The 2026 film landscape is shaping up to be an absolute brawl, and the Oscar nominations just threw the first punch. This year’s lineup is a fascinating mix of auteur-driven epics, bold genre swings, and deeply personal indies. We’ve got Paul Thomas Anderson going sci-fi with “One Battle After Another,” Ryan Coogler blending vampire mythology with Southern Gothic in “Sinners,” and Josh Safdie returning with the A24 hype machine “Marty Supreme.” It’s a race that feels genuinely unpredictable.
Here at [Your Site Name], we live for this stuff. But as fans, we know there’s always a conflict of interest. That’s why we’re breaking down every single nominee with two distinct picks: The “Fan Favorite” —the performance or film that moved us, the one we want to see win. And the “Oscar Favorite” —the one the Academy’s voting body will likely gravitate toward based on buzz, narrative, and industry politics.
Grab your popcorn. Here are your 2026 Oscar nominees.
Best Picture
• “Bugonia” (Focus Features)
• “F1” (Apple)
• “Frankenstein” (Netflix)
• “Hamnet” (Focus Features)
• “Marty Supreme” (A24)
• “One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)
• “The Secret Agent” (Neon)
• “Sentimental Value” (Neon)
• “Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
• “Train Dreams” (Netflix)
Should win: Sinners
Will win: Sinners
Best Director
• Chloé Zhao, “Hamnet”
• Josh Safdie, “Marty Supreme”
• Paul Thomas Anderson, “One Battle After Another”
• Joachim Trier, “Sentimental Value”
• Ryan Coogler, “Sinners”
Should win: Ryan Coogler
Will win: Paul Thomas Anderson
Actor in a Leading Role
• Timothée Chalamet, “Marty Supreme”
• Leonardo DiCaprio, “One Battle After Another”
• Ethan Hawke, “Blue Moon”
• Michael B. Jordan, “Sinners”
• Wagner Moura, “The Secret Agent”
Should win: Michael B. Jordan
Will win: Timothée Chalamet
Actress in a Leading Role
• 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”
Should win: Jessie Buckley
Will win: Jessie Buckley
Actor in a Supporting Role
• Benicio del Toro, “One Battle After Another”
• Jacob Elordi, “Frankenstein”
• Delroy Lindo, “Sinners”
• Sean Penn, “One Battle After Another”
• Stellan Skarsgård, “Sentimental Value”
Should win: Delroy Lindo
Will win: Sean Penn
Actress in a Supporting Role
• Elle Fanning, “Sentimental Value”
• Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, “Sentimental Value”
• Amy Madigan, “Weapons”
• Wunmi Mosaku, “Sinners”
• Teyana Taylor, “One Battle After Another”
Should win: Wunmi Mosaku
Will win: Amy Madigan
Adapted Screenplay
• “Bugonia,” Will Tracy
• “Frankenstein,” Guillermo del Toro
• “Hamnet,” Chloé Zhao & Maggie O’Farrell
• “One Battle After Another,” Paul Thomas Anderson
• “Train Dreams,” Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar
Should win: Train Dreams
Will win: One Battle After Another
Original Screenplay
• “Blue Moon,” Robert Kaplow
• “It Was Just an Accident,” Jafar Panahi
• “Marty Supreme,” Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie
• “Sentimental Value,” Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier
• “Sinners,” Ryan Coogler
Should win: Sinners
Will win: Sinners
Animated Feature Film
• “Arco” (Neon)
• “Elio” (Walt Disney)
• “KPop Demon Hunters” (Netflix)
• “Little Amélie or the Character of Rain” (GKIDS)
• “Zootopia 2” (Walt Disney)
Should win: KPop Demon Hunters
Will win: KPop Demon Hunters
International Feature Film
• “The Secret Agent” (Brazil)
• “It Was Just an Accident” (France)
• “Sentimental Value” (Norway)
• “Sirāt” (Spain)
• “The Voice of Hind Rajab” (Tunisia)
Should win: The Secret Agent
Will win: The Secret Agent
Documentary Feature
• “The Alabama Solution”
• “Come See Me in the Good Light”
• “Cutting Through Rocks”
• “Mr. Nobody Against Putin”
• “The Perfect Neighbor”
Should win: Come See Me in the Good Light
Will win: Mr. Nobody Against Putin
Original Score
• “Bugonia,” Jerskin Fendrix
• “Frankenstein,” Alexandre Desplat
• “Hamnet,” Max Richter
• “One Battle After Another,” Jonny Greenwood
• “Sinners,” Ludwig Göransson
Should win: Sinners
Will win: Sinners
Original Song
• “Dear Me” from “Diane Warren: Relentless”
• “Golden” from “KPop Demon Hunters”
• “I Lied To You” from “Sinners”
• “Sweet Dreams Of Joy” from “Viva Verdi!”
