The 2026 Oscar Nominees: Arab Cinema Takes Centre Stage
With the 2026 Oscar nominations announced, the wait is almost over, and the predictions can finally begin
The Academy Awards return for their 98th edition this year, placing Arab cinema firmly under the global spotlight. From Iraq, Hasan Hadi’s The President’s Cake offers a striking take on food scarcity; Tunisia is represented by Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab, a raw story set in Gaza; from Palestine comes Annemarie Jacir’s Palestine 36, which revisits a pivotal historical moment through a deeply human lens. Completing the Arab line-up is Jordanian filmmaker Cherien Dabis’s All That’s Left of You, which also traces Palestinian history.
But the record-setting doesn’t stop there. Ryan Coogler’s American horror film Sinners, is already making Oscar history with 16 nominations, breaking the 14-nomination record previously held by All About Eve, Titanic, and La La Land.
On Thursday 22, Actors Danielle Brooks and Lewis Pullman joined forces to announce the nominees for the 2026 Oscars. Here’s what this year’s award season has in store…
The 2026 Oscar Nominations
Best Picture
Bugonia
F1
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle after Another
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Train Dreams
Best Actress
Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue
Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value
Emma Stone, Bugonia
Best Actor
Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another
Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon
Michael B Jordan, Sinners
Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent
Best Supporting Actress
Elle Fanning, Sentimental Value
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan, Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners
Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another
Best Supporting Actor
Benicio del Toro, One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein
Delroy Lindo, Sinners
Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value
Best Director
Chloé Zhao, Hamnet
Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value
Ryan Coogler,
Best Animated Feature
Arco
Elio
KPop Demon Hunters
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Zootopia 2
Best Animated Short Film
Butterfly
Forevergreen
The Girl Who Cried Pearls
Retirement Plan
The Three Sisters
Best Adapted Screenplay
Bugonia
Frankenstein
Hamnet
One Battle After Another
Train Dreams
Best Original Screenplay
Blue Moon
It Was Just an Accident
Marty Supreme
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Best Cinematography
Frankenstein
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Train Dreams
Best Documentary
The Alabama Solution
Come See Me in the Good Light
Cutting Through the Rocks
Mr. Nobody Against Putin
The Perfect Neighbor
Best Documentary Short Feature
All the Empty Rooms
Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud
Children No More: Were and Are Gone
The Devil Is Busy
Perfectly a Strangeness
Best Live Action Short Film
Butcher’s Stain
A Friend of Dorothy
Jane Austen’s Period Drama
The Singers
Two People Exchanging Saliva
Best International Feature Film
The Secret Agent
It Was Just an Accident
Sentimental Value
Sirât
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Best Film Editing
F1
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Best Sound
F1
Frankenstein
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Sirât
Best Production Design
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Best Original Score
Bugonia
Frankenstein
Hamnet
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Best Original Song
Dear Me, Diane Warren: Relentless
Golden, KPop Demon Hunters
I Lied to You, Sinners
Sweet Dreams of Joy, Viva Verdi!
Train Dreams, Train Dreams
Best Make-up and Hairstyling
Frankenstein
Kokuho
Sinners
The Smashing Machine
The Ugly Stepsister
Best Costume Design
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
Sinners
Best Visual Effects
Avatar: Fire and Ash
F1
Jurassic World Rebirth
The Lost Bus
Sinners
Best Casting
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
The Secret Agent
Lead Image Courtesy of Instagram /@kmboss_classic