“Wicked: For Good” and “Sinners” appeared on the most shortlists for the 98th Academy Awards on Tuesday, when the Academy announced between 10 and 20 semi-finalists in 12 categories. Both “Wicked” and “Sinners” were on seven lists, including two each in the Original Song Category. “Frankenstein” also made a strong showing, finding a spot on six lists. “One Battle After Another” appeared on five.
Best Casting, the new category for the 98th Academy Awards, went mostly as predicted, with “One Battle After Another” (Cassandra Kulukundis), “Marty Supreme” (Jennifer Venditti) and “Hamnet” (Nina Gold) among the titles that made the cut. The surprise was “Sirât,” the only film in the category not featured in our recent Casting Directors package. Spain’s entry for international feature appeared on five lists, more than any other non-English-language film.
“Sirât” is one of five international contenders distributed by Neon — Brazil’s “The Secret Agent,” France’s “It Was Just an Accident,” Norway’s “Sentimental Value” and South Korea’s “No Other Choice” — and they all made the list. So did presumed favorites like Tunisia’s “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” Argentina’s “Belén,” Japan’s “Kokuho” and Taiwan’s “Left-Handed Girl.”
In fact, there’s virtually nothing surprising about the Best International Feature list — and that fact in itself isn’t surprising, either. Ever since 2021, when the Academy eliminated the executive committee that would add two of its own choices to the shortlist, the films that have advanced have by and large been the films that were expected to advance. Another change that benefits frontrunners: Voters are no longer asked to give each film a score, but must instead simply choose their favorites, which gives a decided advantage to the high-profile films that are seen by the more members.
A few movies that seemed to be in the running slipped out, among them the United Kingdom’s “My Father’s Shadow” and Ukraine’s “2000 Meters to Andriivka” (which did make the documentary shortlist), but the films selected instead, including Palestine’s “Palestine 36,” Iraq’s “The President’s Cake” and India’s “Homebound,” were known to have screened well with voters.
There’s nothing light on the documentary shortlist, none of the pop-culture chronicles that sometimes show up. Instead, it’s a dark list for dark times, with two films on the conflict in Gaza (“Coexistence, My Ass!” and “Holding Liat”), three about Russia (“2000 Meters to Andriivka,” “Mr. Nobody Against Putin” and “My Undesirable Friends: Part 1 – Last Air in Moscow”) and others about injustice and struggle around the world (“Cutting Through Rocks,” “Apocalypse in the Tropics”) and in the U.S. (“The Perfect Neighbor,” “The Alabama Solution,” “Seeds”).
Even more than the Academy at large, the Documentary Branch has become increasingly international in the last 10 years, and it always shows in the nominations and the shortlists. If there’s a surprise in this year’s list, it’s that the U.S. presence is stronger than usual, though in some cases that means American filmmakers making films in places like Norway (“Folktales”). Among the high-profile films that are missing: Raoul Peck’s “Orwell: 2+2=5,” Sepideh Farsi’s “Put Your Soul in Your Hand and Walk” and Tamara Kotevska’s “The Tale of Silyan.”
Further Takeaways:
Cinematography An Oscars category since 1929, cinematography made its shortlist debut with 16 films that included a mix of large-scale visual spectacles (“Frankenstein,” “Sinners,” Wicked: For Good”) alongside such intimate projects as “Sentimental Value” and “Sound of Falling.” Under-the-radar titles “Ballad of a Small Player” (photographed by Oscar winner James Friend), “Die My Love” (by two-time nominee Seamus McGarvey) and the Neil Diamond musical “Song Sung Blue” by never-nominated Amy Vincent all got a boost. Vincent is one of two women on the shortlists, with “Sinners” DP Autumn Durald Arkapaw.
Makeup and Hairstyling Often the shortlist category with the highest ratio of curveball titles, Best Makeup and Hairstyling didn’t disappoint, welcoming outré titles like the body horror “The Ugly Stepsister” and the flop from last March “The Alto Knights,” starring Robert De Niro in a dual role. True-life dramas “Marty Supreme,” “Nuremberg,” “Kokuho” (also shortlisted for Best International Film) and “The Smashing Machine” also did well. And “One Battle After Another” showed up here, likely thanks to a late scene involving Sean Penn. But notable omissions: “Weapons,” “28 Years Later” and “Christy.”
Original Score Several of this year’s names are perennial favorites, including Nicholas Britell (“Jay Kelly”), Alexandre Desplat (“Frankenstein”) and Ludwig Göransson (“Sinners”). Both Britell and Desplat made the shortlist for a sixth time, while Göransson cracked it for a fifth.
Several past winners returned, among them, Göransson, Desplat, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (“After the Hunt”), Hans Zimmer (“F1”) and Hildur Guðnadóttir (“Hedda”). There were surprises: “Captain America: Brave New World” (Laura Karpman) and “Truth and Treason” (Aaron Zigman) enter the semi-finals. Hania Rani’s work on “Sentimental Value” was snubbed.
Simon Franglen, who made the shortlist in 2022 for “Avatar: The Way of Water” but missed the nomination, has the opportunity to become a first-time Oscar nominee for his work on “Avatar: Fire and Ash.” Other potential first-timers include Daniel Lopatin (“Marty Supreme”), Brian Tyler (“Nuremberg”), Bryce Dessner (“Train Dreams”) and Nathan Johnson (“Wake Up Dead Man”).
Original Song “Sinners” and “Wicked: For Good” both landed two songs here. “KPop Demon Hunters,” “Highest 2 Lowest” and “The Ballad of Wallis Island,” each got a single nod. And of course Diane Warren was included, this time for a song she wrote for her own documentary. She has not been left out of a Best Original Song lineup since 2016.
Sound Traditionally the domain of loud action pictures and musicals, the Best Sound category was again stacked with those genres: aural spectaculars “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” and “Superman” were shortlisted along with music-loaded “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere,” “Sinners” and “Wicked: For Good.” There was also room for “Sirāt,” set among Burning Man-like raves in the desert.
Visual Effects The VFX category is dominated by sci-fi and fantasy titles, including “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” the third installment of a series which has won this award for both previous films. “Superman,” “Frankenstein,” and “Jurassic World Rebirth” were also cited, along with two real-world, vehicle-heavy movies (“F1” and “The Lost Bus”), which used VFX for non-fantasy means.
Shorts categories The animated short category is almost totally European, with a handful of North American films far outnumbered by work from France, Belgium, Ireland, the Czech Republic, Italy, Spain and Cyprus, among other places. Some are hand drawn, a couple are in black and white, there’s some stop-motion animation and “Playing God” uses Claymation to tell a story about, well, Claymation figures. “The Shyness of Trees” is a French Student Academy Award winner, and it’s also one of a few spooky entries.
Shortlisted live action shorts hail from Brazil, the Netherlands, Senegal, Canada, Russia, Finland, the United Kingdom and more – including, in a few cases the U.S. Thematically, there’s a huge range: “Ado” deals with a school shooting, “Rock, Paper, Scissors” with wartime Ukraine and “Amarela” with teen violence, while “Jane Austen’s Period Drama” and a few others are outright comedies. “Two People Exchanging Saliva” stars and was executive produced by Zar Amir Ebrahimi, the Iranian actress who won acclaim in “Holy Spider” three years ago. And two of the shortlisted films have already won Oscars: “Butcher’s Stain” and “Dad’s Not Home” took home Student Academy Awards earlier this fall.
