Wicked: For Good and Sinners lead the list revealed Tuesday of films shortlisted in 12 Oscar categories, making them the only feature films this year to make every list in which they were eligible — seven — including Best Song, where both films have two entries each among the final 15 hopefuls.
Across the lists released today by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Frankenstein was close behind with six, also landing in every nearly all the lists that it could have; it didn’t have an original song.
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The Academy’s shortlists for the 98th annual Academy Awards also includes the first hopefuls for Best Casting, the brand-new Oscar category that was announced early last year. The Academy also confirms that there will be 24 categories presented on the Oscar telecast this year, up one from the 97th Oscars, so Casting will be on the big show. That hadn’t been announced before today.
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The Academy also is doing a first-time shortlist for Best Cinematography this year, to go with its usual Oscar hopefuls for International Feature Film; Documentary Feature; Original Song; Music Score; Documentary, Animated and Live Action Shorts; Sound; Visual Effects; and Makeup & Hairstyling.
Also having a very good showing with five shortlist mentions are F1, One Battle After Another and, in a bit of a surprise, Spain’s official International Film entry Sirât, which has the greatest across-the-board strength of any of the international contenders making the shortlist. Norway’s Sentimental Value with three and Brazil’s The Secret Agent, Japan’s Kokuho and Germany’s Sound of Falling with two each are the only other international films to gain mentions in categories outside of their own.
Of note in the music categories is the continuing success of songwriter Diane Warren. The documentary on her life was bypassed in Documentary Feature but made up for it not only, as expected, for the song she wrote called “Dear Me,” which would be her 17th nomination in that category if it makes the final five, but also Lesley Barber’s music score for the docu, signifying anything connected to Warren musically is in like flint with the Academy’s music branch. That group also made her the only songwriter ever to receive an Honorary Oscar.
With four mentions each were Marty Supreme, Train Dreams and Avatar: Fire and Ash, the first two landing in Cinematography in its first year to be included in shortlists. Avatar‘s third installment did not make the Cinematography list (nor did even the second film in 2022) after it won for the original Avatar in 2009. The film also missed out again in Makeup and Hairstyling (probably due to the unique performance-capture technique used for actors), but in that category the obscure and completely forgotten Robert De Niro bomb The Alto Knights scored a mention. Go figure.
RELATED: Oscars: ‘Frankenstein’, ‘Bugonia’ & ‘Marty Supreme’ With Familiar Names On Cinematography Shortlist
It appears to be a promising year for female filmmakers as seven out of 15 International shortlisted films, and 10 out 15 documentary features shortlisted, are directed by women. Additionally, three of the 2025 Student Academy Award-winning films made the shortlists with The Shyness of Trees in Animated Short and Butcher’s Stain and Dad’s Not Home in Live Action Short.
In Documentary Feature, that branch’s aversion to showbiz-related docs continues with none among the 15 shortlisted, including Mariska Hargitay’s acclaimed docu on her mother My Mom Jayne. Raoul Peck’s similarly acclaimed docu Orwell: 2+2=5 was left off, a real miss here, and so was IDA Best Documentary Feature winner The Tale of Silyan, which also was eligible for International Film but was snubbed there as well.
Nomination voting begins on Monday, January 12 and concludes on Friday, January 16. Nominations will be announced on Thursday, January 22. The 98th Oscars will be held Sunday, March 15.
Here are the shortlist for the 2026 Academy Awards:
Animated Short Film
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
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle after Another
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Sirât
Weapons
Wicked: For Good
Cinematography
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
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
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
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
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
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)
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)
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
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
Avatar: Fire and Ash
The Electric State
F1
Frankenstein
Jurassic World Rebirth
The Lost Bus
Sinners
Superman
Tron: Ares
Wicked: For Good
Erik Pedersen contributed to this report.
What? No Makeup and Hairstyling nod for WEAPONS? Aunt Gladys has some new targets now…
Warcraft should have been on the list for Sound. Makes the movie.
World of Warcraft is way too old to be considered for next years Oscars.
Correction, Warfare. Thanks!
Thrilled F1 Movie made the shortlist for Best Original song Drive and score
So happy The Voice of Hind Rajab was nominated