An exciting year for film will come to a head this Sunday at cinemas’s biggest night, the 98th Academy Awards — otherwise known as the Oscars.
Vampires, table tennis and revolutions filled our screens, and the Charlatan staff are looking forward to the ceremony.
Here are our predictions in 12 categories:
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Nominees:
- Timothée Chalamet for Marty Supreme
- Leonardo DiCaprio for One Battle after Another
- Ethan Hawke for Blue Moon
- Michael B. Jordan for Sinners
- Wagner Moura for The Secret Agent
Yanjano’s pick: Michael B. Jordan
Dan’s pick: Michael B. Jordan
Lisha’s pick: Timothée Chalamet
Matt’s pick: Michael B. Jordan
Dan: This is one of the more stacked Leading Actor line-ups in recent memory, which makes predictions even harder. The golden statue could go to any one of these guys, but most of our Charlatan panel is going with Jordan, who recently nabbed a surprise victory at The Actor Awards (formerly the SAG Awards) earlier this month, throwing a wrench into what looked like a lock for Chalamet.
Jordan took on double duty playing twins Smoke and Stack in Sinners, giving both their own distinctive personalities. His performance(s) are the heart of the film, and he delivers in a big way.
Lisha is going with Chalamet, who previously took home the Golden Globe and Critic’s Choice trophies for his role as the driven Marty Mauser.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Nominees:
- Jessie Buckley for Hamnet
- Rose Byrne for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
- Kate Hudson for Song Sung Blue
- Renate Reinsve for Sentimental Value
- Emma Stone for Bugonia
Yanjano’s pick: Jessie Buckley
Dan’s pick: Jessie Buckley
Lisha’s pick: Jessie Buckley
Matt’s pick: Jessie Buckley
Lisha: The major film acting awards have been unpredictable in every category this season, except best actress. Buckley is the clear frontrunner for her performance in Hamnet — and deservedly so.
Buckley masterfully portrays Agnes Shakespeare, the wife of legendary playwright William Shakespeare, coping with the death of their son, Hamnet. Buckley’s unassuming presentation of grief is so tangible but unthinkable all at once. It’s an Oscar-worthy, jaw-dropping performance in one of the best films of the year.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominees:
- Benicio Del Toro for One Battle after Another
- Jacob Elordi for Frankenstein
- Delroy Lindo for Sinners
- Sean Penn for One Battle after Another
- Stellan Skarsgård for Sentimental Value
Yanjano’s pick: Sean Penn
Dan’s pick: Sean Penn
Lisha’s pick: Sean Penn
Matt’s pick: Sean Penn
Dan: The Charlatan’s “experts” are going all-in on Penn taking home his third Oscar on Sunday for his terrifying portrayal of Colonel Lockjaw in One Battle After Another, which already earned him the Actor Award and the BAFTA. Penn taps into an unhinged intensity in the film, making Lockjaw an all-time movie villain and a truly loathsome character, armed with a volatile nature that makes the viewer shift in their seats throughout.
Fellow castmate Benicio Del Toro gives a hilarious performance as Sensei Sergio St. Carlos, a Big Lebowski-esque figure who tries to keep Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio) grounded through their many trials and tribulations, but comedic roles are often pushed to the side on Oscar night.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Nominees:
- Elle Fanning for Sentimental Value
- Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas for Sentimental Value
- Amy Madigan for Weapons
- Wunmi Mosaku for Sinners
- Teyana Taylor for One Battle after Another
Yanjano’s pick: Teyana Taylor
Dan’s pick: Amy Madigan
Lisha’s pick: Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas
Matt’s pick: Wunmi Mosaku
Matt: Best Supporting Actress is one of the tightest races in this year’s Oscars. Madigan, Mosaku and Taylor are currently in a three-way race for the grand prize, each winning key precursor awards for their performances. It’s Mosaku’s performance in Sinners as Annie, the hoodoo specialist and former lover of Smoke, that I see winning this race.
