Oscars Nominations: Snubs and Surprises

Let’s break down the nominations for the 98th Academy Awards.

On the 22nd of January at 1:30pm, the Academy announced the nominations for the upcoming film awards. As the oldest worldwide entertainment awards ceremony, first held in 1929 and first televised in 1953, it is considered the most prestigious.

However, as usual, the nominations have sparked much debate. For one, in the Best Actress category, many are surprised that Chase Infinity (One Battle After Another) was not included in the five. One Battle After Another, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, follows the story of a revolutionary in hiding (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) with his daughter (played by Chase Infiniti) when his evil nemesis resurfaces and attempts to find the father and daughter duo. The film has received glowing reviews and has already become a cult classic, filled with strong female characters played by Regina Hall and Teyana Taylor who was also deservedly nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Despite rave reviews for her performance in the film, Chase Infinity did not make the cut shockingly. However, the men in this film received three nominations, Leonardo DiCaprio for Best Actor as well as Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn for Best Supporting Actor. Furthermore, many have taken to social media to express their shock for the lack of Wicked For Good nominations since many had assumed nominations for Best Supporting Actress for Ariana Grande and Costume Design.

Another big shock was the inclusion of F1 in the Best Picture category. However, the award looks beyond what is shown on screen and also values behind-the-scenes work, such as costume and set design, which many online users say justifies its nomination. Many were also confused that Cannes’ Palme d’Or winner It Was Just an Accident did not make it into the top ten. Meanwhile, Park Chan-wook was notably snubbed, with his acclaimed film No Other Choice receiving no nominations.

However, Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler made history with the most nominations for one single film. Sinners received 16 nominations in total, including Best Picture, Best Directing, Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan, Best Supporting Actor for Delroy Lindo and Best Supporting Actress for Wunmi Mosaku.

The nominations for Best Picture are as followed: Hamnet, One Battle After Another, Bugonia, Sinners, F1, Frankenstein, Marty Supreme, O Agente Secreto (The Secret Agent), Train Dreams, Sentimental Value. You can find the full list on the Academy’s website: https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2026

Whatever happens, it has been a great year for film. My personal favourites are Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet and PTA’s One Battle After Another. What did you think? Do you have any favourites or disagree with any of the snubs or surprises?

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