While the first half of 2026 might have brought Project Hail Mary, Obsession, and The Odyssey squarely into the Oscar race, what about those other films that might make a smaller splash on nomination morning? Let’s take a look at the technical contenders already released.
“Wuthering Heights” – Best Costume Design
Emerald Fennel’s “Wuthering Heights” may have arrived with a critical whimper, but no one can discount the visual treat of the period-specific costumes (with added anachronisms) by two-time Oscar-winner and nine-time nominee Jacqueline Durran. The Costume Design voting body loves Victorian-era fashions, and it wouldn’t surprise me in the least to see Durran get nomination number ten. Durran may also have to compete with herself, as she is also the designer on Mike Leigh’s Tender Loving Care.
Power Ballad – Best Original Song for “How to Write a Song (Without You)”
Sometimes you have to look at the reputation as much as the content. Director John Carney has only directed five features by himself since 2007, and has featured original music in all five. His films have previously garnered two Original Song nominations, including a win for Once. Not only is the song the cornerstone of the Power Ballad‘s plot, it features the opportunity to put Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas on the Oscar stage singing a ballad. That’s a difficult thing to ignore for an entertainment show like the Oscars.
Undertone – Best Sound
It’s one thing to have sound be a feature of a film, it’s another when the sound is the film. Without the audio artistry in Ian Tuason’s Undertone, the film goes absolutely nowhere. The unsettling feeling with each recording is elevated as the film progresses, just as the ambient noise is that much more amplified as soon as the audio sessions stop. Each sound is deliberate. Each creak and whistle has meaning. Horror doesn’t have the best of reputations around awards bodies, but this would be a unique and purposeful recognition of the genre and the craftsmanship needed to pull it off successfully.
Backrooms – Best Production Design
The Obsession train took a bit of wind out of the sails of Kane Parson’s Backrooms, but the film is still wildly successful, thanks in no small part to the settings of the titular rooms. Without those liminal rooms of dead yellow with its sinister architecture and inexplicable contents, the film just wouldn’t have the impact. The Academy has a storied history of awarding smaller films in places where big-budget spectacles get awards. Think of the tiny visual effects team from Everything Everywhere All At Once as an example. This would be a great place for the Academy to award the film as a whole if it misses elsewhere.
The Furious – Best Film Editing
Ever since 2005’s The Bourne Supremacy, action films have suffered from a lack of visual clarity. While there have been some clear outliers in the genre since then, many action films suffer from a quick-cut style where you barely understand what is happening. Not so in Tenji Tanigaki’s The Furious. Not only is the action upped to a staggering degree, you never get confused, misunderstand the stakes, while always having a clear picture of each kick and punch. Gone are the quick cuts to odd angles and stunt doubles. Action films rarely get their due in the editing awards, but if anything should get rewarded, it’s here. It would also be a good place to give a film that would be a frontrunner for the Best Stunt Design Oscar if it began this year instead of next.
The Bride! – Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Say what you want about Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride!, but it’s hard to deny the visual impact of the faces of Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale. With Buckley’s mangled hair and permanent black spittle on her face, the character is created before Buckley says a word. Bale’s hideously deformed face does just as much for him as it does for Buckley, including a permanently broken nose and stapled forehead. It might not be the most subtle of jobs, but this is not a film for subtlety. The film goes big, and the makeup and hairstyling aptly follows suit. It also helps that artist Nadia Stacey already has two Oscars for Cruella and Poor Things.
Disclosure Day – Best Original Score
By Any Means – Best Original Song for “By Any Means”
Who are we kidding here? When it comes to names like John Williams and Diane Warren, the Academy just cannot help themselves. I would not expect these films to go anywhere with awards bodies in other categories, but the name recognition, reputation, and noteworthiness alone should get these two over the top. Death, taxes, John Williams and Diane Warren.
Who are we kidding? We all know the late-season releases will dominate awards season…right?
