The preliminary list of 2026 Oscars has been announced in 12 categories / The prominent role of female directors

The shortlist of Oscar nominees in 12 categories was announced, with “The Sinners” and “Villain: Forever” leading the nominations, and “The Path” also being a serious contender

According to the Media Life story , citing Variety, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its shortlist of nominees in 12 categories, with Warner Bros.’ “The Sinners” and Universal’s “Villain: Forever” each leading the pack with 8 nominations

The 12 categories introduced include animated short film, feature-length documentary film, documentary short film, international feature film, short film, makeup and hairstyling, soundtrack, original song, sound and special effects, as well as a new category including achievement in casting and best cinematography

While Ryan Coogler’s “The Sinners” won for acting, cinematography, makeup and hairstyling, sound, visual effects, and both musical categories, “Villain: Forever” also won for acting, cinematography, makeup and hairstyling, original score, sound, special effects, and two original songs by Steven Schwartz. Also in the cinematography category, a belated but necessary nod goes to Alice Brooks, a talented cinematographer who is still waiting for her first Oscar nomination

Netflix’s “Frankenstein” also won Oscars with nominations in six notable film categories, including acting, cinematography, makeup and hairstyling, original score, sound, and special effects

There were few surprises in the International Feature Film category and the selections were predictable; although Neon, as distributor, took 5 of the 15 available slots, which is a record

The shortlist for the first acting nomination period that the Academy has added to its awards includes nine films directed by women, which is an important step for women to be represented at the Oscars

Other films that showed off their strength in several categories include “Sentimental Value,” “One Battle After Another,” and “Marty Moazzam.” The film “Sirat” also displayed its technical strength in several categories

In this year’s selections, female directors found a significant place, with 7 out of 15 international feature films directed by women and 10 out of 15 feature documentaries directed by female filmmakers

Oscar voting begins on Monday, January 12, and ends on Friday, January 16, with the final nominees announced on Thursday, January 22

The full list of films that have a chance of being nominated for an Oscar so far is as follows

Casting Director

Frankenstein (Netflix) – Robin D. Cook

Hement (Focus Features) – Nina Gold

Marty the Great (A24) – Jennifer Venditti

“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.) – Cassandra Kolokondis

Secret Agent (Neon) – Gabriel Dominguez

Sentimental Value (Neon) – Ingvil Kolst Haga and Avi Kaufman

The Sinners (Warner Bros.) – Francine Maisler

The Path (Neon) – Nadia Achimy, Louis Bertolo and Erika Bolick

Guns (Warner Bros.) – Allison Jones

Villain: Forever (Universal Pictures) – Tiffany Little Canfield and Bernard Telsey

This is the first year that the newest Oscar category is voting for Best Actor, so experts had little say in how the category would pan out, but it is notable that nine of the 10 films on the list were cast by a female director. Of those, six are expected to be contenders for Best Picture, including Hamnet, Marty the Great, The Battle After Another Battle, Sentimentality and The Sinners. Two international films, Brazil’s The Secret Service and Spain’s The Path, as well as the horror film The Guns, are also in the running. Ten films will ultimately be nominated for Best Actor at the 98th Academy Awards

Filming

“The Ballad of a Little Player” (Netflix) – James Friend

“Beaugonia” (Focus Features) – Robbie Ryan

“Die My Love” (Moby) – Seamus McGarvey

“F-1” (Apple Original Films/Warner Bros.) – Claudio Miranda

“Frankenstein” (Netflix) – Dan Lastsen

“Hament” (Focus Features) – Vokas Zhal

“Marty Moazzam” (A24) – Dariush Khondji

“New Wave” (Netflix) – David Chambile

“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.) – Michael Bowman

“Sentimental Value” (Neon) – Casper Tuxen

Sinners (Warner Bros) – Autumn Dorald Arkapau

LThe Path (Neon) – Mauro Herce

Song Song Blue (Focus Features) – Amy Vincent

The Sound of Falling (Mobi) – Fabian Gamper

Train Dreams (Netflix) – Adolfo Veloso

“Villain: Forever” (Universal Pictures) – Alice Brooks

Feature Documentary Film

“The Alabama Solution” (HBO)

