Oscar 2026 nominations have been announced, with Sinners leading the field with 16 nominations (an all-time record), followed by One Battle After Another with 13. Next came a tight cluster: Frankenstein, Marty Supreme, and Sentimental Value each scored 9, while Hamnet landed 8. Other noteworthy Best Picture contenders rounding out the lineup were Bugonia, F1, The Secret Agent and Train Dreams — with The Secret Agent standing out as the “international crossover” pick that showed up in both Best Picture and International Feature.
Author: Rolmar Baldonado
Films for the cineaste. Were you moved, transported? Did you laugh, cry? Was it cathartic? Were you disturbed, affected, riveted? Did it make you think?
Freelance film editor, cineaste and cinephile
Twitter: @film_critik
Twitter: @rolmar
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In Magellan, Filipino auteur Lav Diaz revisits one of the most mythologised episodes in both colonial and Philippine history: the arrival and death of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan (Gael García Bernal), reframed through Diaz’s signature lens of meditative realism and moral exploration.
The Sydney Film Festival 2025 took place from June 5-16, coinciding with the King’s Birthday long weekend as it marks the start of winter.
Netflix’s new hit series, ADOLESCENCE, created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, is a brilliant blend of compelling content and style – an instant masterpiece! Following last year’s breakout British hit BABY REINDEER, Netflix has delivered yet another gripping, dark psychological exploration that is sure to resonate with audiences.
Oscar 2025 nominations have been announced, with EMILIA PEREZ leading with 13 nominations, followed by THE BRUTALIST and WICKED with 10 nominations each, rounded up by CONCLAVE and A COMPLETE UNKNOWN with 8 each. Other noteworthy contenders were ANORA, THE SUBSTANCE, and the surprise entry I’M STILL HERE from Brazil. Unexpected announcements include Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong for THE APPRENTICE as well as Felicity Jones for THE BRUTALIST and Monica Barbaro for A COMPLETE UNKNOWN. Notable snubs were director Edward Berger for CONCLAVE, Angelina Jolie for MARIA, Daniel Craig for QUEER, Nicole Kidman for BABYGIRL and Denzel Washington for GLADIATOR II.
As of this writing, the Golden Globe 2025 nominations have been announced, with EMILIA PEREZ leading with ten nominations. This was followed by THE BRUTALIST with seven nominations, CONCLAVE with six, ANORA and THE SUBSTANCE with five each. It has been surprisingly delightful for the Cannes Best Screenplay winner, THE SUBSTANCE, a body horror genre film that got classified in the Musical or Comedy category.
Filmmaker Lin Jianjie’s uneasy piece depicts a sombre modern China moving from its one-child policy to embracing its now two-child and more policy. It dwells on sibling rivalry between two sons, one biological and the other adopted.
After the success of Ray Yeung’s last Hong Kong-based mature-age gay-themed film TWILIGHT’S KISS (or SUK SUK), together with previous Western-based gay Chinese love story films CUT SLEEVE BOYS and FRONT COVER, this auteur writer-director has ventured queer territory again with his Berlinale Teddy award-winner ALL SHALL BE WELL.
Director Takashi Shimizu, known for his previous Japanese horror works such as the pioneering THE GRUDGE, JU-ON and MAREBITO, now delivers a combination of monstrosity tied this time with virtual reality. Set on a remote Japanese island, IMMERSION employs the same ghastly storyline of the dead reimmersing back to life to attack the living.
In the enigmatic introspection of Kei Ishikawa’s A MAN, the boundaries of identity blur with the essence of truth, subjecting itself to endless scrutiny. Adapted from Keiichiro Hirano’s novel, Ishikawa artfully delves deep into self-discovery that challenges our perceptions of ourselves and others.