CINEMATOGRAPHY
Nominees:
“Ballad of a Small Player” – James Friend
“Bugonia” – Robbie Ryan
“Die My Love” – Seamus McGarvey
“F1: The Movie” – Claudio Miranda
“Frankenstein” – Dan Laustsen
“Hamnet” – Łukasz Żal
“Marty Supreme” – Darius Khondji
“Nouvelle Vague” – David Chambille
“One Battle After Another” – Michael Bauman
“Sentimental Value” – Kasper Tuxen
“Sinners” – Autumn Durald Arkapaw
“Sirât” – Mauro Herce
“Song Sung Blue” – Amy Vincent
“Sound of Falling” – Fabian Gamper
“Train Dreams” – Adolpho Veloso
“Wicked: For Good” – Alice Brooks
Per the Academy’s press release:
Sixteen films will advance in the Cinematography category for the 98th Academy Awards. Members of the Cinematographers Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees. Per the awards rules for the 98th Academy Awards, the preliminary round of voting will determine a shortlist of between 10 and 20 films.
Nominations voting begins on Monday, January 12, 2026, and concludes on Friday, January 16, 2026. Nominations for the 98th Academy Awards will be announced on Thursday, January 22, 2026. The 98th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.
OSCAR NOMINATION PREDICTIONS
FRANKENSTEIN • Netflix
Dan Laustsen | Cinematographer
Guillermo del Toro | Director
Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale, Scott Stuber | Producers
HAMNET • Focus Features
Lukasz Zal | Cinematographer
Chloé Zhao | Director
Liza Marshall, Pippa Harris, Nicolas Gonda, Sam Mendes, Steven Spielberg | Producers
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER • Warner Bros. Pictures
Michael Bauman | Cinematographer
Paul Thomas Anderson | Director
Paul Thomas Anderson, Adam Somner, Sara Murphy | Producers
SINNERS • Warner Bros. Pictures
Autumn Durald Arkapaw | Cinematographer
Ryan Coogler | Director
Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Ryan Coogler | Producers
TRAIN DREAMS • Netflix
Adolpho Veloso | Cinematographer
Clint Bentley | Director
Marissa McMahon, Teddy Schwarzman, Will Janowitz, Ashley Schlaifer, Michael Heimler | Producers
WHY I CHOSE THOSE FIVE?
When it comes to Best Cinematography, Sinners feels like the clear favorite, having swept much of the precursor circuit. One Battle After Another and Train Dreams are close behind, earning many of the same nominations, if not quite as many wins — though both have secured victories in their own right. The other two films most consistently showing up with the precursors are Frankenstein and Hamnet. All five are strong Best Picture contenders, each with a distinct visual style, and you could make a compelling case for any of them winning if it ultimately comes down to taste.
If I were to throw a few more names into the mix, F1: The Movie and Marty Supreme could easily make the cut. Both films have popped up with select precursor groups, and with plenty of support in other categories, there’s little reason they couldn’t break through here as well. Despite lacking significant precursor traction, films like Sound of Falling, Sirāt, and Nouvelle Vague possess visual qualities that could entice the Academy to look beyond the obvious choices and reward something more outside the box. Meanwhile, even though Bugonia and Sentimental Value are likely to earn Best Picture attention, there’s currently little to suggest either is a serious threat in this particular category.
“Ballad of a Small Player”
October 15, 2025 | Netflix | 101 min | English, Cantonese
Directed by Edward Berger
James Friend
Synopsis: When his past and his debts start to catch up with him, a high-stakes gambler laying low in Macau encounters a kindred spirit who might just hold the key to his salvation.
“Bugonia”
October 31, 2025 | Focus Features | 118 min | English
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
Robbie Ryan
Synopsis: Two conspiracy-obsessed young men kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth.
“Die My Love”
November 7, 2025 | MUBI | 119 min | English
Directed by Lynne Ramsay
Seamus McGarvey
Synopsis: Grace, a writer and young mother, is slowly slipping into madness. Locked away in an old house in and around Montana, we see her acting increasingly agitated and erratic, leaving her companion, Jackson, increasingly worried and helpless.