“Apocalypse in the Tropics” (Netflix)

“Coexistence, my ass!” (M Tuckman Media)

“Come see me in a good light” (Apple)

“The Hood” (Netflix)

“Cut the Stones” (Madman Entertainment)

“Folktales” (Magnolia Pictures)

“Keeping the Liat” (self-distributed)

“Mr. Nobody vs. Putin” (Bantham Films)

“Mistress of the Whistleblower” (Oscilloscope Laboratories)

“My Unwanted Friends: Part 1 – The Last Flight to Moscow” (Argot)

The Perfect Neighbor (Netflix)

Seeds (Interior Films)

۲۰۰۰ Meters to Andryovka (PBS)

Yanuni (self-distributed)

The long-form documentary shortlist included several expected blockbusters: “۲۰۰۰ Meters to Andriyka,” “The Alabama Solution,” “Apocalypse in the Tropics,” and “Come See Me in a Good Light.” Meanwhile, the inclusion of more independent titles like “Holding Liat” and “Yannoni” showed support for independent voices over the products of more commercial companies. Out of 201 films that qualified for the category, 15 made it to the top, and the documentary section will ultimately vote on five finalists

Short documentary film

“All the Empty Rooms” (Netflix) – Directed by Joshua Seftel

“All the Walls Fell Down” (Interloper Films) – Directed by Ondi Timoner

“Armed with Only a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Reno” (HBO Documentary Films) – Directed by Brent Reno and Craig Reno

“Bad Hostage” (Film Fund) – Directed by Mimi Wilcox

“Making Money” (The New Yorker) – Directed by Matt Nadel

“Chasing Time” (Exposure Labs) – Directed by Sarah Keough and Jeff Orlowski-Young

“Children No More: “They Gone and Gone” (distributor unknown) – directed by Hila Medalia

“Classroom 4” (Eden Wurmfeld Films) – Directed by Eden Wurmfeld

“The Devil Is Busy” (HBO Documentaries) – Directed by Geeta Gand

“Heartbeat” (Pinehouse Films)

“The Last Days at Trinity Lake”

“In the healing land, birds sit”

“Quite a strange thing”

“Rovina’s Choice”

“We were the scene”

International feature film

Argentina, “Belen” (Amazon MGM Studios)

Brazil, “Secret Agent” (Neon)

France, “A Simple Accident” (Neon)

Germany, “The Sound of Falling” (Mobi)

India, “Back Home”

Iraq, “President’s Cake” (Sony Pictures Classics)

Japan, “Kokuho” (Toho)

Jordan, “All That’s Left of You” (Watermelon Pictures)

Norway, “Sentimental Value” (Neon)

Palestine, “Palestine 36” (Watermelon Pictures)

South Korea, “There is no other choice” (Neon)

Spain, “Sirat” (Neon)

Switzerland, “Night Shift” (Music Box Films)

Taiwan, “Left-Handed Girl” (Netflix)

Tunisia, “Voice of India Rajab” (Villa)

The list of nominees for this category was largely in line with expectations, although the Swiss film “Night Shift” made the list as a surprise, preventing the British film “My Father’s Shadow” from making it to the list. The film won the Gotham Award for Best Actor. Neon, with five films (“The Secret Agent,” “The Path,” “A Simple Accident,” “Sentimental Value,” and “There’s No Other Choice”), dominates the international category. Watermelon Pictures’ presence, with two films from Jordan (“All That’s Left of You”) and Palestine (“Palestine 36”), demonstrates the place of Middle Eastern cinema on the global stage

In the International Feature Film category, 86 films were eligible, and Academy members from all branches participated in the preliminary round of voting for this category. From this shortlist of 15 films, five films will make it to the final list

Makeup and hairstyling

“Alto’s Knights” (Warner Bros.)

