Awards

Inside the 98th Oscars® Shortlists: Every Film That Could Be a Contender

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Baris Can Aydin
Inside the 98th Oscars® Shortlists: Every Film That Could Be a Contender

For movie lovers tracking this awards season like it’s the latest Cannes lineup, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences just dropped the shortlists for 12 key categories that will shape the 98th Oscars®. These lists narrow the field ahead of the official nominations on January 22, 2026, and spotlight the films that have captured the attention of Academy voters across crafts from casting to visual effects. Oscars Press

Below, you’ll find every title and entry that survived the first round of voting — a must-scan for anybody making their shortlist bingo cards this year.

🧠 Animated Short Film

15 animated shorts that made the cut:

  • Autokar
  • Butterfly
  • Cardboard
  • Éiru
  • Forevergreen
  • The Girl Who Cried Pearls
  • Hurikán
  • I Died in Irpin
  • The Night Boots
  • Playing God
  • The Quinta’s Ghost
  • Retirement Plan
  • The Shyness of Trees
  • Snow Bear
  • The Three Sisters

🎭 Casting (new competitive category!)

10 films shortlisted:

🎥 Cinematography

16 films advancing in cinematography:

📽️ Documentary Feature Film

15 documentaries that made the cut:

  • 2000 Meters to Andriivka
  • The Alabama Solution
  • Apocalypse in the Tropics
  • Coexistence, My Ass!
  • Come See Me in the Good Light
  • Cover-Up
  • Cutting through Rocks
  • Folktales
  • Holding Liat
  • Mr. Nobody against Putin
  • Mistress Dispeller
  • My Undesirable Friends: Part 1 – Last Air in Moscow
  • Seeds
  • The Perfect Neighbor
  • Yanuni

🎞️ Documentary Short Film

15 shortlisted shorts:

  • All the Empty Rooms
  • All the Walls Came Down
  • Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud
  • Bad Hostage
  • Cashing Out
  • Chasing Time
  • Children No More: “Were and Are Gone”
  • Classroom 4
  • The Devil Is Busy
  • Heartbeat
  • Last Days on Lake Trinity
  • On Healing Land, Birds Perch
  • Perfectly a Strangeness
  • Rovina’s Choice
  • We Were the Scenery

🌍 International Feature Film

15 films representing stories from around the world:

✂️ Live Action Short Film

15 shorts vying for nomination:

  • Ado
  • Amarela
  • Beyond Silence
  • The Boy with White Skin
  • Butcher’s Stain
  • Butterfly on a Wheel
  • Dad’s Not Home
  • Extremist
  • A Friend of Dorothy
  • Jane Austen’s Period Drama
  • Pantyhose
  • The Pearl Comb
  • Rock, Paper, Scissors
  • The Singers
  • Two People Exchanging Saliva

💄 Makeup and Hairstyling

10 films shortlisted:

🎼 Music (Original Score)

20 scores advancing:

🎵 Music (Original Song)

15 songs with an Oscar shot:

  • “As Alive As You Need Me To Be” — Tron: Ares
  • “Dear Me” — Diane Warren: Relentless
  • “Dream As One” — Avatar: Fire and Ash
  • “Drive” — F1
  • “Dying To Live” — Billy Idol Should Be Dead
  • “The Girl In The Bubble” — Wicked: For Good
  • “Golden” — KPop Demon Hunters
  • “Highest 2 Lowest” — Highest 2 Lowest
  • “I Lied To You” — Sinners
  • “Last Time (I Seen The Sun)” — Sinners
  • “No Place Like Home” — Wicked: For Good
  • “Our Love” — The Ballad of Wallis Island
  • “Salt Then Sour Then Sweet” — Come See Me in the Good Light
  • “Sweet Dreams Of Joy” — Viva Verdi!
  • “Train Dreams” — Train Dreams 

🔊 Sound

10 films on the shortlist:

✨ Visual Effects

10 films remaining in the VFX race:

🍿 What This Means for Awards Season

These lists aren’t nominations yet — they’re pre-nomination trims that let Academy branches focus their final ballots. Films like Sinners and Wicked: For Good are showing broad craft support, while international whispers like Homebound and Sirât are gaining steam — a great sign for global cinema fans. Next stop: Oscar nominations on January 22, 2026.

Want a predictions rundown or a shortlist scorecard by film? Just say the word! 🎖️📽️

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Baris Can Aydin

Created Cinephilist when needed a platform to have a sharable watchlist to track not just movies but tv shows as well.