You can learn a great deal about a movie from just one scene. Some act as microcosms for a film’s theme. Others help paint a clear picture of character motivations. And others just want to dazzle.
A few of the scenes you’ll find here from the best picture nominees at the 2026 Academy Awards on Sunday were among the most talked about of the year. “Sinners” packs decades of Black music history inside of one sweeping shot. “Train Dreams” uses a plane ride to sum up the totality of a man’s life. Two films unlock emotions on theatrical stages and a third takes a moment to pause in a place where that act can be most detrimental: on a race track.
Below, the directors behind eight of the 10 best picture contenders narrate sequences from their work and what motivated them. (Paul Thomas Anderson, who directed “One Battle After Another,” and Yorgos Lanthimos, who directed “Bugonia,” declined to be interviewed.) The filmmakers explain how a lighting choice, a camera move, a well-timed edit or a great piece of dialogue can enliven a sequence and get to the core of a movie’s meaning. Enjoy the show.
Joseph Kosinski on ‘F1’
Guillermo del Toro on ‘Frankenstein’
Chloé Zhao on ‘Hamnet’
Josh Safdie on ‘Marty Supreme’
Kleber Mendonça Filho on ‘The Secret Agent’
Joachim Trier on ‘Sentimental Value’
Ryan Coogler on ‘Sinners’
Clint Bentley on ‘Train Dreams’
Mekado Murphy writes about the world of movies and produces the Anatomy of a Scene video series.
The post Go Behind the Scenes of This Year’s Best Picture Oscar Nominees appeared first on New York Times.
