best director, original screenplay, best actress for Renate Reinsve, best actor for Stella’s Skarsgard, best supporting actress for both Elle Fanning and Ingo Ibsdotter Lilleaas, editing, and international feature film.
Sinners
Sinners is a supernatural horror film set in the 1930’s and follows the story of twin brothers who return home in Mississippi to start a new life after working for Al Capone in Chicago. They open a juke joint to create a safe space for the local black community. The party is quickly interrupted by supernatural vampires that terrorize them.
Sinners has made Oscar history as being the most nominated movie in history with 15 additional nominations.
Train Dreams
Train Dreams follows the life of Robert Gainier, a labor worker in the early 20th-century American West. After losing his wife and daughter in a massive wildfire, Robert grapples with the grief of losing his loved ones and the solitude of the West.
Train Dreams is nominated for 3 other Oscars, including best adapted screenplay, cinematography, and original song.
Personal Predictions
My personal favorite movie from the entire list is Sinners. It has broken countless records, including becoming the most nominated movie in Oscar history, but it has broken many barriers by becoming one of the very few horror movies nominated for an Academy Award. The director, Ryan Coogler, has mastered the blend of horrifying storytelling with relevant historical context and meaningful social commentary, and I believe it is a serious contender for Best Picture.
When it comes to best actor nominations, I believe there is no clear winner. I hope that Leonardo DiCaprio snatches the win for Best Actor for his witty performance in One Battle After Another. His performance is unlike anything I have ever seen him do, as it captures a raw and anxiety-inducing performance that leaves the audience both captivated and confused.
I do believe that the best actress may not be so unclear. Jessie Buckley, who plays Shakespeare’s wife in Hamnet, has already taken the award season by storm, winning best actress at both the Golden Globes and the Critics’ Choice Award. Her performance was extremely raw and vulnerable, following the intense emotional grief that comes with losing a child. Her performance was subtle and powerful, and I believe she will take the win in the upcoming Academy Awards.
One teacher, one campus that strives to combine both works of film and literature within her class structure is Ms. Kerby, who strives to pair works of literature like Frankenstein and The Great Gatsby with their accompanying films. When speaking to her on the value of film within her class, Ms. Kerby shared she strives to focus her discussions in class on “the cinematic or directorial choices… and how that enhances or changes the meaning we get from the text.”
Ms. Kerby explained that if students enjoy the combination of film and literature within a class, they should definitely sign up for the new English film elective, which will begin next year. The class is a single-semester course that will tackle short novels and films in a more specific way than a traditional English class. For more questions, reach out to English teacher Ms. Bellows.