And the documentary short shortlist, like the doc feature shortlist, is grim and global. There are films that chronicle the bedrooms of children killed in school shootings (“All the Empty Rooms”), a journalist killed in Ukraine (“Armed Only With a Camera”), AIDS profiteering (“Cashing Out”), mass incarceration (“Classroom 4”), an African refugee camp (“Rovina’s Choice”), Gaza (“Children No More: Were and Are Gone”) and the repercussions of the Vietnam War (“On Healing Lands, Birds Perch,” “We Were the Scenery”). As usual, the list includes backers like HBO Documentary Films, Netflix and the New Yorker, and notable filmmakers like Ondi Timoner (“All the Walls Came Down”) and Geeta Gandbhir (shortlisted in the feature category for “The Pefect Neighbor” and here for “The Devil Is Busy”).
The number of Oscar shortlists expanded from 1o to 12 this year with the addition of Best Casting and Best Cinematography.
The shortlists were chosen by members of the appropriate branch of the Academy in 10 of the 12 categories, and by volunteers from all branches of the Academy in the Best International Feature Film and Best Live Action Short Film categories.
Here are all the films that made the shortlists for the 98th Academy Awards. Films are listed in alphabetical order. Explanations in italics are from the Academy.
ANIMATED SHORT FILM Fifteen films will advance in the Animated Short Film category for the 98th Academy Awards. One hundred thirteen films qualified in the category. Academy members from the Animation Branch and Short Films Branch were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must have met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.
In the nominations round, Academy members from all branches are invited to opt in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote.
“Autokar” “Butterfly” “Cardboard” “Éiru” “Forevergreen” “The Girl Who Cried Pearls” “Hurikán” “I Died in Irpin” “The Night Boots” “Playing God” “The Quinta’s Ghost” “Retirement Plan” “The Shyness of Trees” “Snow Bear” “The Three Sisters”
CASTING Ten films will advance in the Casting category for the 98th Academy Awards. Members of the Casting Directors Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees. Academy members will be invited to view excerpts from the shortlisted films and pre-recorded interviews with their casting directors on Friday, January 9, 2026, in Los Angeles and London, and in New York on Saturday, January 10, 2026.
“Frankenstein” “Hamnet” “Marty Supreme” “One Battle after Another” “The Secret Agent” “Sentimental Value” “Sinners” “Sirât” “Weapons” “Wicked: For Good”
CINEMATOGRAPHY Sixteen films will advance in the Cinematography category for the 98th Academy Awards. Members of the Cinematographers Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees. Per the awards rules for the 98th Academy Awards, the preliminary round of voting will determine a shortlist of between 10 and 20 films.
“Ballad of a Small Player” “Bugonia” “Die My Love” “F1” “Frankenstein” “Hamnet” “Marty Supreme” “Nouvelle Vague” “One Battle after Another” “Sentimental Value” “Sinners” “Sirât” “Song Sung Blue” “Sound of Falling” “Train Dreams” “Wicked: For Good”
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM Fifteen films will advance in the Documentary Feature Film category for the 98th Academy Awards. Two hundred one films were eligible in the category. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
“The Alabama Solution” “Apocalypse in the Tropics” “Coexistence, My Ass!” “Come See Me in the Good Light” “Cover-Up” “Cutting through Rocks” “Folktales” “Holding Liat” “Mr. Nobody against Putin” “Mistress Dispeller” “My Undesirable Friends: Part 1 – Last Air in Moscow” “The Perfect Neighbor” “Seeds” “2000 Meters to Andriivka” “Yanuni”
DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM Fifteen films will advance in the Documentary Short Film category for the 98th Academy Awards. One hundred seventeen films qualified in the category. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
“All the Empty Rooms” “All the Walls Came Down” “Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud” “Bad Hostage” “Cashing Out” “Chasing Time” “Children No More: “Were and Are Gone”” “Classroom 4” “The Devil Is Busy” “Heartbeat” “Last Days on Lake Trinity” “On Healing Land, Birds Perch” “Perfectly a Strangeness” “Rovina’s Choice” “We Were the Scenery”
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM Fifteen films will advance to the next round of voting in the International Feature Film category for the 98th Academy Awards. Films from 86 countries or regions were eligible in the category.
Academy members from all branches were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must have met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.