“Frankenstein” (Netflix)

“Kokuho” (Toho)

“Marty Moazzam” (A24)

“Nuremberg” (Sony Pictures Classics)

“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)

“The Sinners” (Warner Bros.)

“Crushing Machine” (A24)

“The Ugly Stepsister” (IFC)

“Villain: Forever” (Universal Pictures)

The competition in this category is unpredictable, and Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” seems to be the only surefire choice for the shortlist. “28 Years Later,” “Blue Moon” and “Superman” are the films that are missing from the list

Soundtrack

“Avatar: Fire and Ashes” (20th Century Studios) – Simon Franglen

“Bogonia” (Focus Features) – Jerskin Fendrix

“Captain America: Brave New World” (Marvel Studios) – Laura Karpman

“Diane Warren: Ruthless” (Greenwich Entertainment) – Leslie Barber

“F1” (Apple Original Films/Warner Bros.) – Hans Zimmer

“Frankenstein” (Netflix) – Alexandre Desplat

“Hament” (Focus Features) – Max Richter

“Heda” (Amazon MGM Studios) – Hildur Guðnadottir

“House of Dynamite” (Netflix) – Volker Bertelmann

“J. Kelly” (Netflix) – Nicholas Brittle

“Marty the Great” (A24) – Daniel Lopatin

“Nuremberg” (Sony Pictures Classics) – Brian Tyler

“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.) – Jonny Greenwood

“The Sinners” (Warner Bros.) – Ludwig Göransson

“The Path” (Neon) – Kangding Ri

“Train Dreams” (Netflix) – Bryce Dessner

“Tron: Ares” (20th Century Studios) – Nine Inch Nails

“Truth and Betrayal” (Angel) – Aaron Sigman

“Wake the Dead Man: A Knife Puzzle” (Netflix) – Nathan Johnson

“Villain: Forever” (Universal Pictures) – John Powell and Steven Schwartz

Three female composers made it into the category, including Oscar winner Hildur Guðnadóttir. Notable omissions include two notable works by Michael Giacchino, including Fantastic Four: First Steps and Zootopia 2, as well as Volker Bertelmann’s Ballad of a Little Player. Of the 135 eligible works, 20 made the list, the fewest in a decade

Best song from the movie

“Live As Long As You Need Me” from “Tron: Ares” (20th Century Studios) – Nine Inch Nails

“My Darling” from “Diane Warren: Ruthless” (Greenwich Entertainment) – Diane Warren

“One Dream” from “Avatar: Fire and Ashes” – Miley Cyrus, Simon Franglen, Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt

“Drive” from “F-1” (Apple Original Films/Warner Bros.) – John Mayer, Ed Sheeran and Blake Slotkin

“Dying to Live” from “Billy Idol Must Be Dead” (Fremantle) – Tommy English, Billy Idol, Joe Janiak, J. Ralph and Steve Stevens

“Girl in the Bubble” from “Villain: Forever” (Universal Pictures) – Steven Schwartz

“Golden” from “K-Pop Demon Hunters” (Netflix) – AGEA and Mark Sonnenblick

“Highest to Lowest” from “Highest 2 Lowest” (A24/Apple) – Ayana Lee Anderson and Nicole Dasiana Anderson

“I Lied to You” from “The Sinners” (Warner Bros.) – Ludwig Göransson and Rafael Sadiq

“The Last Time I Saw the Sun” from “The Sinners” (Warner Bros.) – Miles Cotton, Ludwig Goransson and Alice Smith

“There’s No Place Like Home” from “Villain: Forever” (Universal Pictures) – Steven Schwartz

“Our Love” from “The Ballad of Wallis Island” (Focus Features) – Tom Bassdon

“Salt, Then Sour, Then Sweet” from “Come See Me in a Good Light” (Apple) – Sara Bareilles, Brandi Carlile, and Andrea Gibson

“Sweet Dreams of Joy” from “Viva Verdi!” Nicholas Pike

“Train Dreams” from “Train Dreams” (Netflix) – Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner

This year, only 68 songs qualified, the fewest in more than a decade, with Steven Schwartz making a rare double appearance with two songs from “Villain: Forever.” Only members of the music section vote to determine the shortlist and nominees.

