A new category will be handed out at the 98th Academy Awards in March. After almost 100 years, Casting Directors will finally get their due with an official Casting Oscar. The branch has also joined some of their peers in releasing a shortlist of eligible films, and there were some surprises in the mix. Not a surprise? Jennifer Venditti for “Marty Supreme,” Cassandra Kulukundis for “One Battle After Another,” Francine Maisler for “Sinners,” and Nina Gold and Lucy Amos for “Hamnet.”
There were surprises, and they came from three NEON International Film releases and Cannes prize winners that made the list. Yngvill Kolset Haga and Avy Kaufman for “Sentimental Value,” Gabriel Domingues for “The Secret Agent,” and the team behind “Sirat.”
Films that somewhat surprisingly didn’t make the cut include “Jay Kelly,” “It Was Just An Accident,” “Bugonia,” “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” and “Train Dreams.”
This year’s inaugural contenders for the first Casting Academy Award are:
“Frankenstein”
“Hamnet”
“Marty Supreme”
“One Battle after Another”
“The Secret Agent”
“Sentimental Value”
“Sinners”
“Sirât”
“Weapons”
“Wicked: For Good”
The 2026 Academy Award nominations will be announced on Thursday, January 22.
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