• “Train Dreams” from “Train Dreams”
Should win: “Golden”
Will win: “Golden”
Cinematography
• “Frankenstein,” Dan Laustsen
• “Marty Supreme,” Darius Khondji
• “One Battle After Another,” Michael Bauman
• “Sinners,” Autumn Durald Arkapaw
• “Train Dreams,” Adolpho Veloso
Should win: Sinners
Will win: One Battle After Another
Costume Design
• “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” Deborah L. Scott
• “Frankenstein,” Kate Hawley
• “Hamnet,” Malgosia Turzanska
• “Marty Supreme,” Miyako Bellizzi
• “Sinners,” Ruth E. Carter
Should win: Frankenstein
Will win: Sinners
Film Editing
• “F1,” Stephen Mirrione
• “Marty Supreme,” Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie
• “One Battle After Another,” Andy Jurgensen
• “Sentimental Value,” Olivier Bugge Coutté
• “Sinners,” Michael P. Shawver
Should win: Sinners
Will win: One Battle After Another
Makeup and Hairstyling
• “Frankenstein,” Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, Cliona Furey
• “Kokuho,” Kyoko Toyokawa, Naomi Hibino, Tadashi Nishimatsu
• “Sinners,” Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine, Shunika Terry
• “The Smashing Machine,” Kazu Hiro, Glen Griffin, Bjoern Rehbein
• “The Ugly Stepsister,” Thomas Foldberg, Anne Cathrine Sauerberg
Should win: Frankenstein
Will win: Frankenstein
Production Design
• “Frankenstein,” Tamara Deverell (PD), Shane Vieau (SD)
• “Hamnet,” Fiona Crombie (PD), Alice Felton (SD)
• “Marty Supreme,” Jack Fisk (PD), Adam Willis (SD)
• “One Battle After Another,” Florencia Martin (PD), Anthony Carlino (SD)
• “Sinners,” Hannah Beachler (PD), Monique Champagne (SD)
Should win: Hamnet
Will win: Frankenstein
Sound
• “F1,” Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo, Juan Peralta
• “Frankenstein,” Greg Chapman, Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira, Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern
• “One Battle After Another,” José Antonio García, Christopher Scarabosio, Tony Villaflor
• “Sinners,” Chris Welcker, Benjamin A. Burtt, Felipe Pacheco, Brandon Proctor, Steve Boeddeker
• “Sirāt,” Amanda Villavieja, Laia Casanovas, Yasmina Praderas
Should win: Sirāt
Will win: F1
Visual Effects
• “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, Daniel Barrett
• “F1,” Ryan Tudhope, Nicolas Chevallier, Robert Harrington, Keith Dawson
• “Jurassic World Rebirth,” David Vickery, Stephen Aplin, Charmaine Chan, Neil Corbould
• “The Lost Bus,” Charlie Noble, David Zaretti, Russell Bowen, Brandon K. McLaughlin
• “Sinners,” Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, Guido Wolter, Donnie Dean
Should win: F1
Will win: Avatar: Fire and Ash
Animated Short Film
• “Butterfly”
• “Forevergreen”
• “The Girl Who Cried Pearls”
• “Retirement Plan”
• “The Three Sisters”
Should win: “Butterfly”
Will win: “Retirement Plan”
Documentary Short Film
• “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”
Should win: “All the Empty Rooms”
Will win: “All the Empty Rooms”
Live Action Short Film
• “Butcher’s Stain”
• “A Friend of Dorothy”
• “Jane Austen’s Period Drama”
• “The Singers”
• “Two People Exchanging Saliva”
Should win: “Two People Exchanging Saliva”
Will win: “Two People Exchanging Saliva”
Achievement in Casting
• “Hamnet,” Nina Gold
• “Marty Supreme,” Jennifer Venditti
• “One Battle After Another,” Cassandra Kulukundis
• “The Secret Agent,” Gabriel Domingues
• “Sinners,” Francine Maisler
Should win: Sinners
Will win: Sinners
The Final Verdict
So, who walks away with the gold? While our hearts are firmly with the haunting atmosphere of Sinners and the intimate storytelling of Train Dreams, our heads tell us this is Paul Thomas Anderson’s year. One Battle After Another has the scope, the cast, and the “career achievement” narrative that is simply irresistible to the Academy.
But that’s the beauty of Oscar season—it’s never over until the envelope is opened.
Who is your dream winner for Best Picture? Did we snub your favorite performance? Let us know in the comments below!