In the nominations round, Academy members from all branches are invited to opt in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:
Argentina, “Belén” Brazil, “The Secret Agent” France, “It Was Just an Accident” Germany, “Sound of Falling” India, “Homebound” Iraq, “The President’s Cake” Japan, “Kokuho” Jordan, “All That’s Left of You” Norway, “Sentimental Value” Palestine, “Palestine 36” South Korea, “No Other Choice” Spain, “Sirât” Switzerland, “Late Shift” Taiwan, “Left-Handed Girl” Tunisia, “The Voice of Hind Rajab”
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM Fifteen films will advance in the Live Action Short Film category for the 98th Academy Awards. Two hundred seven films qualified in the category. Academy members from all branches were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must have met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.
In the nominations round, Academy members from all branches are invited to opt in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote.
“Ado” “Amarela” “Beyond Silence” “The Boy with White Skin” “Butcher’s Stain” “Butterfly on a Wheel” “Dad’s Not Home” “Extremist” “A Friend of Dorothy” “Jane Austen’s Period Drama” “Pantyhose” “The Pearl Comb” “Rock, Paper, Scissors” “The Singers” “Two People Exchanging Saliva”
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING Ten films will advance in the Makeup and Hairstyling category for the 98th Academy Awards. Members of the Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees. Academy members will be invited to view excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, January 10, 2026.
“The Alto Knights” “Frankenstein” “Kokuho” “Marty Supreme” “Nuremberg” “One Battle after Another” “Sinners” “The Smashing Machine” “The Ugly Stepsister” “Wicked: For Good”
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE) Twenty scores will advance in the Original Score category for the 98th Academy Awards. One hundred thirty-two scores were eligible in the category. Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” “Bugonia” “Captain America: Brave New World” “Diane Warren: Relentless” “F1” “Frankenstein” “Hamnet” “Hedda” “A House of Dynamite” “Jay Kelly” “Marty Supreme” “Nuremberg” “One Battle after Another” “Sinners” “Sirât” “Train Dreams” “Tron: Ares” “Truth and Treason” “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” “Wicked: For Good”
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG) Fifteen songs will advance in the Original Song category for the 98th Academy Awards. Sixty-five songs were eligible in the category. Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
“As Alive As You Need Me To Be” from “Tron: Ares” “Dear Me” from “Diane Warren: Relentless” “Dream As One” from “Avatar: Fire and Ash” “Drive” from “F1” “Dying To Live” from “Billy Idol Should Be Dead” “The Girl In The Bubble” from “Wicked: For Good” “Golden” from “KPop Demon Hunters” “Highest 2 Lowest” from “Highest 2 Lowest” “I Lied To You” from “Sinners” “Last Time (I Seen The Sun)” from “Sinners” “No Place Like Home” from “Wicked: For Good” “Our Love” from “The Ballad of Wallis Island” “Salt Then Sour Then Sweet” from “Come See Me in the Good Light” “Sweet Dreams Of Joy” from “Viva Verdi!” “Train Dreams” from “Train Dreams”
SOUND Ten films will advance in the Sound category for the 98th Academy Awards. All eligible members of the Sound Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees. Academy members will be invited to view excerpts from each of the shortlisted films beginning Saturday, January 10, 2025, in the San Francisco Bay area, London and New York, followed by Los Angeles on Sunday, January 11, 2026.
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” “F1” “Frankenstein” “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” “One Battle after Another” “Sinners” “Sirât” “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere” “Superman” “Wicked: For Good”
VISUAL EFFECTS Ten films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 98th Academy Awards. The Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the shortlist. Academy members will be invited to view excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, January 10, 2026. Visual Effects Branch members will vote to determine the nominees.
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” “The Electric State” “F1” “Frankenstein” “Jurassic World Rebirth” “The Lost Bus” “Sinners” “Superman” “Tron: Ares” “Wicked: For Good”
(Casey Loving and Joe McGovern contributed to his report.)
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