The countdown to the 2026 Oscars is on and more than a handful of our favorite faces are in the running. In fact, this year’s race to the Oscars looks like it’s going to be a supremely Black affair and when we explain why—you’ll more than understand!
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As we’ve talked about frequently on this side of the internet, the past 12 months have been pretty big for Black cinema with movies like “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another” taking centerstage as the films to watch. And now, it looks like their efforts have paid off in a major way for the Academy Awards as both films led in receiving the most nominations on Thursday. “Sinners” edged out with a grand total of 16 nominations, making history as the most nominated film ever. Like, EVER! How’s that for a film that some entertainment pundits tried to undersell?
Anyways, let’s kick things off with Best Supporting Actress category, frontrunner Teyana Taylor nabbed the Oscars nomination alongside “Sinners” star Wunmi Mosaku. This marks their first time ever being honored with this prestigious recognition. On the Best Supporting Actor front, acting legend Delroy Lindo finally received his first-ever Oscar nomination for his role as the veteran blues player Delta Slim. Lindo has long been a staple in the industry with many of his supporters wondering when he’d be recognized for his exceptional talent. It looks like that time has finally come, here’s hoping he takes home the gold in March.
When it comes to Best Actor, “Sinners” lead Michael B. Jordan was recognized for his dual role in the beloved vampire horror and received his first ever nomination. Should he actually win the gold in March, it would make for a historic occasion, as he would become just the sixth Black actor ever to take home the win in that category. The Best Actress category proved to be a shock as prior awards frontrunner and “One Battle” star Chase Infiniti failed to receive the nomination. However, all isn’t lost for the film as it racked up multiple nominations across Editing, Sound, Score, Casting, Cinematography, Original Screenplay and more.
As you might expect, Ryan Coogler walked away with the Oscar nomination once again for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Maybe this time around, the beloved Bay Area-bred director will finally get his just dues for his truly genre-expanding film.
Additionally, other films like the Damson Idris-starring “F1” and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson-starring “The Smashing Machine” also scored a few nominations.
The 98th annual Oscars will go down Sunday, March 15 live in Los Angeles airing on ABC.
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