2026 Oscars are stacked with great nominees

By Alfie Eville

The nominees for the Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, were announced on Jan. 22, and with that comes the time for everyone to share their predictions of the winners. Before the inevitable celebrations and heartbreak following the announcement of the winners, there is a nice window where we all get to hope that we are right and believe our favorite movies will be selected to win the prestigious award. Personally, it has been nearly two years since I have seen almost every major Oscar nominee on the big screen, but this year I am very glad to have watched so many, for they were all so great. I found it challenging picking my winners, because they are all truly deserving of some recognition and reward. Alas, only one film can win for each category. 

To begin, I predict that the “Best Casting” category will go to “Marty Supreme.” Not too often do you see people raving about a movie’s terrific job in casting. Sure, you can get the big names and make your cast look all glamorous — I am looking at you “The Odyssey” — but that does not do anything other than get people interested. To elevate your movie through casting, you must look at the job that “Marty Supreme” has done. The casting directors did a perfect job in typecasting, starting with getting the mean, out-of-touch billionaire Kevin O’Leary to play exactly that. One of the main characters is also an actress fading out of the limelight attempting to make a return? Cast Gwyneth Paltrow, who is exactly that! The main character is a budding young star eager to make his name in an industry by doing whatever it takes and pushing the envelope. Timothée Chalamet is the perfect person. Without watching the movie, you can look at the cast and by knowing their reputation, you know what to expect from their characters in the film. It is expert casting, and that is why “Marty Supreme” deserves the Oscar over every other movie. It would be a crime if it lost this category. 

“One Battle After Another” will take home “Best Adapted Screenplay.” While I personally loved “Trains Dreams” and would really like to see it win, I think “One Battle After Another” is going to have a great trip to the Oscars this year. The writing in this movie was superb, with the dialogue perfectly walking the line between witty and emotional. Every line that DiCaprio shouts is perfectly executed. It is difficult to write a script so politically poignant, but Paul Thomas Anderson got it done and delivered his message in the best way possible. Thematically, this was one of the best movies, and I believe this is largely due to how expertly crafted the screenplay is. 

For being two and a half hours in length, “Marty Supreme” is so fast paced that it flies by like a short film and need to take home the award of “Best Original Screenplay.” To balance multiple side plots and a decent cast of characters, and not screw up the pacing, takes immense skill and talent. Josh Safdie does all this and is able to make every character interesting, as well as make each one of their scenes unique and thought-provoking. Writing a character like Marty Mauser is astonishing too, for it is rare to make an audience want to root for such an unlikeable character and see out the rest of his story and arc. There is fabulous character writing here and that is why I believe it deserves this award. 

 The award for “Best Supporting Actress” has to go to Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas of the 2025 film “Sentimental Value.” I am incredibly disappointed that Chase Infiniti, who starred in “One Battle After Another,” was not nominated for this award. Being 17 years old and dominating the screen next to Leonardo DiCaprio needed some recognition. With that being said, I think of all the nominated actresses, Lilleaas will walk away with it. She was the emotional anchor in the film’s cascading plot, and her presence was always felt. In a cast full of seasoned actors, two of which being nominated for Oscars individually, she held her own in an impressively natural way. Lilleaas was the emotional center of this movie, equipping a subtle and beautiful performance that stood above the rest in this year’s class of supporting actresses. 

Sean Penn of “One Battle After Another” will take home the well-deserved award for “Best Supporting Actor.” This category saw another stacked cast of nominees, with Jacob Elordi as The Creature in “Frankenstein” and Benicio del Toro who acted alongside Penn. Picking between those three was a challenge, but Penn’s performance is something that will endure even beyond this awards season. In a career spanning four decades, I would say this is his greatest performance on screen. Penn plays one of the slimiest antagonists in film history, wholly unlikeable. People have even called out the way he walks in this movie as being gross. That is something truly remarkable. I will not be unhappy if one of the other two actors takes it home, but Penn is my pick. 

Additionally, I predict that “Sinners” will take home both “Best Makeup & Hairstyling” and “Best Original Score.” The aforementioned “Frankenstein” will win both “Best Costume Design” and “Best Production Design.” The fast-paced film “F1” will walk away with “Best Sound” and “Best Film Editing.” “Best Visual Effects” will have to go to “Avatar: Fire and Ash.” Finally, KPop Demon Hunters will win the much-coveted “Best Animated Feature Film” and, of course, the song “Golden” from the film will win “Best Original Song.” 

The second half of my predictions will be out in The Rider News next week, covering the anticipated “Best Cinematography,” “Actress/ Actor, Director” and “Best Picture” categories. Tune in Feb. 18 for those remaining predictions! 

Alfie Eville is a freshman history and secondary education major