However, all these performances are stellar in their own right and deserve to be nominated. While not in contention, Ibsdotter Lilleaas in Sentimental Value should also be noted, another deeply moving performance that stood out in a stacked, fellow-nominated cast.
Best Director
Nominees:
- Chloé Zhao for Hamnet
- Josh Safdie for Marty Supreme
- Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle after Another
- Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value
- Ryan Coogler for Sinners
Yanjano’s pick: Paul Thomas Anderson
Dan’s pick: Paul Thomas Anderson
Lisha’s pick: Paul Thomas Anderson
Matt’s pick: Paul Thomas Anderson
Yanjano: Despite the fierce competition, Anderson remains our likely contender for Best Director. Anderson’s directorial filmography is impressive, spanning over three decades and a dozen acclaimed films.
However, Anderson has a long history of Academy snubs. His most controversial loss came at the 79th Academy Awards, when his 2007 film There Will Be Blood lost Best Picture to the Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men.
This Sunday, we hope the Academy recognizes his cinematic achievements and hands Anderson the long-overdue Oscar.
Best Picture
Nominees:
- Bugonia
- F1
- Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- One Battle After Another
- The Secret Agent
- Sentimental Value
- Sinners
- Train Dreams
Yanjano’s pick: One Battle After Another
Dan’s pick: One Battle After Another
Lisha’s pick: One Battle After Another
Matt’s pick: One Battle After Another
Yanjano: This year’s Best Picture race feels deadlocked between Anderson’s One Battle After Another and Coogler’s Sinners. Both films swept the 2026 awards season, with Anderson and Coogler claiming nearly every prestigious film accolade under the sun. It’s no surprise to anyone who’s seen the movies — Coogler’s vampiric period piece and Anderson’s groundbreaking black comedy captured the hearts of audiences worldwide.
However, we are unanimously confident that One Battle After Another will take home the Academy’s top prize of the night. Following the trend of awarding Best Picture to the film of its Best Director, we believe that One Battle After Another is a fairly safe choice for those looking for guidance on their Oscar ballots this Sunday.
Best Cinematography
Nominees:
- Dan Laustsen for Frankenstein
- Darius Khondji for Marty Supreme
- Michael Bauman for One Battle after Another
- Autumn Durald Arkapaw for Sinners
- Adolpho Veloso for Train Dreams
Yanjano’s pick: One Battle After Another
Dan’s pick: Train Dreams
Lisha’s pick: One Battle After Another
Matt’s pick: One Battle After Another
Dan: Three-quarters of our team are going with One Battle After Another. For the flick, director of photography Bauman and director Anderson employed techniques dormant for decades to deliver a textured and realistic look that feels both vintage and epic, echoing classic films like The French Connection.
The film uses a combination of loose handheld work, Steadicam sequences and car-mounted chaos creating a distinct aesthetic. One particular scene that could seal the deal for Bauman is the stunning roller coaster-like desert chase sequence in the final few minutes, as several characters speed up and down hills on long desolate roads.
Despite this, I’m going with Train Dreams for this category. I was blown away by the stunning shots of the great outdoors during the turn of the century, which generated a real sense of peace and longing. Fires crackle, raindrops gently bounce off leaves and logs and the setting sun pierces through the screen. It’s a real treat to watch.
Best Original Screenplay
Nominees:
- Blue Moon, written by Robert Kaplow
- It Was Just an Accident, written by Jafar Panahi; Script collaborators – Nader Saïvar, Shadmehr Rastin, Mehdi Mahmoudian
- Marty Supreme, written by Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie
- Sentimental Value, written by Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier
- Sinners, written by Ryan Coogler
Yanjano’s pick: Sinners
Dan’s pick: Sinners
Lisha’s pick: Sinners
Matt’s pick: Sinners
Lisha: Screenplays are everything because they dictate the structure of the film, and Sinners blew me away. Coogler wrote a historically-informed horror script, mixed with comedy and musical elements — a paragon of visual storytelling.
