The Academy has published its 12 shortlists for the 98th awards cycle, unveiling a list that includes traditional categories like international feature film and documentary feature, as well as contenders for the inaugural casting Oscar and a first-time list for cinematography.
Scroll down for full list of titles
Sinners and Wicked: For Good are up for every eligible category and garnered eight mentions apiece (including two each from the original song category), while Frankenstein earned recognition in six categories, and Spain’s Sirat and F1 earned five mentions apiece.
International feature film contenders include a first from Iraq – Hasan Hadi’s Cannes Directors’ Fortnight Camera d’Or and People’s Choice Award winner The President’s Cake – as well as others like Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just An Accident flying the flag for France, Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value for Norway, Kleber Mendonca Filho’s The Secret Agent for Brazil, Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice Of Hind Rajab for Tunisia, and Dolores Fonzi’s Belén for Argentina.
Among the documentary features are The Alabama Solution from Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman, Cover-Up from Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus, Geeta Gandbhir’s The Perfect Neighbor, Mstyslav Chernov’s 2000 Meters To Andriivka, and Julia Loktev’s My Undesirable Friends: Part 1 – Last Air In Moscow, which has been winning critics’ awards.
The shortlisted films for the Academy’s first ever casting Oscar recognise Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, Sinners, Sirât, Weapons and Wicked: For Good. Besides One Battle After Another and Hamnet, the cinematography contenders include F1, Bugonia, Sound Of Falling and Die, My Love.
The full lists appear below. The Academy will announce its nominations on January 22, 2026, ahead of the ceremony on March 15, 2026.
Animated short film
Fifteen films will advance in the category. One hundred and thirteen films qualified. 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. 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. 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. Two hundred and 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. One hundred and 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. 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 and 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. 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. One hundred and 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. 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. 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. 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.
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