12 films to watch in the 2026 Oscar race

The film industry is gearing up for the most exciting time of the year as we approach the end of 2025: awards season.

The films Hamnet - Life Before Hamlet , Sinners and Christy are just some of the hot titles at the moment, although many of the possible contenders for the 2026 Oscars haven't even premiered yet.

A number of films considered Oscar favorites debuted at the recent Venice, Telluride and Toronto film festivals, joining others that had already generated buzz at Sundance and Cannes earlier in the year.

One of Brazil's hopes, after Ainda Estou Aqui won the Oscar for best foreign film this year, is The Secret Agent , by Kleber Mendonça, which was chosen by Brazil to represent the country in the 2026 competition.

But there are several other films that are already gaining international attention.

As we begin the long road to the Oscars on March 15, here are 12 favorites to keep an eye on:

1. Hamnet - Life Before Hamlet

If you were to write the perfect recipe for a potential Best Picture Oscar nominee, the ingredients would be very similar to those in Hamnet .

The recipe: Adapt a wildly popular novel (by Maggie O'Farrell), hire a recent Oscar winner ( Nomadland 's Chloé Zhao) to direct, and cast two popular young actors (Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal) in the lead roles.

Set in 1596, Hamnet examines the death of William Shakespeare's 11-year-old son and the events that led the bard to write his play Hamlet .

Last weekend, the film won the Toronto People's Choice Award, usually a sign of Oscar success. The film will be released in Brazilian theaters on January 29, 2026.

2. One Battle After Another

Director Paul Thomas Anderson has never won an Oscar.

Nearly all of his previous films—including Licorice Pizza , Phantom Thread , and There Will Be Blood —received multiple Oscar nominations, but none won him Best Picture or Best Director.

That could change this year with One Battle After Another , a well-received film starring Leonardo DiCaprio about a group of former revolutionaries who come together to rescue the kidnapped daughter of one of their members.

Critics have said the Best Picture nominee deserves its 2h50m running time thanks to its engaging narrative and fast pace. The film premiered in Brazil on Thursday (September 25).

3. Sinners

A vampire movie released well before awards season doesn't look like an Oscar favorite.

But Ryan Coogler's Sinners is exactly the kind of film that gives Hollywood hope in a struggling era — an original idea and a box office success at the same time.

Set in 1932, the film centers on twin brothers who return home to the Mississippi Delta in search of a new beginning, unaware that an evil force awaits them. The film is available on select streaming platforms in Brazil.

4. Bugonia

Emma Stone's latest film sees her play a powerful CEO who is kidnapped by two conspiracy theorists who believe she is an alien.

But there's a lot more going on beneath the surface than meets the eye, as you'd expect from a film from the director of Poor Creatures and The Favourite , Yorgos Lanthimos.

Although Stone has won Best Actress twice in the last decade, her co-star Jesse Plemons may receive his first Best Actor nomination for the film. The film is set to be released in Brazil on October 30th.

5. Christy

From Jerry Maguire and King Richard to The Blind Side , the Oscars have always rewarded sports biopics.

There are three of these in the running this year. The first stars Euphoria 's Sydney Sweeney as Christy Martin, one of America's most famous boxers.

Christy , directed by David Michôd, follows Martin's rise in the 1990s and the attempted assassination of her husband in 2010. Sweeney could receive her first Oscar nomination for the film, which does not yet have a release date in Brazil.

6. Anemone

Daniel Day-Lewis announced his retirement in 2017, before the release of Phantom Thread .

But last year, it was announced that the three-time Oscar winner would return to the big screen in a film directed by his son Ronan.

The film follows a former soldier who reunites with his brother after living isolated in the forest for 20 years. The film does not yet have a release date in Brazil.

7. Fighter's Heart - The Smashing Machine

Another sports drama of the year is The Smashing Machine , which features successful star Dwayne Johnson, also known as The Rock, playing UFC fighter Mark Kerr in the early days of the sport in the 1990s.

The Rock transforms in several ways. It's not just his physical appearance that changes significantly—the film marks a radical shift in his career. This is the first time he's been considered a true Oscar contender.

Benny Safdie won the best director award at Venice for the film, which will be released in Brazilian cinemas on October 16.

8. Sentimental Value

As the Grand Prix winner, Sentimental Value was one of the big hits at Cannes this year.

The film focuses on two estranged sisters who reconnect with their father after their mother's death.

Best Actress nominee Renate Reinsve reunites with director Joachim Trier four years after the critically acclaimed hit The Worst Person in the World . The film is a potential competitor to Brazil's The Secret Agent .

The launch in Brazil does not yet have a date.

9. After the Hunt

This movie will definitely generate controversy on the internet.

A promising college student (Ayo Edebiri) accuses one of her professors (Andrew Garfield) of rape, leaving another professor (Julia Roberts) caught in the middle of a dispute between the two.

Director Luca Guadagnino hopes this film will put him back in the awards race after his two previous films, Queer and Rivals , didn't fare as well. It opens in Brazilian theaters on October 9th.

10. It Was Just an Accident

Following in the footsteps of last year's best picture winner, Anora , Jafar Panahi's It Was Only an Accident won the prestigious Palme d'Or at Cannes in May.

Set against a backdrop of political repression in Iran, the film follows a man who recognizes the former intelligence officer who tortured him in prison after a chance encounter in a garage.

The film will likely be nominated in the international category, having been selected to represent France instead of its native Iran, and may well also compete for Best Picture. It opens in Brazil on December 4th.

11. Marty Supreme

There are too few Hollywood table tennis movies for our taste — something this Josh Safdie film aims to correct.

Starring recent Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme is loosely based on the saga of table tennis player Marty Reisman. It premieres in Brazil on January 8, 2026.

12. Wicked: Part II and Avatar: Fire and Ashes

We're cheating by putting two films in one spot on the list, but the Wicked and Avatar sequels have a lot in common.

Both are likely to crush the box office before Christmas, both are new films from previous Best Picture nominees, and both have colons in their titles.

Jon M Chu's Wicked: Part II will conclude the origin story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, while James Cameron's Avatar: Fire and Ashes will see the Na'vi encounter an aggressive new tribe.

With an expanded Best Picture category, the Academy likes to nominate some blockbusters, mainly because it helps the ceremony remain relevant to younger audiences.

What other films are in the running?

We didn't have space to mention all the nominees for the above awards, so here's a quick rundown of some others: