The summer’s popcorn fare, now a fading memory like the scent of sunscreen, gives way to the film industry’s most anticipated season: awards season.
Titles like Hamnet, Sinners, and Christy are poised to dominate conversations as the awards race commences, even as some potential contenders await their premieres.
The recent Venice, Telluride, and Toronto film festivals served as launchpads for numerous Oscar-tipped movies, joining those that previously generated buzz at Sundance and Cannes.
As the long journey to the Oscars on March 14th begins, here are 12 frontrunners—and a few additional titles—to monitor closely:
Hamnet contains many elements that make up the perfect recipe for a potential Best Picture Oscar nominee.
Adapt a wildly popular novel (by Maggie O’Farrell), enlist a recent Oscar-winning director (Chloé Zhao of Nomadland), and cast two celebrated young actors (Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal) in the lead roles.
Set in 1596, Hamnet explores the death of William Shakespeare’s 11-year-old son and the events that inspired the Bard’s play, Hamlet.
Recently, the film secured the Toronto People’s Choice Award, often a bellwether for Oscars success. It will be released in UK cinemas on January 9, 2026.
The phrase “always the bridesmaid, never the bride” might well have been coined for director Paul Thomas Anderson.
Nearly all of his previous films—including Licorice Pizza, Phantom Thread, and There Will Be Blood—have garnered multiple Oscar nominations, yet none have secured him the coveted Best Picture or Best Director awards.
This year could mark a change with One Battle After Another, a highly acclaimed film starring Leonardo DiCaprio that revolves around a group of former revolutionaries reuniting to rescue the kidnapped daughter of one of their comrades.
Critics largely concur that this Best Picture contender justifies its 2-hour, 50-minute runtime with compelling storytelling and brisk pacing. In UK cinemas from September 26.
A vampire movie released relatively early in the awards season might not immediately register as an Oscars contender.
However, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners embodies the kind of film that offers Hollywood optimism amidst a period of uncertainty—an original concept that also achieves box office success.
The film follows twin brothers returning to the Mississippi Delta for a fresh start, only to encounter an ominous force. It is available for digital purchase or rental.
Emma Stone stars as a powerful CEO who is kidnapped by two conspiracy theorists who believe she is an alien.
Beneath the surface lies much more than initially meets the eye, as expected from a film helmed by Yorgos Lanthimos, the director of Poor Things and The Favourite.
While Stone has twice won Best Actress in the past decade, her co-star Jesse Plemons could potentially earn his first Best Actor nomination for this film. Released in the UK on November 7.
From Jerry Maguire and King Richard to The Blind Side, the Oscars have historically shown a fondness for sports biopics.
This year, three such films are in contention. The first stars Euphoria’s Sydney Sweeney as Christy Martin, one of America’s most celebrated female boxers.
Directed by David Michôd, Christy chronicles Martin’s rise in the 1990s and her husband’s attempted murder of her in 2010. Sweeney could secure her first Oscar nomination for this film, scheduled for release in UK cinemas on November 28.
Daniel Day-Lewis announced his retirement from acting in 2017, preceding the release of what was believed to be his final film, Phantom Thread.
However, last year brought the news that the three-time Oscar winner had been enticed out of retirement to appear in a film directed by his son, Ronan.
Fittingly, the film centers on a former soldier who reunites with his brother after spending 20 years in isolation in the woods.
Let’s clarify the pronunciation: It’s ah-NEM-uh-nee. Released in UK cinemas on November 7.
Another sports drama in contention is The Smashing Machine, starring Dwayne Johnson as UFC fighter Mark Kerr during the sport’s early days in the 1990s.
“The Rock” undergoes a significant transformation, not only physically but also marking a career pivot and his first genuine foray into potential Oscars contention.
Benny Safdie won the Best Director award at Venice for this film, which will be released in UK cinemas on October 3.
As the winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes this year, Sentimental Value emerged as one of the festival’s standout hits.
The film focuses on two estranged sisters who reconnect with their distant father following their mother’s death.
Best Actress contender Renate Reinsve reunites with director Joachim Trier, four years after their acclaimed hit, The Worst Person in the World. Released in the UK on December 26.
This film is undoubtedly set to generate significant “discourse,” as the internet would say.
A promising college student (Ayo Edebiri) accuses one of her professors (Andrew Garfield) of rape, leaving another faculty member (Julia Roberts) caught in the middle.
Director Luca Guadagnino hopes this film will return him to the awards conversation after his previous two projects, Queer and Challengers, were overlooked last year. Released in UK cinemas on October 22.
Following in the footsteps of last year’s Best Picture winner, Anora, Jafar Panahi’s film secured the prestigious Palme d’Or at Cannes in May.
Set against a backdrop of political repression in Iran, the film follows a man who, through a chance encounter at a garage, recognizes the former intelligence officer who tortured him in prison.
Likely to be nominated in the International Feature Film category, having been selected to represent France rather than its native Iran, the film could also contend for Best Picture. Released on December 5.
There is a notable dearth of Hollywood films about table tennis—a void this Josh Safdie project aims to fill.
Starring recent Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme is loosely inspired by the real-life story of player Marty Reisman’s pursuit of greatness. Released on January 1, 2026.
We are indulging in some slight cheating by including two films in a single entry, but the Wicked and Avatar sequels share several commonalities.
Both are poised to dominate the box office this holiday season, both are new installments in franchises that previously earned Best Picture nominations, and both feature colons in their titles.
Jon M. Chu’s Wicked: For Good will conclude the origin story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, while James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash will depict the Na’vi encountering an aggressive new tribe.
With an expanded Best Picture category, the Academy often includes some blockbuster titles, particularly as it helps to keep the ceremony relevant to younger audiences.
Given the limited space, we couldn’t mention every awards contender above, so here’s a brief overview of a few others:
The movie posters, which date from the 1920s, spent more than a century in a shoe box.
Movie Makers founder Tommy Traylen says its ethos is to “make life easier for crews on location”.
A new film looks at the life of John Davidson after he found fame in a 1989 documentary
It comes as the Irish actor promotes a new film which follows attempts to turn around a reform school.
Norma, a movie based on a viral true story from TikTok, has become a nationwide obsession.