All the Asian talent nominated for 2026 Oscars

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled its nominations for the 2026 Oscars Thursday morning, with several Asian filmmakers, performers, and Asian-centered projects emerging as major presences across top categories.

Leading the nominations was Ryan Coogler’s genre-bending vampire tale Sinners with a record-breaking 16 nominations—the most ever received by a single film. Sinners beats the previous record of 14 nominations held by films such as La La Land (2016), Titanic (1997) and All About Eve (1950). Autumn Durald Arkapaw, who is of mixed Filipino descent, made history as the first woman of color nominated for best cinematography. Among Sinners’ various story beats, the film includes an Asian American family living in rural Mississippi in 1932. Bo and Grace Chow, portrayed by Malaysian actor Yao and Shanghai-born Chinese American Li Jun Li, run two grocery stores in segregated Clarksdale with their daughter Lisa, played by Helena Hu. 

Sinners’ historic run includes a best picture nomination, best director for Ryan Coogler, best original screenplay, and an entry for the Academy’s newest category of best casting for Francine Maisler.

Hamnet also emerged as a significant awards player with eight nominations total, including best picture, best director for Chloé Zhao, and multiple writing and craft categories. Netflix’s Train Dreams received five nominations, including best picture and best adapted screenplay. One of Train Dreams’ plot threads involves the killing of Fu Sheng, a Chinese railroad laborer portrayed by Alfred Hsing, at the hands of his white co-workers during the early 20th Century. Bugonia, also nominated for best picture and best adapted screenplay, is a rework of the South Korean film Save the Green Planet!

Asian-led projects dominated the animated feature category. Four of the five nominated films were either led by Asian directors or featured Asian creatives in key roles. Maggie Kang’s KPop Demon Hunters can also add a historic best original song nomination for “Golden” to its impressive awards run. “Golden,” from singer-songwriter EJAE marks the first time a K-pop song has been nominated for an Oscar. Other nominees in the animated feature category include Pixar’s Elio co-directed by Domee Shi, Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, co-directed by Liane-Cho Han, and Disney’s Zootopia 2, starring Ke Huy Quan. 

Asian creatives were also prominently represented across below-the-line categories. Costume designer Miyako Bellizzi earned a nomination for her work on Marty Supreme, while Kyoko Toyokawa, Naomi Hibino, and Tadashi Nishimatsu were recognized for makeup and hairstyling on Japan’s Oscar submission, Kokuho. Makeup artist Kazu Hiro also received a nomination for his work on The Smashing Machine, starring Dwayne Johnson. Charmaine Chan received a nomination for best visual effects on Jurassic World: Rebirth.

In the documentary and international feature races, films rooted in Asian and Asian-diaspora experiences continued to gain traction. Cutting Through Rocks, directed by Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni, earned a documentary feature nomination, as did Children No More: “Were and Are Gone,” produced by Hilla Medalia and Sheila Nevins. Indian American filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir is a double nominee for the documentary feature The Perfect Neighbor and the documentary short The Devil is Busy. Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident received nominations in both international feature and original screenplay, while The Voice of Hind Rajab and Sirāt were also recognized in the international category.

Asian artists were similarly visible in the live-action short film field. Butcher’s Stain, by Meyer Levinson-Blount and Oron Caspi, Two People Exchanging Saliva, from Indian visual artist Alexandre Singh and Jane Austen's Period Drama starring Lachlan Taimua Hannemann all earned nominations. 

However, the international feature race also delivered a couple notable snubs, with Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice and Shih-Ching Tsou’s directorial debut Left-Handed Girl failing to secure nominations despite widespread critical attention. Jon M. Chu’s Wicked: For Good received zero Oscar nominations. 

The 98th Academy Awards will be broadcast live on March 15 on ABC and streamed on Hulu, with Conan O’Brien returning as host for the second consecutive year. 

The full list of nominees can be found here.