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What do Timothy Chalamet, K-pop, and Paul Thomas Anderson all have in common? They could all be winning their first Oscar at the 98th Academy Awards. I’m Megan Campanova, the entertainment reporter for Hearst Television. Let’s break down who could be taking home their first award on movie’s biggest night in 2026. Paul Thomas Anderson is no stranger to the Oscars. Throughout his career, he has been nominated for 14 Academymy. Awards for Best Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture. However, he’s never taken home an award. At the 2026 Academy Awards, he is nominated for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture for his movie One Battle After Another. After winning at all of the precursor awards such as the Golden Globes, the BAFTAs, and the Actor Awards, it can be inferred that Paul Thomas Anderson will be finally. Taking home one of those trophies. Another no stranger to the Oscars is Timothy Chalamet. Just last year, he was nominated for Best Actor, and once again this year, he’s nominated for Best Actor. Timothy Chalamet is nominated this year for his role in Marty Supreme, and after losing 3 times in the lead actor race, it seems like Timothy Chalamet might finally be taking home his first Oscar. New to the scene is Jessie Buckley. Jessie Buckley is nominated for her role in Hamlet for Best Lead Actress. After winning at all the festivals, all the precursor awards, it’s pretty much Jessie Buckley’s award to lose. And finally, K-pop. K-pop Demon Hunters is nominated for Best. Animated feature at the Oscars, and its song Golden from the soundtrack is nominated for Best Original Song. After K-pop Demon Hunters took over the world this year, and its wins at the Grammys and the Golden Globes, it is very likely that K-pop will be joining an elite group of you that have Oscars.
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How many international films are nominated at the 2026 Oscars?
The American awards show has steadily taken an international turn in recent years
It’s almost time for the 98th Academy Awards, and it’s worth seeing how American and foreign films stack up in the nominations.Related video above: Who could win their first Oscar at the 98th Academy Awards?How many international films are nominated at the 2026 Oscars? Fifty films were nominated at the 2026 Academy Awards. Of those 50, 23 could be considered international productions. Six of those are co-productions between the U.S. and at least one other country, meaning that 17 are true foreign films.Of the 10 Best Picture nominees, two are films made outside of the U.S. — “The Secret Agent” and “Sentimental Value.” Last year, it was about the same, with just two foreign films vying for Best Picture, though all four films were also nominated for Best International Feature.If we include international-U.S. co-productions, “Bugonia” and “Hamnet” bring the international Best Picture nomination film count to 4 out of 10, which is also the same as the prior year.That means that nearly half of both the Best Picture nominees and the total nominated films at the United States’ Academy Awards are international productions. Those numbers stand out, even in a year when the awards feel like a race between two distinctly American films: “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another.”Last year, at 13 nominations, Netflix’s “Emilia Pérez” became the most nominated non-English language film ever. However, even though it was a Spanish-language film about Mexican drug cartels, it was a French-produced movie.Also, last year, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” was, by all means, an Iranian film with an Iranian story and cast, but was produced and finished in Germany. This is because the footage, and later the crew, had to be smuggled out of Iran to escape the government’s reach in 2024.This year, Iranian dissident filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s film “It Was Just an Accident” was filmed in secret in his home country — where he now faces a second prison sentence if he returns — but produced and finished in France and Luxembourg.So, how did we get here?One answer lies in a controversy from a decade ago. In 2015, when the nominations were announced, the hashtag #Oscarssowhite quickly went viral on Twitter. The trend started by simply making light of the fact that no people of color were nominated that year, but it became an annual clarion call before long.The reason for the criticism was obvious. It was made more obvious by the fact that three years earlier, a Los Angeles Times story revealed that Academy voters were 94% white and 77% male.It took time, but the criticism took hold. The Academy took steps to update and diversify its voter base. It also changed the name of the clunky “Foreign Language Film” category to “International Feature.” As of 2024, the academy is closer to approaching the makeup of America, and therefore, the average film audience: 35% of members are female and 20% are from ethnic or racial minority groups.Also in 2024, the Academy instituted its new diversity requirements for eligibility. The requirements were announced in 2020, giving studios time to adapt, and only require considerations to meet two of four criteria.While diversity does not immediately translate to a more international award show, it can cause a swing — a more diverse voter base is more likely to nominate a more diverse slate of films.In 2015, all of the films nominated for Best Picture were domestic, English-language productions. In 2024, three Best Picture nominees — “Anatomy of a Fall,” “Past Lives” and “The Zone of Interest” — were majority non-English language films and two of those were international productions — “Anatomy of a Fall” from France and “The Zone of Interest” from the United Kingdom.In fact, you have to go back to 2021 for a year when an international film didn’t crack the Best Picture noms. The year before that was 2020, when the South Korean film “Parasite” swept five wins out of its seven nominations, including in International Feature and Best Picture, the same year as the category name change.In an interview with Vulture in 2019, the director of “Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho, was asked about the fact that no Korean film had ever been nominated for an Oscar. This seems like a surprising fact, given that Korean cinema has produced great films for decades, including some from Bong himself. “It’s a little strange, but it’s not a big deal,” he said. “The Oscars are not an international film festival. They’re very local.”It’s an indictment that spoke to a general sentiment, but in just a few short years, the Oscars have become a more international affair.The 98th Academy Awards are set for March 15.Editor’s note: This article was updated to include information from the 2026 Academy Awards.
It’s almost time for the 98th Academy Awards, and it’s worth seeing how American and foreign films stack up in the nominations.
Related video above: Who could win their first Oscar at the 98th Academy Awards?
Advertisement
How many international films are nominated at the 2026 Oscars?
Fifty films were nominated at the 2026 Academy Awards. Of those 50, 23 could be considered international productions. Six of those are co-productions between the U.S. and at least one other country, meaning that 17 are true foreign films.
Of the 10 Best Picture nominees, two are films made outside of the U.S. — “The Secret Agent” and “Sentimental Value.” Last year, it was about the same, with just two foreign films vying for Best Picture, though all four films were also nominated for Best International Feature.
If we include international-U.S. co-productions, “Bugonia” and “Hamnet” bring the international Best Picture nomination film count to 4 out of 10, which is also the same as the prior year.
That means that nearly half of both the Best Picture nominees and the total nominated films at the United States’ Academy Awards are international productions. Those numbers stand out, even in a year when the awards feel like a race between two distinctly American films: “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another.”
Last year, at 13 nominations, Netflix’s “Emilia Pérez” became the most nominated non-English language film ever. However, even though it was a Spanish-language film about Mexican drug cartels, it was a French-produced movie.
Also, last year, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” was, by all means, an Iranian film with an Iranian story and cast, but was produced and finished in Germany. This is because the footage, and later the crew, had to be smuggled out of Iran to escape the government’s reach in 2024.
This year, Iranian dissident filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s film “It Was Just an Accident” was filmed in secret in his home country — where he now faces a second prison sentence if he returns — but produced and finished in France and Luxembourg.
So, how did we get here?
One answer lies in a controversy from a decade ago. In 2015, when the nominations were announced, the hashtag #Oscarssowhite quickly went viral on Twitter. The trend started by simply making light of the fact that no people of color were nominated that year, but it became an annual clarion call before long.
The reason for the criticism was obvious. It was made more obvious by the fact that three years earlier, a Los Angeles Times story revealed that Academy voters were 94% white and 77% male.
It took time, but the criticism took hold. The Academy took steps to update and diversify its voter base. It also changed the name of the clunky “Foreign Language Film” category to “International Feature.” As of 2024, the academy is closer to approaching the makeup of America, and therefore, the average film audience: 35% of members are female and 20% are from ethnic or racial minority groups.
Also in 2024, the Academy instituted its new diversity requirements for eligibility. The requirements were announced in 2020, giving studios time to adapt, and only require considerations to meet two of four criteria.
While diversity does not immediately translate to a more international award show, it can cause a swing — a more diverse voter base is more likely to nominate a more diverse slate of films.
In 2015, all of the films nominated for Best Picture were domestic, English-language productions. In 2024, three Best Picture nominees — “Anatomy of a Fall,” “Past Lives” and “The Zone of Interest” — were majority non-English language films and two of those were international productions — “Anatomy of a Fall” from France and “The Zone of Interest” from the United Kingdom.
In fact, you have to go back to 2021 for a year when an international film didn’t crack the Best Picture noms. The year before that was 2020, when the South Korean film “Parasite” swept five wins out of its seven nominations, including in International Feature and Best Picture, the same year as the category name change.
In an interview with Vulture in 2019, the director of “Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho, was asked about the fact that no Korean film had ever been nominated for an Oscar. This seems like a surprising fact, given that Korean cinema has produced great films for decades, including some from Bong himself. “It’s a little strange, but it’s not a big deal,” he said. “The Oscars are not an international film festival. They’re very local.”
It’s an indictment that spoke to a general sentiment, but in just a few short years, the Oscars have become a more international affair.
The 98th Academy Awards are set for March 15.
Editor’s note: This article was updated to include information from the 2026 Academy Awards.
