By SW News Culture Desk
Los Angeles woke up early for movie magic. On Thursday, January 22, 2026, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled the nominations for the 98th Annual Academy Awards®, setting the tone for what promises to be one of the most eclectic and globally minded Oscar races in recent memory.
Oscar®-nominated actor Danielle Brooks and actor Lewis Pullman announced the nominees live from the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, revealing the categories in two rounds beginning at 5:30 a.m. PT. The announcement streamed worldwide across Oscars.org, Oscar.com, the Academy’s digital platforms, ABC’s Good Morning America, ABC News Live, Disney+, Hulu, and international broadcast feeds—underscoring the Oscars’ expanding global reach.
The 98th Oscars® ceremony will air live on Sunday, March 15, at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT on ABC and Hulu.
Best Picture: A Bold, Genre-Bending Lineup
Ryan Coogler at a Q&A for Sinners in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kevin Paul
This year’s Best Motion Picture of the Year slate is a striking mix of prestige auteurs, star-driven epics, daring indies, and international voices: Bugonia, F1, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle after Another, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, Sinners, and Train Dreams.
The nominations mark notable milestones. Steven Spielberg earns his 14th Best Picture nomination with Hamnet, while Yorgos Lanthimos, Emma Stone, and Ed Guiney return to the category following their success with Poor Things. Meanwhile, Sinners and Sentimental Value signal the Academy’s continued embrace of bold storytelling and international co-productions.
Chloé Zhao at the 2025 Telluride Film Festival, courtesy of FiesolanaNYC
Directing: Auteurs at the Forefront
The Achievement in Directing category reads like a masterclass in contemporary cinema, with nominations for Chloé Zhao (Hamnet), Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme), Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle after Another), Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value), and Ryan Coogler (Sinners).
For Zhao, it’s another chapter in an already historic career. For Safdie and Coogler, it marks their first nominations in this category, reflecting the Academy’s growing recognition of boundary-pushing voices.
Acting Races: Stars, Breakouts, and First-Timers
Leonardo DiCaprio, nominated for his role in One Battle After Another. Courtesy of Warner Bros.
In the Leading Actor race, Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme) continues his ascent, joined by Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle after Another), Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon), and first-time nominees Michael B. Jordan (Sinners) and Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent).
The Leading Actress category blends established and emerging talent, with nominations for Jessie Buckley (Hamnet), Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You), Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue), Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value), and Emma Stone (Bugonia). Stone’s nod brings her career total to seven nominations.
The supporting categories are equally competitive, spotlighting breakout performances from Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein), Delroy Lindo (Sinners), Elle Fanning (Sentimental Value), and Teyana Taylor (One Battle after Another), alongside veterans Benicio Del Toro and Sean Penn.
Screenwriting: Literary Roots and Original Voices
The Adapted Screenplay race features Bugonia, Frankenstein, Hamnet, One Battle after Another, and Train Dreams, drawing heavily from novels and classic literature. Original Screenplay highlights bold personal visions including Blue Moon, Marty Supreme, Sentimental Value, Sinners, and It Was Just an Accident.
International and Animated Cinema Shine
The International Feature Film category showcases a wide global range, with nominees from Brazil, France, Norway, Spain, and Tunisia. Brazil’s The Secret Agent builds on the country’s recent Oscar success, while France extends its record-setting history in the category.
In Animated Feature Film, studio powerhouses meet art-house creativity, with contenders including Disney’s Elio and Zootopia 2, Neon’s Arco, Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters, and GKIDS’ Little Amélie or the Character of Rain.
With its mix of established legends, first-time nominees, genre experimentation, and international storytelling, the 98th Oscars nominations reflect an Academy still redefining what “Oscar-worthy” means in a changing film landscape. The countdown now begins to March 15, when one of these films—and filmmakers—will make Oscar history.
Main feature image:Lewis Pullman and Danielle Brooks host the announcement of the 98th Oscars® nominations, on Tuesday, January 22, 2026. Richard Harbaugh / The Academy Courtesy and copyright ©A.M.P.A.S.
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