Horror thriller Sinners top this year’s Academy Awards!
Los Ángeles, US, Dec 16 (EFE).- By Mikaela Viqueira and Mónica Rubalcava
Horror thriller Sinners and the sequel Wicked top this year’s Academy Awards shortlists, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said on Tuesday. Films from Spain, Brazil, and Argentina advanced in key categories ahead of nominations to be announced in January.
Both Sinners and Wicked: Part Two lead the preselection with mentions in eight categories each, including casting, cinematography, makeup and hairstyling, original score, original song, sound and visual effects, according to the Academy.
Final nominees will be revealed on Jan. 22, with the Oscars ceremony scheduled for March 15, 2026.
Hollywood frontrunners dominate lists
Netflix’s Frankenstein, directed by Guillermo del Toro, follows closely with six shortlist appearances, while One Battle After Another by Paul Thomas Anderson appears in five categories.
The Academy said the shortlists will be used to determine nominees across the Oscars’ 24 categories, narrowing the field ahead of final voting.
“These films represent a wide range of voices, genres, and cinematic ambition,” the Academy said in a statement announcing the preselection.
Brazil and Argentina advance in international film race
Brazil’s The Secret Agent and Argentina’s Belén were named among the 15 shortlisted titles for Best International Feature Film.
The Secret Agent, a historical thriller written and directed by Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho, also advanced in the Academy’s relatively new casting category. The film has drawn international attention for its tense portrayal of political intrigue.
Argentina’s Belén, directed by actress Dolores Fonzi, is a drama inspired by real events and based on the book Somos Belén by Ana Correa. Its production company, K&S Films, previously backed Argentina, 1985, which won the Golden Globe for Best Non-English Language Film in 2023.
“Being shortlisted already places these films on the global map,” an Argentine producer involved in the project said.
Spain’s ‘Sirat’ gains momentum
Spain’s official submission, Sirat, directed by Franco-Galician filmmaker Oliver Laxe, emerged as one of the strongest international contenders, appearing in five categories: international feature, original score, sound, casting, and cinematography.
The film follows a father, played by Sergi López, and his younger son as they search for a missing daughter in the Moroccan desert after she disappears at an illegal mountain rave. Its presence in multiple technical and creative categories marks a rare achievement for a Spanish submission.
Sirat follows last year’s Spanish contender Saturn Return, which narrowly missed out on a final nomination.
Spain is also represented in the animated short category with The Quinta’s Ghost by James A. Castillo, which depicts the final years of painter Francisco de Goya.
Diverse global field
The international feature shortlist also includes widely praised titles such as Tunisia’s The Voice of Hind, which reconstructs the final moments of five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab; Norway’s Sentimental Value; France’s It Was Just an Accident by Iranian director Jafar Panahi; and Palestine 36 by Annemarie Jacir, a documentary built entirely from pre-1948 archival footage.
Other shortlisted countries include Germany (Sound of Falling), India (Homebound), Iraq (The President’s Cake), Japan (Kokuho), Jordan (All That’s Left of You), Switzerland (Late Shift) and Taiwan (Left-Handed Girl).
Palestine’s inclusion marks another milestone for its cinema, having previously secured two final Oscar nominations in the international feature category.
The final nominations will determine which of these films moves one step closer to Hollywood’s top prize. EFE mvg/seo/mcd
