On the morning of Thursday, Jan. 22, the nominations for the 98th Academy Awards were announced, and, like the last two years, I watched the announcement livestream on YouTube at 8:30 in the morning. This time instead of watching it in a study hall or while shelving books as a volunteer in my high school library, I watched it from the comfort of my own dorm room bed. The perks of being a college student I guess.
It was two Oscars ago that I first became infatuated with them. It has seemed that nowadays overall interest in the Oscars has waned, and I understand why. There are so many things going on in this world at the moment that are so much more important than what a bunch of old Hollywood people think are the best movies of the year. I think many people find it strange and silly that, in 2026, there are still many who treat the Oscars with so much weight.
The biggest news to come out of the nominations is that “Sinners” received the most Oscar nominations of any film in history with 16 nominations, breaking the record that “All About Eve,” “Titanic” and “La La Land” jointly held thanks to their 14 nominations each.
Most of the nominations for “Sinners” were expected, but Delroy Lindo being nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role was definitely a welcome surprise. Lindo was fantastic in “Sinners,” impressively balancing comedy and tragedy.
The most surprising nomination was possibly “F1” picking up a nomination for Best Picture. I knew it was relatively well received by both critics and audiences over the summer, but the lack of major nominations at most awards bodies that have taken place already made it feel unlikely for a Best Picture nomination.
Up until the Oscar nominations, the Iranian film “It Was Just an Accident” seemed likely to receive a Best Picture nomination based on its performance at the Golden Globes and with critics groups. Back in May, it even won the Palme d’Or, the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival. However, “It Was Just an Accident” was only nominated for Best International Feature and Best Original Screenplay.
I am happy to see Jafar Panahi, the writer and director of “It Was Just an Accident,” finally receive an Oscar nomination after the long, difficult career he’s had, which included him once being imprisoned by the Iranian government for making films that were critical of them. Panahi is currently outside of Iran on his awards campaign, but the Iranian government has sentenced him to prison once again. He’s lived a tragic and inspiring story of a man who risked so much to make art that calls out the corruption and injustices in Iran, and for that, he has all my respect.
One of the most striking things about this year’s nominations was how “Wicked: For Good” was completely shut out, despite the first film receiving ten nominations and two wins at last year’s Oscars. While I agree with the Academy’s decision to omit “Wicked: For Good’ from Best Picture, as I found the film to be lackluster and a big step down from the first film, it’s hard to deny the talent that went into many of the craft elements of the film, as well as Ariana Grande’s spectacular emotional performance that topped her already fantastic performance in the first movie. I am no fan of “Wicked: For Good,” but I don’t think it deserved to be completely ignored by the Academy like it was.
I have a love-hate relationship with the Oscars and the decisions they make on who to nominate. Many of my favorite movies of this year received zero nominations, such as “Freaky Tales,” “Jay Kelly,” “The Long Walk,” “Sorry, Baby,” “Superman,” “Warfare,” etc.
However, there was so much incredible work that was recognized as well. I loved seeing “Blue Moon” get nominated for Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor. All the nominations “Bugonia,” “Marty Supreme,” “Sentimental Value” and “Train Dreams” received are super cool. It’s dope to see people like Ronald Bronstein, Elle Fanning, Michael B. Jordan, Max Richter, Josh Safdie, Adolpho Veloso, etc., finally be able to call themselves “Academy Award nominees.” For every possible nomination I was disappointed to not see come to fruition, there was at least one I was happy to see did become reality. That’s enough for me.
Despite “Sinners” smashing through the nomination record and being the cultural phenomenon that it is, it is not being viewed as the frontrunner for Best Picture. Amongst the surprisingly large and vast community (which I am a part of) that obsess over predicting the Oscars, it is almost universally agreed upon that “One Battle After Another” will win the top prize of Best Picture. This can be attributed to many factors, such as it already dominating at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards and Paul Thomas Anderson being a filmmaker that many feel is overdue to finally win an Oscar. However, the reason most people online believe that “One Battle After Another” will surely win Best Picture is its political relevancy in the current moment. It mirrors current events, such as the ongoing ICE raids, in such a direct and urgent way that it feels like something the Academy members would feel compelled to vote for and support.
However, I would argue “Sinners” is very relevant to today too with the way it showcases the healing power of art. Maybe that’s why the Oscars do still feel important in a way. They showcase art that can have that beautiful healing power that we all strive for in the difficult times that we live in.
