2026 Film Awards Season: Oscar, BAFTA, and Actor Awards Highlight Key Achievements and Contenders

The 2026 film awards season has concluded its nomination and preliminary award phases, setting the stage for the upcoming Academy Awards ceremony.

"Sinners" achieved a record-breaking 16 Academy Award nominations, while "One Battle After Another" led the BAFTA nominations with 14 nods and secured the Best Film award. Major acting awards at the Actor Awards went to Michael B. Jordan for "Sinners" and Sean Penn for "One Battle After Another," with posthumous recognition for Catherine O'Hara and a Life Achievement Award for Harrison Ford.

98th Academy Awards Nominations Unveiled

Nominations for the 98th Academy Awards were announced on January 22 by Danielle Brooks and Lewis Pullman. The highly anticipated ceremony is scheduled for March 15 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, with Conan O’Brien returning to host for the second consecutive year.

"Sinners" received a record 16 nominations, marking the highest number of nominations for a single film in Academy Awards history. This impressive feat surpassed the previous record of 14 nominations held by "All About Eve," "Titanic," and "La La Land."

• "One Battle After Another" followed closely with 13 nominations.
• "Marty Supreme," "Sentimental Value," and "Frankenstein" each secured 9 nominations.
• "Sentimental Value" also set a record for the most nominations for a Norwegian film.
• "Hamnet" received 8 nominations.
• "Bugonia," "F1," "Train Dreams," and "The Secret Agent" each earned 4 nominations.

Best Picture:
"Bugonia," "F1," "Frankenstein," "Hamnet," "Marty Supreme," "One Battle After Another," "The Secret Agent," "Sentimental Value," "Sinners," "Train Dreams."

Best Director:
Paul Thomas Anderson ("One Battle After Another"), Ryan Coogler ("Sinners"), Josh Safdie ("Marty Supreme"), Joachim Trier ("Sentimental Value"), Chloé Zhao ("Hamnet").

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 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 Supporting Actor:
Benicio Del Toro ("One Battle After Another"), Jacob Elordi ("Frankenstein"), Delroy Lindo ("Sinners"), Sean Penn ("One Battle After Another"), Stellan Skarsgard ("Sentimental Value").

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 International Feature:
"The Secret Agent" (Brazil), "It Was Just An Accident" (France), "Sentimental Value" (Norway), "Sirat" (Spain), "The Voice of Hind Rajab" (Tunisia).

Best Animated Feature:
"Arco," "Elio," "KPop: Demon Hunters," "Little Amélie or the Character of Rain," "Zootopia 2."

Best Original Screenplay:
"Blue Moon," "It Was Just an Accident," "Marty Supreme," "Sentimental Value," "Sinners."

Best Adapted Screenplay:
"Bugonia," "Frankenstein," "Hamnet," "One Battle After Another," "Train Dreams."

The Academy Awards introduced a new category for Best Casting, marking the first new award since 2001. The inaugural nominees are Jennifer Venditti for "Marty Supreme," Nina Gold for "Hamnet," Cassandra Kulukundis for "One Battle After Another," Francine Maisler for "Sinners," and Gabriel Domingues for "The Secret Agent."

Despite "Frankenstein" receiving nine total nominations, Guillermo del Toro was not nominated for Best Director. "Wicked: For Good" received no nominations, a significant surprise. Unexpected nominations included Delroy Lindo for Supporting Actor in "Sinners," Kate Hudson for Lead Actress in "Song Sung Blue," and "F1" for Best Picture.

Australian actors received multiple nominations, including Rose Byrne for Best Actress in a Leading Role for "If I Had Legs I’d Kick You" and Jacob Elordi for Best Supporting Actor for his role in "Frankenstein."

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences comprises 11,126 members, with 10,136 active voters. The organization's demographics include 35% women, 22% from underrepresented communities, and 21% international members. The actors' branch, with 1,311 members, is the largest within the Academy. New voting rules this year required members to watch all nominees in a category before submitting their ballot.

2026 Actor Awards (Formerly SAG Awards) Highlights

The 2026 Actor Awards ceremony, formerly known as the Screen Actors Guild Awards, was held on March 2 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles and streamed live on Netflix.

• "One Battle After Another" received a record-setting seven nominations for the Actor Awards.
• Michael B. Jordan won Best Actor for "Sinners," and the film's cast received the Best Cast Ensemble award.
• Sean Penn won Best Supporting Male Actor for "One Battle After Another," though he was not in attendance.

• Catherine O’Hara was posthumously awarded Best Female Actor in a Comedy Series for "The Studio," accepted by co-creator Seth Rogen. O’Hara passed away on January 30 at age 71. "The Studio" also won Best Comedy Series, and Seth Rogen received an individual television acting award.
• "The Pitt" won Best Drama Series, with Noah Wyle receiving an individual television acting award.
• Keri Russell ("The Diplomat") and Michelle Williams ("Dying for Sex") also received individual television acting awards.
• The stunt ensemble award went to "Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning."

