History was made as the nominations for the 98th annual Academy Awards were revealed at an announcement ceremony in Beverly Hills, California.
It was a moment of vindication for Sinners, the vampire thriller and racial allegory from United States writer-director Ryan Coogler. Released in April 2025, Sinners was not part of the usual late-autumn lineup of Oscar hopefuls.
And yet, on Thursday, it emerged with a record-shattering 16 Academy Award nominations, the most of any film in history, surpassing the previous high-water mark of 14 nods given to films like Titanic, All About Eve and La La Land.
But close on its heels was another audience favourite and critical darling: director Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, a chase film tinged with political themes tailored to the moment.
One Battle After Another walked away with a cool 13 nominations, including in three of the four acting categories. But its breakout star Chase Infiniti, who played the hard-nosed daughter to Leonardo DiCaprio’s stoner dad, was snubbed in the Best Actress category.
But hers was not the only name absent from the tight race for top female acting trophy. The category’s 2013 winner Jennifer Lawrence was passed over for her much-lauded work in the drama Die My Love, as was Amanda Seyfried, who was a contender for the historical musical The Testament of Ann Lee.
One surprise, however, came in the form of a Best Actress nod for Kate Hudson, whose last nomination was for 2001’s musical drama Almost Famous. This time, she was recognised for her work in Song Sung Blue, another musically charged film where she plays one half of a Neil Diamond cover band.
The competition was no less fierce in the male acting categories, with notable snubs including Paul Mescal, who played William Shakespeare in the historical heartwrencher Hamnet.
The musical Wicked: For Good, the sequel to last year’s 10-time Oscar nominee, was also completely shut out this year, amid middling reviews.
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