Irish films and talent scored a hatful of nominations for the 2026 Academy Awards, announced on Thursday morning in Los Angeles, but much domestic attention will focus on the actor who didn’t get in. Jessie Buckley is, of course, nominated in the best actress category for her role as a heart-achingly bereaved Agnes Shakespeare in Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet, and she remains strong favourite to take the prize itself. Paul Mescal, who plays William Shakespeare in the searing film, was, however, an unexpected omission in best supporting actor despite tireless work on the awards circuit beside his Kerry costar. Oh well, he will be back.
Elsewhere, Yorgos Lanthimos’s off-centre satire Bugonia, produced by Dublin-based Element Pictures, secured four nominations: best picture, best adapted screenplay, best original score, and, for Emma Stone, best actress. Andrew Lowe and Ed Guiney, co-founders of Element, share, as producers, the individual nominations for best picture.
“Delighted for everyone here at O’Connell Street watching the noms,” Guiney told The Irish Times from Element’s offices. “Very sad about some omissions … but all in all thrilled with four noms including best picture.” Among those omissions, Guiney mentioned Irish cinematographer Robbie Ryan, who must have been close.
Elsewhere, Retirement Plan, a lovely Irish title by John Kelly, featuring the voice of Domhnall Gleeson, was mentioned in best animated short.
“Screen Ireland is particularly proud to have supported Retirement Plan through the Frameworks animated short film scheme, in partnership with RTÉ,” Désirée Finnegan, chief executive of Screen Ireland, said. “The film is a quietly profound testament to living life that has resonated deeply with audiences around the world.”
Richard Baneham, from Tallaght, already a winner of two Oscars, was nominated in visual effects for Avatar: Fire and Ash. Maggie O’Farrell, born in Coleraine, was nominated in best adapted screenplay for cunningly reworking Hamnet, her own adored 2020 novel, with Zhao. Ethan Hawke is nominated in best actor for his turn as lyricist Richard Rodgers in Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon, a film largely shot in Ireland with the participation of Wild Atlantic Pictures.
Hamnet scored a healthy eight nominations, but the film-makers will have been disappointed that Mescal didn’t make the final list. In truth, though most tipsters had him in their predictions, he always looked to be the most vulnerable of the likely five. The Kildare man lost out to Delroy Lindo, costar of Sinners, as Ryan Coogler’s film soared to one of the most remarkable feats in Oscar history. The film’s 16 nominations beat the record of 14, set by All About Eve 75 years ago, for most ever by a single film. The result was all the more remarkable in that every nomination was in a different category. All About Eve, a multiple acting contender, scored its 14 in just 12 races. Sinners stayed in the voters’ minds despite a release way back in April. It breaks the record as a film that (though also a musical and a socio-historical drama) ends up with a violent siege by bloodthirsty vampires.
Director Chloé Zhao with actors Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley on the set of their film Hamnet. Photograph: Agata Grzybowska
Sinners’ dominance slightly overshadows a hugely strong performance by Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another. Its tally of 13 nominations was, after all, just one short of the ancient record – later equalled by Avatar and La La Land – that was in the process of being shattered. One Battle, an epic variation on Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland, is still the favourite for best picture, but Sinners’ overperformance probably nudges it back ahead of Hamnet into second place for the most treasured prize.
So, what were the other snubs and surprises? There was a straight highbrow for lowbrow swap in best picture. Oscar watchers had, since May, been predicting Jafar Panahi’s Iranian drama It Was Just an Accident, winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes, for a nomination, but the Oscar voters went for noisy, populist racing romp F1 instead. Wicked: For Good, despite indifferent reviews, looked, following a big opening weekend, certain to gather multiple nominations – stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande among them – but ended up with not a single nomination. In contrast, Elle Fanning will be mildly surprised to find herself in the best supporting actress race for Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value, alongside her costar Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas.
The Academy Awards take place on Sunday, March 15th, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. As things stand, with a Golden Globe already on the mantlepiece, Jessie Buckley is well-placed to become the first Irish woman ever to win the best actress prize.