Voting that will define the nominees for the 2026 Oscar ends this Friday (16). The stage, which began on Monday (12), brings together the votes of more than 10 thousand professionals from the film industry — among actors, directors, screenwriters and executives — who make up the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). The final list of nominees will be announced next Thursday (22).
In this first phase, members of the academy vote mostly within their own areas: actors indicate performances, directors vote on direction, technicians choose technical categories. The exception is Best Film, for which all voters participate.
The 98th Academy Awards ceremony will take place on March 15, 2026in Los Angeles, traditionally at the Dolby Theatre.
After an international season marked by awards and strong repercussions, Brazilian cinema arrives competitively when the finalists are announced. The highlight is The Secret Agentby Kleber Mendonça Filho, which is part of the preliminary list for Best International Film and also appears in Best Cast Direction.
The Brazilian film recently won the Golden Globe for International Filmwhich increased its visibility among voters.
The country still has a presence with Apocalypse in the Tropicsdocumentary by Petra Costa, pre-selected for Best Feature Documentary, and with the short Yellowby André Hayato Saito, on the shortlist for Best Live Action Short Film.
The documentary Yanuni and cinematographer Adolpho Veloso, who is in the independent American production Train Dreamsalso appear in the technical pre-lists.
There is also an expectation that Brazil can reach up to nine nominations, including the possibility of Wagner Moura being among the competitors for Best Actor for The Secret Agent.
Check out the pre-lists with Brazilian presence
Best International Film (15 selected)
- The Secret Agent (Brazil)
- Belén: A Story of Injustice (Argentina)
- It Was Just an Accident (France)
- The Sound of Fall (Germany)
- Homebound (India)
- The President’s Cake (Iraq)
- Kokuho (Japan)
- All That’s Left of You (Jordan)
- Sentimental Value (Norway)
- Palestine 36 (Palestine)
- The Only Way Out (South Korea)
- Sirât (Spain)
- Late Shift (Switzerland)
- The Left-Handed Girl (Taiwan)
- The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia)
Best Cast Direction
- The Secret Agent
- Hamnet: Life Before Hamlet
- Frankenstein
- Marty Supreme
- One Battle After Another
- Sentimental Value
- Sinners
- Sirât
- The Evil Hour
- Wicked: Part 2
Best Feature Documentary
- Apocalypse in the Tropics
- Yanuni
- The Alabama Solution
- Coexistence, My Ass!
- Come See Me in the Good Light
- Cover-Up
- Cutting Through Rocks
- Folktales
- Liat Holding
- Mr Nobody Against Putin
- Mistress Dispeller
- My Undesirable Friends: Part 1 – Last Air in Moscow
- The Perfect Neighbor
- Seeds
- 2000 Meters to Andriivka
Best Photography
- Hamnet: Life Before Hamlet
- Frankenstein
- Marty Supreme
- Sentimental Value
- Sirât
- Wicked: Part 2
- The Sound of Fall
- Song Sung Blue – A Dream for Two
- Ballad of a Player
- Bugonia
- Die, Love
- F1
- New Wave
- One Battle After Another
- Sinners
- Train Dreams
Best Live Action Short Film
- Yellow
- Adam
- 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
In addition to these, the Oscar maintains shortlists in categories such as sound, original soundtrack, original song, makeup and hairstyles and visual effects.
