Oscar Shocker: One Nominee Left Out

The 98th Academy Awards are on the cusp of unfolding, and the competition for Hollywood’s most coveted accolades appears to be a nail-biter. While the top gongs, save perhaps for Best Actress where Jessie Buckley’s performance in Hamnet seems a sure bet, are shrouded in speculation, one prominent voice has offered a peculiar guarantee. Conan O’Brien, set to host his second Oscars ceremony, has declared that one particular name will be conspicuously absent from any discussion on stage: the former President of the United States, Donald Trump.

O’Brien recently shared his perspective on The New Yorker Radio Hour, suggesting that the current political landscape has rendered satire almost obsolete. “When comedians get angry instead of clever, it doesn’t land,” the 62-year-old observed, alluding to the way real-world events now often surpass the wildest flights of comedic fancy. The glitz and glamour of the Academy Awards ceremony are set to kick off in Los Angeles on Sunday evening, which translates to 10 am on Monday AEDT.

Best Picture: A Two-Horse Race

Initially, Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another was considered the frontrunner for Best Picture. However, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners has surged in popularity as the awards season has progressed, presenting a formidable challenge. While One Battle After Another, a raucous political dark comedy, has largely swept the major guild awards – including the Golden Globes, PGAs, DGAs, and BAFTAs – Sinners has captured significant attention in the latter stages. Its triumph in the Best Ensemble category at the Actor Awards (formerly the SAG Awards) this month has been a pivotal moment.

Furthermore, Sinners has already etched its name in Oscar history by securing a record-breaking 16 nominations. This is a remarkable achievement, especially considering the film is a vampire horror set against the backdrop of the Jim Crow era. Historically, the horror genre has struggled to gain traction at the Oscars, with many critically acclaimed and iconic films like The Shining and Hereditary failing to receive any nominations.

Should Sinners manage to unseat One Battle After Another for the coveted Best Picture award, it would mark only the second horror film to ever win the top prize, following in the footsteps of The Silence of the Lambs in 1992. Moreover, if Sinners clinches more than 11 of its 16 nominated categories, it would become the most decorated film in Oscar history, surpassing monumental achievements by Ben-Hur, Titanic, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

Converging Themes, Divergent Paths

Despite their contrasting genres, Sinners and One Battle After Another share a surprising number of thematic parallels. Both films delve into complex issues such as racism, immigration, and the disillusionment felt with dominant political and cultural structures. They offer compelling narratives of struggle, resilience, and the often-unseen facets of American history, while also exploring the repercussions of attempting to suppress dissenting voices. These shared themes resonate powerfully with the current political climate, both within the United States and on a global scale. The question on everyone’s lips is whether veteran filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson will finally receive his long-overdue recognition, or if Ryan Coogler will make history with his chillingly brilliant vampire masterpiece.

The answers will be revealed on Hollywood’s biggest night. Here’s a full rundown of the nominees for the 2026 Academy Awards:

Nominees for the 98th Academy Awards

Best Picture

  • Bugonia
  • Frankenstein
  • F1
  • Hamnet
  • Marty Supreme
  • One Battle After Another
  • The Secret Agent
  • Sentimental Value
  • Sinners
  • Train Dreams

Best Director

  • Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
  • Ryan Coogler – Sinners
  • Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
  • Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value
  • Chloé Zhao – Hamnet

Best Actor

  • Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
  • Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
  • Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
  • Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
  • Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent

Best Actress

  • Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
  • Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
  • Kate Hudson – Song Sung Blue
  • Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value
  • Emma Stone – Bugonia

Best Supporting Actress

  • Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value
  • Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
  • Amy Madigan – Weapons
  • Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
  • Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

Best Supporting Actor

  • Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another
  • Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
  • Delroy Lindo – Sinners
  • Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
  • Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value

Best Adapted Screenplay

  • Bugonia
  • Frankenstein
  • Hamnet
  • One Battle After Another
  • Train Dreams

Best Original Screenplay

  • Blue Moon
  • It Was Just an Accident
  • Marty Supreme
  • Sentimental Value
  • Sinners

Best Original Song

  • “Dear Me” – Diane Warren: Relentless
  • “Golden” – KPop Demon Hunters
  • “I Lied to You” – Sinners
  • “Sweet Dreams of Joy” – Viva Verdi!
  • “Train Dreams” – Train Dreams

Best Original Score

  • Bugonia
  • Frankenstein
  • Hamnet
  • One Battle After Another
  • Sinners

Best International Feature

  • It Was Just an Accident
  • Sentimental Value
  • Sirât
  • The Secret Agent
  • The Voice of Hind Rajab

Best Animated Feature

  • Arco
  • Elio
  • KPop Demon Hunters
  • Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
  • Zootopia 2

Best Documentary Feature

  • Come See Me in the Good Light
  • Cutting Through the Rocks
  • Mr. Nobody Against Putin
  • The Alabama Solution
  • The Perfect Neighbor

Best Costume Design

  • Avatar: Fire and Ash
  • Frankenstein
  • Hamnet
  • Marty Supreme
  • Sinners

Best Make-up and Hairstyling

  • Frankenstein
  • Kokuho
  • Sinners
  • The Smashing Machine
  • The Ugly Stepsister

Best Production Design

  • Frankenstein
  • Hamnet
  • Marty Supreme
  • One Battle After Another
  • Sinners

Best Sound

  • Frankenstein
  • F1
  • One Battle After Another
  • Sinners
  • Sirât

Best Film Editing

  • F1
  • Marty Supreme
  • One Battle After Another
  • Sentimental Value
  • Sinners

Best Cinematography

  • Frankenstein
  • Marty Supreme
  • One Battle After Another
  • Sinners
  • Train Dreams

Best Visual Effects

  • Avatar: Fire and Ash
  • F1
  • Jurassic World Rebirth
  • Sinners
  • The Lost Bus

Best Live Action Short

  • A Friend of Dorothy
  • Butcher’s Stain
  • Jane Austen’s Period Drama
  • The Singers
  • Two People Exchanging Saliva

Best Animated Short

  • Butterfly
  • Forevergreen
  • Retirement Plan
  • The Girl Who Cried Pearls
  • The Three Sisters

Best Documentary Short

  • All the Empty Rooms
  • Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud
  • Children No More: Were and Are Gone
  • The Devil Is Busy
  • Perfectly a Strangeness

Best Casting

  • Hamnet
  • Marty Supreme
  • One Battle After Another
  • Sinners
  • The Secret Agent

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