“Wicked: For Good” and “Sinners” appeared on the most shortlists for the 98th Academy Awards, which released lists of between 10 and 20 semi-finalists in 12 categories on Tuesday. Both films 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 as predicted, with “One Battle After Another” (Cassandra Kulukundis), “Marty Supreme” (Jennifer Venditti) and “Hamnet” (Nina Gold and Douglas Aibel) among them. All but “Sirât” were featured in our recent Casting Directors package.
The number of Oscar shortlists expanded from 1o to 12 this year with the addition of Best Casting and Best Cinematography, which has been given out since the first awards in 1929 but hasn’t used a shortlist until this year.
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.
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.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
“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.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
“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.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
“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 films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
“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.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
“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.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
“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 films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
“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.
The scores, listed in alphabetical order by film title, are:
“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.
The original songs, along with the motion picture in which each song is featured, are listed below in alphabetical order by film title:
“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.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
“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.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
“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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