Oscars Announce Shortlists In 12 Categories For 98th Academy Awards

……To Leave ABC And Stream Exclusively On YouTube From 2029 In Landmark Deal

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released the shortlists in 12 categories for the upcoming 98th Academy Awards, narrowing down contenders ahead of the official nominations announcement later this month.

The shortlists cover a wide range of categories, including Animated Short Film, Casting, Cinematography, Documentary Feature and Short Film, International Feature Film, Live Action Short Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Score, Original Song, Sound and Visual Effects. This year, several films emerged as multi-category contenders.

Wicked: For Good appears across casting, cinematography, makeup and hairstyling, original score, original song, sound and visual effects, making it one of the most frequently shortlisted titles. Frankenstein also secured spots in multiple categories, including casting, cinematography, makeup and hairstyling, original score, sound and visual effects, while Sinners features prominently in casting, cinematography, makeup and hairstyling, original score, original song, sound and visual effects.

The full list of shortlisted films in all 12 categories is provided below:

ANIMATED SHORT FILM

• 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

• Frankenstein

• Hamnet

• Marty Supreme

• One Battle after Another

• The Secret Agent

• Sentimental Value

• Sinners

• Sirât

• Weapons

• Wicked: For Good

CINEMATOGRAPHY

• Ballad of a Small Player

• Bugonia

• Die My Love

• F1

• Frankenstein

• Hamnet

• Marty Supreme

• Nouvelle Vague

• One Battle after Another

• Sentimental Value

• Sinners

• Sirât

• Song Sung Blue

• Sound of Falling

• Train Dreams

• Wicked: For Good

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM

• 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

• The Perfect Neighbor

• Seeds

• 2000 Meters to Andriivka

• Yanuni

DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM

• 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

• Argentina – Belén

• Brazil – The Secret Agent

• France – It Was Just an Accident

• Germany – Sound of Falling

• India – Homebound

• Iraq – The President’s Cake

• Japan – Kokuho

• Jordan – All That’s Left of You

• Norway – Sentimental Value

• Palestine – Palestine 36

• South Korea – No Other Choice

• Spain – Sirât

• Switzerland – Late Shift

• Taiwan – Left-Handed Girl

• Tunisia – The Voice of Hind Rajab

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

• 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

• The Alto Knights

• Frankenstein

• Kokuho

• Marty Supreme

• Nuremberg

• One Battle after Another

• Sinners

• The Smashing Machine

• The Ugly Stepsister

• Wicked: For Good

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)

• Avatar: Fire and Ash

• Bugonia

• Captain America: Brave New World

• Diane Warren: Relentless

• F1

• Frankenstein

• Hamnet

• Hedda

• A House of Dynamite

• Jay Kelly

• Marty Supreme

• Nuremberg

• One Battle after Another

• Sinners

• Sirât

• Train Dreams

• Tron: Ares

• Truth and Treason

• Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

• Wicked: For Good

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)

• 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

• Avatar: Fire and Ash

• F1

• Frankenstein

• Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

• One Battle after Another

• Sinners

• Sirât

• Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere

• Superman

• Wicked: For Good

VISUAL EFFECTS

• Avatar: Fire and Ash

• The Electric State

• F1

• Frankenstein

• Jurassic World Rebirth

• The Lost Bus

• Sinners

• Superman

• Tron: Ares

• Wicked: For Good

The Academy noted that nominations voting will take place from January 12 to January 16, with the official nominations for the 98th Academy Awards set to be announced on January 22.

Meanwhile, the Academy Awards will begin streaming exclusively on YouTube from 2029, marking one of the most significant shifts in the ceremony’s long history and underscoring Hollywood’s accelerating move towards digital platforms.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Wednesday that it has signed a multi-year agreement granting YouTube exclusive global streaming rights to the Oscars through 2033. Under the deal, the awards ceremony will be broadcast live and free on YouTube, ending more than five decades of television coverage on ABC.

The Oscars, scheduled for 15 March next year, have aired on ABC since 1976. While the network will continue to host the next three ceremonies, the transition in 2029 will formally move the event away from traditional broadcast television.

Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Lynette Howell Taylor said the partnership reflects the organisation’s global outlook and evolving audience. “The Academy is an international organisation, and this partnership will allow us to expand access to the work of the Academy to the largest worldwide audience possible,” they said, adding that the move would benefit both Academy members and the wider film community.

Viewership of the Oscars has steadily declined over the years, although the 2025 ceremony recorded a modest increase. A notable share of that audience consisted of younger viewers watching on mobile phones and computers, a trend that appears to have influenced the Academy’s decision.

YouTube CEO Neal Mohan described the Oscars as “one of our essential cultural institutions,” saying the partnership would “inspire a new generation of creativity and film lovers while staying true to the Oscars’ storied legacy.”
ABC acknowledged the change, stating that it looks forward to broadcasting the remaining ceremonies under its current agreement.

The announcement comes amid broader upheaval in Hollywood, including studio mergers, takeover bids, and deep production cuts. As audiences continue to shift away from cable television towards streaming services, YouTube’s acquisition of the Oscars further signals the industry’s growing reliance on digital platforms to reach global audiences.

Credit: qazinform