Film & TV Writer Daisy Holian offers her predictions and personal favourites ahead of the 2026 Academy Awards
The 98th annual Academy Awards are nearing, and as the awards season goes on, building up to the main event, the Oscars are becoming less and less predictable. From vampires to alien conspiracies, from Shakespeare to family bonds, this year’s Oscars are packed with A-listers and action. Competition is strong, and as the best films of the year battle it out for the most prestigious awards, can we say who has it in the bag?
From vampires to alien conspiracies, from Shakespeare to family bonds, this year’s Oscars are packed with A-listers and action.
There has been such an array of winners across the film awards season so far this year that it may be hard to say who will take home the big prizes of the night. But, as everyone does, I do have some of my own preferences and predications.
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners has had a leading run in this year’s Oscars, securing a record-breaking sixteen nominations. The film tells the story of love, community, and soul in the midst of harrowingly dark socio-political contexts of the 1930s American South. I am confident that Sinners is this year’s favourite for the most coveted ‘Best Picture’ award. And not only this, but music is central to this movie, directing the story and guiding the emotion of the film. With its blues influences, Sinners is sure to secure ‘Best Original Score’ as well as ‘Best Original Song’ performed by Sammie (Miles Caton) and written and composed by the incredibly talented Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Goransson.
Chloé Zhao’s adaptation of Hamnet follows the untold story of Shakespeare’s wife, Agnes. Emotionally distressing whilst also finding comfort in the quiet moments, Jessie Buckley’s performance makes this film what it is, and the writing beautifully enhances the story on screen. Hamnet should surely win ‘Best Adapted Screenplay,’ and Buckley would certainly be my choice for ‘Best Actress.’
Meanwhile, ‘Best Actress’ does have some competition.
Meanwhile, ‘Best Actress’ does have some competition. Emma Stone’s portrayal of the corporate enigma, Michelle, in Yorgos Lanthimos’s Bugonia is truly one that gets audiences questioning truth and reality. Not only this, but Renate Reinsve’s performance as Nora in Sentimental Value (Joachim Trier) emotionally navigates the complicated tension of personal and familial trauma delivering a profoundness to the film.
Ethan Hawke made such a transformation for his role as Lorenz Hart in Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon. However, despite his captivatingly vulnerable performance, he faces a tough fight for ‘Best Actor.’ Michael B. Jordan’s performance in Sinners as the Smokestack twins certainly channelled the sultry 1930s American gangster persona. With a distinct duality in his performance, Jordan has already won ‘Male Actor in a Leading Role’ at the 2026 SAG-AFTRA awards. Will he go two for two and take home the Golden Globes’ 2026 ‘Best Actor’?
Politically charged One Battle After Another (Paul Thomas Anderson) is also a frontrunner this year, securing thirteen nominations, falling just short of the Sinners record. Anderson’s action-thriller has definitely been a favourite so far during the awards season and is by far my leading contender for ‘Best Cinematography’ as well as the brand-new category ‘Best Casting’ with its iconic stars that fit the bill perfectly.
One thing is for certain: Timothee Chalamet’s run for ‘Best Actor’ is sure to be over. Despite his starting strong with his performance as Marty in Marty Supreme, Chalamet has perhaps blown his own potential for winning ‘Best Actor’ after his imperious comments on ballet and opera, suggesting that they are arts that “no one cares about”. This was, of course, met with outrage from the internet and with this cheap shot taken towards the arts, Chalamet’s chance of winning an Oscar this year have quickly disappeared. Nonetheless, is his arrogance a reflection of his talent, and should media presence determine the Oscar awards? This may actually be a case of needing to separate the art from the artist.
But should we diminish those who win simply because we wanted another performer, director, or film to win?
Looking back towards the nominations, there is always an air of disappointment during the awards season, and the Oscars perhaps knows this better than any other awards show. Every year we talk so much about the Oscars’ ‘snubs’ and shortcomings. But should we diminish those who win simply because we wanted another performer, director, or film to win? Don’t get me wrong, I’m always a little disappointed when my favourite nominee isn’t called onto the stage as the winner. But perhaps of late, we’ve gone too far in jumping to criticism of winners.
Any which way, no matter who takes home the big prizes this year, it is important to remember the amount of work that goes into creating every single film. Our entertainment industry is in decline, and on a slightly political note, global government funding for the arts is at risk. However, the arts, especially film, are possibly the most rewarding subjects that we as humans have. The Oscars prove this, showing how the film industry is not just a thing that exists in a transactional world, but instead is something that humanity thrives on. Emotion, effort, passion, and heart go into every film, and that should be valued and nurtured by our society.
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