The Academy’s nominations rolled out with more twists than the final reel of a thriller, spotlighting bold choices, long-overdue recognition, and a first-time category that instantly shifted the conversation. From a record-smashing haul for Sinners to a rare screenwriting nod for a non-English film, the 98th Academy Awards lineup delivered genuine shockers that rewrote expectations across the board.
A Record-Breaking Nomination Haul for Sinners
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners didn’t just overperform — it rewrote history. With 16 nominations, the film surpassed the longstanding 14-nod benchmark shared by All About Eve, Titanic, and La La Land, according to Academy records. The tally speaks to a full-court embrace: above-the-line recognition for Coogler as writer, director, and producer, a spread of acting nods, and technical citations that signal across-the-board strength.
- A Record-Breaking Nomination Haul for Sinners
- Delroy Lindo’s First Oscar Nomination at Age 73
- F1 Accelerates Into the Best Picture Lineup
- Kate Hudson Reenters the Best Actress Fray
- A Rare Screenplay Slot for a Non-English Film
- Casting Category Debuts With Immediate Industry Impact
- The Snubs That Amplified the Morning’s Shockwaves
For months, many pundits framed the Best Picture race around One Battle After Another. Sinners changed the math overnight, translating its passionate following — turbocharged by the breakout original song “I Lied to You” — into elite standing with voters from multiple branches. When a film dominates this broadly, it often converts on the big night; the Producers Guild and Directors Guild outcomes will be telling indicators of whether momentum holds.
Delroy Lindo’s First Oscar Nomination at Age 73
Another headline-making moment: Delroy Lindo earned his first Oscar nomination for Sinners, a milestone that resonates far beyond this race. A fixture of American cinema with indelible turns in collaborations with Spike Lee and standout roles in Get Shorty and Da 5 Bloods, Lindo joins a small club of first-time acting nominees in their 70s. It’s a validation that critics and guild watchers have long argued was overdue, and it instantly reshapes the Supporting Actor calculus.
F1 Accelerates Into the Best Picture Lineup
Sports dramas rarely park in the Best Picture lineup, which is why F1’s berth jolted awards chatter. Anchored by Brad Pitt and Damson Idris, and produced with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, the film harnessed technical bravura and crowd-pleasing storytelling to cross the finish line with the Academy. Historically, titles like Rocky, Moneyball, and Ford v Ferrari proved voters respond when craft and character blend at high speed; F1 follows that lineage while giving a modern engine roar to precision editing and sound.
Kate Hudson Reenters the Best Actress Fray
Kate Hudson’s nomination for Song Sung Blue marks a striking resurgence. Her turn as Claire “Thunder” Sardina — a Milwaukee-born singer holding a tribute band together through hard weather — has earned steady acclaim, but awards discourse often tilted toward Hamnet’s Jessie Buckley and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’s Rose Byrne. Hudson’s nod not only revives a tight Best Actress race, it becomes her first in the category and second overall since her supporting recognition for Almost Famous, reinforcing how narrative and timing can swing late-breaking ballots.
A Rare Screenplay Slot for a Non-English Film
Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just An Accident scored a coveted screenwriting nomination alongside its International Feature citation — a rarity for a non-English screenplay in an American awards field. Co-written with Nader Saïvar, Shadmehr Rastin, and Mehdi Mahmoudian, the film joins a selective group that includes Parasite, A Separation, and Anatomy of a Fall as recent examples of global storytelling breaking language barriers with the writers’ branch. The recognition underscores the Academy’s evolving sensibilities, which have steadily widened since changes to membership and voting procedures accelerated in the past decade.
While some advocates argued the film merited Best Director or even Best Picture, the screenplay nod signals deep respect for its architecture — a strong foundation that often translates into lasting influence, even if the night’s top prizes go elsewhere.
Casting Category Debuts With Immediate Industry Impact
The inaugural Oscar for Casting arrived with weight. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences added the category after years of industry advocacy and in step with recognition at peer institutions like BAFTA, which introduced its casting honor in 2020. This first slate doesn’t just salute star wattage; it highlights the architecture of ensembles — the chemistry, discovery, and balance that often decide whether a story soars or stalls. Expect this category to quickly become a bellwether for films with deep benches and breakout performances.
The Snubs That Amplified the Morning’s Shockwaves
A few heavily praised titles landed with a thud, creating oxygen for the morning’s biggest curveballs. That vacuum often explains why one film spikes while another fades; cross-branch consensus is hard-won, and late-breaking guild signals can scramble the board. The lesson from this ballot is clear: breadth matters, timing matters, and passion matters most.
In a year that once seemed predictable, the nominations proved anything but. Records fell, narratives flipped, and new lanes opened — exactly the kind of volatility that keeps awards season interesting right up to the final envelope.