His vision to create a vampire film in a Jim Crow-era, Mississippi Delta, earned him the Best Original Screenplay BAFTA award, and will soon win him the Oscar.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Nominees:
- Bugonia, written by Will Tracy
- Frankenstein, written by Guillermo del Toro
- Hamnet, written by Chloé Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell
- One Battle after Another, written by Paul Thomas Anderson
- Train Dreams, written by Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar
Yanjano’s pick: One Battle After Another
Dan’s pick: One Battle After Another
Lisha’s pick: One Battle After Another
Matt’s pick: One Battle After Another
Lisha: Adaptations are their own art because an adapted film has to successfully transform existing material from a separate medium into a focused cinematic experience. One Battle After Another does just that, undoubtedly standing on its own, and elevating its source material: the 1990 novel Vineland by Thomas Pynchon.
Anderson’s modern western is embedded with timely political commentary, just like its source material, and hope that a better world is possible.
Music (Original Score)
Nominees:
- Bugonia, by Jerskin Fendrix
- Frankenstein, by Alexandre Desplat
- Hamnet, by Max Richter
- One Battle after Another, by Jonny Greenwood
- Sinners, by Ludwig Goransson
Yanjano’s pick: Sinners
Dan’s pick: Sinners
Lisha’s pick: Sinners
Matt’s pick: Sinners
Dan: This one seems easy. Goransson is an unstoppable force, already holding two Oscars for Black Panther and Oppenheimer at the age of 41. His fabulous work on Sinners captures the feel of the film perfectly, throwing the viewer headfirst into the 1930s in Mississippi.
Music (Original Song)
Nominees:
- “Dear Me” from Diane Warren: Relentless, music and lyric by Diane Warren
- “Golden” – from KPop Demon Hunters, music and lyric by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo and Teddy Park
- “I Lied To You” from Sinners, music and lyric by Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Goransson
- “Sweet Dreams Of Joy” from Viva Verdi!; music and lyric by Nicholas Pike
- “Train Dreams” – from Train Dreams, music by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner and lyric by Nick Cave
Yanjano’s pick: “I Lied To You”
Dan’s pick: “Golden”
Lisha’s pick: “I Lied To You”
Matt’s pick: “Golden”
Lisha: The four of us are split half-and-half between “I Lied To You,” from Sinners and “Golden,” from KPop Demon Hunters. Both are incredibly strong picks for Best Original Song.
HUNTR/X’s signature hit “Golden,” spent eight weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. It sets up the film’s signature conflict while developing and introducing the main characters — an instant hit in the real world and the film.
“I Lied To You,” is my favourite of the nominees. The presence of blues music is an essential part of Sinners, and Miles Caton’s performance provides the film its emotional centerpiece bringing together: past, present and future.
Animated Feature Film
Nominees:
- Arco
- Elio
- KPop Demon Hunters
- Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
- Zootopia 2
Yanjano’s pick: KPop Demon Hunters
Dan’s pick: KPop Demon Hunters
Lisha’s pick: KPop Demon Hunters
Matt’s pick: KPop Demon Hunters
Matt: The Best Animated Film has had an interesting trajectory as of late. What was once a category dominated by Disney and Pixar is now seeing a diverse selection of winners, such as Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, The Boy and the Heron, and most recently, Flow. This trend is expected to continue this year with Kpop Demon Hunters, this year’s out-of-the-blue summer sensation.
KPop’s hit soundtrack, along with its expressive and fun animation style, helps give it the boost it needs to win over the competition. While Zootopia 2 is a strong competitor, the recent bias away from Disney, along with the cultural phenomenon that was KPop Demon Hunters, makes it the clear frontrunner.
Nomination snubs
- Jeremy Allen White for Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
- Joel Edgerton for Train Dreams
- Jesse Plemmons for Bugonia
- Hailee Steinfeld for Sinners
- Sorry Baby for Best Original Screenplay
- Eddington for Best Original Screenplay
- No Other Choice for Best Picture
- Director Park Chan-wook for No Other Choice
Featured photos from IMDb.
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