Animated short film

“Autocar” directed by Sylvia Eskiladze

“Butterfly” directed by Florence Mihaiel

“Cardboard” directed by J. P. Vine

“Ero” directed by Giovanna Ferrari

“Evergreen” directed by Nathan Engelhart and Jeremy Spears

“The Girl Who Cried Pearls” directed by Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski

“Hurricane” directed by Jan Saska

“I Lived in Irpin” by Anastasia Falilieva

“Night Boots” by Pierre-Luc Grandjon

“Game of God” directed by Matteo Borrani

“The Spirit of Quinta” directed by James A. Castillo

“The Retirement Plan” by John Kelly

“Shy Trees” by Sofia Choikovska, Loic du Plessis d’Argent, Lina Han, Simin He, Jiaxin Huang, Maud Le Brass, Bingqing Shu

“Snow Bear” directed by Aaron Blaise

“Three Sisters” directed by Timur Kuganov

In the nominations round, Academy members from the Animated Feature and Short Film categories can vote. Eligible members must see all 15 shortlisted films to vote

Short film

“Ado” (US distributor: unknown)

“Amarella” (MyMama Entertainment)

“Beyond Silence” (PRPL)

“A Boy with White Skin” (Manifesto)

“The Butcher’s Mark” (US distributor: unknown)

“Butterfly on a Wheel” (Snow Dance Entertainment)

“Dad’s Not Home” (Skola Filmova)

“Extreme” (The New Yorker)

“Dorothy’s Friend” (Gorges Productions)

“Jane Austen’s Historical Drama”

“Pantyhose” (Harmony Concepts)

“Pearl Comb” (Dunninger Films)

“Rock, Paper, Scissors” (National Film and Television School)

“The Singers” (Highway West Entertainment)

“Two People Exchanging” (The New Yorker)

Academy members from all branches were invited to participate in the initial voting round and select 15 films

Sound

“Avatar: Fire and Ashes” (20th Century Studios)

“F-1” (Apple Original Films/Warner Bros.)

“Frankenstein” (Netflix)

“Mission: Impossible – Fallout” (Paramount Pictures)

“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros)

“The Sinners” (Warner Bros)

Sirat (Neon)

Springsteen: Save Me from Nowhere (20th Century Studios)

Superman (Warner Bros)

“Villain: Forever” (Universal Pictures)

In this group, “Battle After Battle” with its gritty realism, every explosion and heartbreaking scream carefully timed for deep emotional impact, drawing the audience directly into the fog of battle, and “The Sinners” with its mix of sound that is equal parts operatic and sinister, continue their awards winning streak. Perhaps the most interesting nominee in the group in a decade is “The Road,” which has the kind of excellent sound quality that is reserved for non-English-language blockbusters, and in “Formula One,” a surefire contender, the sound practically becomes a character, immersing the audience in the roar of the engines and the momentary tension of race day. “Frankenstein” also takes a completely different tack, combining gothic atmosphere and eerie silence. All the eligible members of the sound category will choose the five finalists from among them

Special effects

“Avatar: Fire and Ashes” (20th Century Studios)

“Electric State” (Netflix)

“F1” (Apple/Warner Bros.)

“Frankenstein” (Netflix)

Jurassic World Reborn (Universal Pictures)

The Lost Bus (Apple)

The Sinners (Warner Bros)

Superman (DC Studios)

Tron: Ares (20th Century Studios)

Villain: Forever (Universal Pictures)

Let’s start with the obvious power: Avatar: Fire and Ashes

James Cameron looks set to go deep into Oscar territory with another stunning epic, but Formula One brings digital precision to the track alongside the roar of the engines, with photoreal racing sequences that make audiences wonder what is real and what is not, and Frankenstein mixes special effects and CGI. There’s also Jurassic World Rebirth. In January, all members of the special effects panel will be invited to select the final five films