✰ British Independent Film Awards Winner
“F1: The Movie”
June 27, 2025 | Apple Original Films / Warner Bros. Pictures | 155 min | English, Spanish, German, Italian
Directed by Joseph Kosinski
Claudio Miranda
Synopsis: A Formula One driver comes out of retirement to mentor and team up with a younger driver.
✰ Critics Choice Awards Nominee
✰ Satellite Awards Nominee
✰ Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards Nominee
✰ Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards Nominee
✰ Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards Nominee
✰ Georgia Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Utah Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
“FRANKENSTEIN”
October 17, 2025 | Netflix | 149 min | English
Directed by Guillermo del Toro
Dan Laustsen
Synopsis: Dr. Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant but egotistical scientist, brings a creature to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation.
✰ Critics Choice Awards Nominee
✰ Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Satellite Awards Nominee
✰ Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards Nominee
✰ Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards Nominee
✰ San Diego Film Critics Society Awards Nominee
✰ Austin Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ North Texas Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards Nominee
✰ New York Film Critics Online Awards Nominee
✰ Indiana Film Journalists Association Awards Nominee
✰ Georgia Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Online Association of Female Film Critics Awards Nominee
✰ Greater Western New York Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards Nominee
✰ Seattle Film Critics Society Awards Nominee
✰ Portland Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Minnesota Film Critics Alliance Awards Nominee
✰ Michigan Movie Critics Guild Awards Nominee
✰ Hollywood Creative Alliance Astra Creative Arts Awards Nominee
“Hamnet”
December 5, 2025 | Focus Features | 125 min | English
Directed by Chloé Zhao
Łukasz Żal
Synopsis: After losing their son Hamnet to plague, Agnes and William Shakespeare grapple with grief in 16th-century England. A healer, Agnes must find strength to care for her surviving children while processing her devastating loss.
✰ Critics Choice Awards Nominee
✰ Satellite Awards Nominee
✰ Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards Nominee
✰ San Diego Film Critics Society Awards Nominee
✰ North Texas Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards Nominee
✰ New York Film Critics Online Awards Nominee
✰ Utah Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Seattle Film Critics Society Awards Nominee
✰ Portland Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Minnesota Film Critics Alliance Awards Nominee
✰ Hollywood Creative Alliance Astra Creative Arts Awards Nominee
“Marty Supreme”
December 25, 2025 | A24 | 149 min | English, Japanese
Directed by Josh Safdie
Darius Khondji
Synopsis: Marty Mauser, a young man with a dream no one respects, goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness.
✰ Austin Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Indiana Film Journalists Association Awards Nominee
✰ Greater Western New York Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Portland Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Hollywood Creative Alliance Astra Creative Arts Awards Nominee
“Nouvelle Vague”
October 31, 2025 | Netflix | 106 min | French, English, Italian
Directed by Richard Linklater
David Chambille
Synopsis: The behind the scenes of the filming of Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless (1960), a landmark of the French New Wave film movement.
✰ Lumiere Awards Nominee
“One Battle After Another”
September 26, 2025 | Warner Bros Pictures | 161 min | English
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Michael Bauman
Synopsis: When their evil enemy resurfaces after 16 years, a group of ex-revolutionaries reunite to rescue the daughter of one of their own.
✰ Critics Choice Awards Nominee
✰ Satellite Awards Nominee
✰ Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Florida Film Critics Circle Awards Nominee
✰ Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards Winner
✰ Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards Nominee
✰ San Diego Film Critics Society Awards Nominee
✰ Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Austin Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ North Texas Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards Winner
✰ Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards Nominee
✰ New York Film Critics Online Awards Nominee
✰ Indiana Film Journalists Association Awards Nominee
✰ Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards Nominee
✰ Georgia Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Utah Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Phoenix Critics Circle Awards Winner
✰ Philadelphia Film Critics Circle Awards Nominee
✰ Atlanta Film Critics Circle Awards Winner
✰ Online Association of Female Film Critics Awards Nominee
✰ Greater Western New York Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards Nominee
✰ Seattle Film Critics Society Awards Nominee
✰ Portland Critics Association Awards Winner
✰ Minnesota Film Critics Alliance Awards Nominee
✰ Michigan Movie Critics Guild Awards Nominee
✰ Hollywood Creative Alliance Astra Creative Arts Awards Nominee
“Sentimental Value”
November 7, 2025 | NEON | 133 min | Norwegian, English, French
Directed by Joachim Trier
Kasper Tuxen
Synopsis: An intimate exploration of family, memories, and the reconciliatory power of art.