Several individuals and productions with other awards recognition did not secure Actor Award nominations. These included Cynthia Erivo for "Wicked: For Good," Wagner Moura for "The Secret Agent," and Adam Sandler for "Jay Kelly." The entire cast of "Sentimental Value" was also not nominated, and no foreign-language films or performances received nominations.

Harrison Ford received the SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award, presented by Woody Harrelson. Michael J. Fox participated in the "I Am an Actor" segment.

The Actor Awards nominations are determined by a committee of 2,000 members, split into separate groups for television and film. The total voting body comprises 22,000 SAG-AFTRA members, reportedly the largest voting organization in Hollywood.

2026 BAFTA Film Awards Announced

The 2026 BAFTA Film Award nominations were announced on January 27, and the awards ceremony took place on February 22 at London's Royal Festival Hall, hosted by Alan Cumming.

• "One Battle After Another" led with 14 nominations, including for Best Film, Director, and Adapted Screenplay. This marked the second-highest number of nominations for a film in BAFTA history.
• "Sinners" received 13 nominations, a record for a film by a Black director, including for Best Director and Original Screenplay for Ryan Coogler.
• "Hamnet" and "Marty Supreme" each garnered 11 nominations.
• "Frankenstein" and "Sentimental Value" each received 8 nominations.

• Best Film: "One Battle After Another"
• Outstanding British Film: "Hamnet"
• Director: Paul Thomas Anderson ("One Battle After Another")
• Leading Actor: Robert Aramayo ("I Swear"), a notable upset over other predicted contenders. Aramayo also received the EE Rising Star Award.
• Leading Actress: Jessie Buckley ("Hamnet")
• Supporting Actor: Sean Penn ("One Battle After Another")
• Supporting Actress: Wunmi Mosaku ("Sinners")
• Original Screenplay: Ryan Coogler ("Sinners")
• Adapted Screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson ("One Battle After Another")
• Film Not in the English Language: "Sentimental Value"
• Animated Film: "Zootropolis 2"
• Documentary: "Mr. Nobody Against Putin"
• Original Score: Ludwig Göransson ("Sinners")

Notable differences in nominations between the BAFTAs and the Oscars included the absence of "Frankenstein" from the Best Film or Director categories at the BAFTAs. Additionally, actors like Amy Madigan, Delroy Lindo, Wagner Moura, and Elle Fanning received Oscar nominations but not BAFTA nominations, while Jesse Plemons, Odessa A'Zion, Robert Aramayo, Peter Mullan, Carey Mulligan, and Emily Watson received BAFTA nominations but not Oscar nominations. "KPop Demon Hunters" was ineligible for BAFTA's Animated Feature category.

Award Season Trends and Oscar Predictions

Precursor awards from the Actor Awards, Producers Guild of America (PGA), Directors Guild of America (DGA), Golden Globes, and BAFTAs have provided strong indicators for the upcoming Academy Awards.

The race for Best Picture is primarily between "One Battle After Another" and "Sinners." "One Battle After Another" secured top awards from the PGA, DGA, Golden Globes, and BAFTAs, building significant momentum. "Sinners" gained considerable support with its wins for Best Cast Ensemble and Best Actor at the Actor Awards. Historical data suggests one of these films will break a statistical streak related to precursor wins.

Paul Thomas Anderson ("One Battle After Another") and Ryan Coogler ("Sinners") are the leading contenders for Best Director. Anderson's wins at the DGA and BAFTA awards position him as a strong frontrunner.

• Best Actor: Michael B. Jordan ("Sinners") built significant support following his Actor Award win, making him a serious contender. Leonardo DiCaprio ("One Battle After Another") and Timothée Chalamet ("Marty Supreme") remain strong contenders.
• Best Actress: Jessie Buckley ("Hamnet") is considered a strong candidate, having consistently won precursor awards. Emma Stone ("Bugonia") also has significant buzz.
• Best Supporting Actor: The category is competitive, with Delroy Lindo ("Sinners"), Sean Penn ("One Battle After Another"), and Stellan Skarsgård ("Sentimental Value") among the frontrunners. Sean Penn's wins at both the BAFTA and Actor Awards make him a formidable contender.
• Best Supporting Actress: Wunmi Mosaku ("Sinners") and Amy Madigan ("Weapons") are strong contenders, with Mosaku winning the BAFTA. Teyana Taylor ("One Battle After Another") is also recognized with a Golden Globe win and significant support.

"Frankenstein" is positioned to win in Production Design, Costume Design, and Makeup & Hairstyling. "F1" is a frontrunner for Sound. Cinematography is competitive, with "Train Dreams" and "Sinners" being strong contenders. "One Battle After Another" is favored for Film Editing.

Final Oscar voting concluded on March 5. Anonymous voter insights indicated admiration for both "Sinners" and "One Battle After Another" in Best Picture and Director. Michael B. Jordan gained substantial support for Best Actor. The Supporting Actor race intensified between Delroy Lindo and Sean Penn in the final voting days, while Jessie Buckley maintained broad enthusiasm for Best Actress.