“Sinners”
April 18, 2025 | Warner Bros Pictures | 137 min | English
Directed by Ryan Coogler
Autumn Durald Arkapaw
Synopsis: Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.
✰ Critics Choice Awards Nominee
✰ Satellite Awards Nominee
✰ Boston Society of Film Critics Awards Winner
✰ Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards Winner
✰ Florida Film Critics Circle Awards Nominee
✰ Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards Nominee
✰ Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards Nominee
✰ Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ National Board of Review Award Winner
✰ New York Film Critics Circle Awards Winner
✰ San Diego Film Critics Society Awards Nominee
✰ Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Black Reel Awards Nominee
✰ Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards Winner
✰ Austin Film Critics Association Awards Winner
✰ Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards Winner
✰ North Texas Film Critics Association Awards Winner
✰ St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards Winner
✰ New York Film Critics Online Awards Winner
✰ Indiana Film Journalists Association Awards Winner
✰ Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards Winner
✰ Georgia Film Critics Association Awards Winner
✰ Utah Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Phoenix Critics Circle Awards Nominee
✰ Philadelphia Film Critics Circle Awards Winner
✰ Atlanta Film Critics Circle Awards Nominee
✰ Online Association of Female Film Critics Awards Winner
✰ Greater Western New York Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards Winner
✰ Seattle Film Critics Society Awards Winner
✰ Portland Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Minnesota Film Critics Alliance Awards Winner
✰ Michigan Movie Critics Guild Awards Winner
✰ Hollywood Creative Alliance Astra Creative Arts Awards Winner
“SirĀt”
November 14, 2025 | NEON | 115 min | European Spanish
Directed by Oliver Laxe
Mauro Herce
Synopsis: A father, accompanied by his son, goes looking for his missing daughter in North Africa.
✰ Florida Film Critics Circle Awards Nominee
✰ Gaudí Awards Nominee
✰ New York Film Critics Online Awards Nominee
“Song Sung Blue”
December 25, 2025 | Focus Features | 132 min | English
Directed by Craig Brewer
Amy Vincent
Synopsis: Lightning and Thunder, a Milwaukee husband and wife Neil Diamond tribute act, experience soaring success and devastating heartbreak in their musical journey together.
“Sound of Falling”
October 1, 2025 | MUBI | 155 min | German
Directed by Mascha Schilinski
Fabian Gamper
Synopsis: A remote German farm harbors generations of secrets. Four women, separated by decades but united by trauma, uncover the truth behind its weathered walls.
✰ European Film Awards Nominee
“Train Dreams”
November 7, 2025 | Netflix | 102 min | English
Directed by Clint Bentley
Adolpho Veloso
Synopsis: Based on Denis Johnson’s beloved novella, Train Dreams is the moving portrait of Robert Grainier, a logger and railroad worker who leads a life of unexpected depth and beauty in the rapidly-changing America of the early 20th Century.
✰ Critics Choice Awards Nominee
✰ Satellite Awards Nominee
✰ Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominee
✰ Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards Winner
✰ London Critics Circle Film Awards Nominee
✰ Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards Winner
✰ San Diego Film Critics Society Awards Winner
✰ Capri Awards Winner
✰ Austin Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ North Texas Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards Nominee
✰ New York Film Critics Online Awards Nominee
✰ Indiana Film Journalists Association Awards Nominee
✰ Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards Nominee
✰ Georgia Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Boston Online Film Critics Association Awards Winner
✰ Utah Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Phoenix Critics Circle Awards Nominee
✰ Online Association of Female Film Critics Awards Nominee
✰ Greater Western New York Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards Nominee
✰ Seattle Film Critics Society Awards Nominee
✰ Portland Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Minnesota Film Critics Alliance Awards Nominee
✰ American Cinematheque Tribute to the Crafts Winner
✰ Michigan Movie Critics Guild Awards Nominee
✰ Hollywood Creative Alliance Astra Creative Arts Awards Nominee
“Wicked: For Good”
November 21, 2025 | Universal Pictures | 137 min | English
Directed by Jon M. Chu
Alice Brooks
Synopsis: Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West and her relationship with Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. The second of a two-part feature film adaptation of the Broadway musical.
✰ New York Film Critics Online Awards Nominee
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