The Academy Has Reveales the Best Cinematography Contenders Shortlist for the 2026 Oscars

The Academy has revealed the sixteen films moving forward in the competition for Best Cinematography at the upcoming 98th Academy Awards. This year’s selection showcases a wide range of filmmaking styles, from big-budget action movies using the latest technology to smaller, more personal stories filmed traditionally. The Academy’s Cinematographers Branch chose films that demonstrate exceptional skill in lighting, framing, and camera work, all in service of the director’s creative goals. With both established and up-and-coming cinematographers in the running, the competition for the final five nominations is expected to be intense.

‘Ballad of a Small Player’ (2025)

Edward Berger’s film, based on Lawrence Osborne’s novel, takes you inside the intense and visually striking world of a gambler in Macau. The movie beautifully contrasts the bright, flashy casinos with the more subdued, atmospheric moments of the gambler’s personal struggles. Clever use of shadows hints at the character’s mysterious past and questionable choices. The camera work is smooth but creates a sense of unease, reflecting how precarious a life based on luck and lies can be.

‘Bugonia’ (2025)

Yorgos Lanthimos teams up with his regular collaborators for a quirky sci-fi comedy that’s both visually striking and narratively unpredictable. The film has a distinct look, thanks to Lanthimos’s use of unusual camera angles and color choices, creating a world that feels strangely unsettling. Cinematographer Robbie Ryan combines realistic and stylized lighting, often framing characters in ways that emphasize their isolation within this bizarre setting. The film’s unique visual style adds to its satirical humor, making each shot feel like a carefully planned work of art.

‘Die My Love’ (2025)

I was completely blown away by Lynne Ramsay’s film with Jennifer Lawrence. It’s a stunning example of how a director can use the camera to really pull you inside a character’s head, especially as things start to fall apart. The way it’s shot is so intimate – lots of close-ups and a focus on textures – it almost feels claustrophobic. What really struck me was the lighting. It starts with these beautiful, natural scenes, but as the story gets darker, the shadows become really unsettling. The camera doesn’t just show what’s happening; it feels like what the character is going through, expressing emotions that words just couldn’t capture. It’s a truly immersive experience.

‘F1’ (2025)

Director Joseph Kosinski and cinematographer Claudio Miranda have revolutionized action filmmaking by mounting 6k cameras inside the Formula 1 cars themselves. This allows the film to capture the incredible speed and risk of the sport with a realism never before seen, avoiding artificial effects and filming entirely on real racetracks. The movie combines sweeping views of the race circuits with intense, close-up footage from the driver’s seat, creating a truly immersive and thrilling experience. The result is a film that lets audiences feel the G-forces and excitement of racing as if they were there.

‘Frankenstein’ (2025)

Guillermo del Toro’s version of Frankenstein is a stunning, visually rich gothic experience. Cinematographer Dan Laustsen masterfully uses light and shadow – especially fire and lantern light – to create a haunting atmosphere and highlight the story’s tragic horror. The camera smoothly moves through detailed sets, showcasing both the creature’s unsettling beauty and the creator’s all-consuming obsession. The film’s color scheme, filled with deep blues and reds, powerfully emphasizes themes of life, death, and dangerous ambition.

‘Hamnet’ (2025)

Chloé Zhao’s film beautifully adapts Maggie O’Farrell’s novel, emphasizing the sorrow and strength of Shakespeare’s family. The film’s visuals, created by Joshua James Richards, feel raw and authentic thanks to the use of natural light and a handheld camera. The scenery of Elizabethan England isn’t just a backdrop; it’s deeply connected to the characters and highlights the beauty of simple, rural life. The film avoids overly dramatic shots, instead letting the story’s emotions unfold naturally through quiet, powerful imagery.

‘Marty Supreme’ (2025)

As a film buff, I was really struck by Josh Safdie’s direction in this movie. He totally captures the energy of 1950s professional ping pong, and he does it with a really raw, fast-paced visual style. The camera is almost never still, which perfectly reflects both how quickly the game is played and the protagonist’s hectic life. Darius Khondji’s cinematography is fantastic – the colors are so vivid and really feel like they belong in that era, especially against the smoky, shadowy tournament halls. And the film stock itself adds this amazing texture – it feels both vintage and incredibly modern, giving the whole thing a really frenetic vibe.

‘Nouvelle Vague’ (2025)

Richard Linklater’s film is a beautiful tribute to the French New Wave cinema of the 1960s, carefully recreating its distinctive look and feel. Shot in black and white with handheld cameras and natural light, the film intentionally mimics the raw, spontaneous style of filmmakers like Godard and Truffaut. It breaks many traditional filmmaking rules, using techniques like jump cuts and unusual camera angles to capture a sense of rebellion and energy. While clearly inspired by the past, the film feels modern and vibrant, not just a simple look back in time.

‘One Battle after Another’ (2025)

This powerful war film puts the audience right in the middle of the constant stress and exhaustion of battle with its captivating visuals. The camera follows the characters closely in long, uninterrupted shots, highlighting the never-ending nature of their fight. The film’s colors are muted and raw, showing the brutal truth of war without making it look glamorous. Night scenes are filmed using only available light, creating a truly frightening and realistic experience, making viewers feel like they’re searching the darkness alongside the soldiers.

‘Sentimental Value’ (2025)

Joachim Trier’s newest film is a beautifully shot and sensitive look at memory and how families interact, all set in a modernizing Oslo. The film uses a striking visual style, mixing clean, contemporary buildings with warmer, more intimate scenes. By filming on 35mm, the director creates a sense of nostalgia, emphasizing the film’s themes of remembrance and connection. The way characters are framed often highlights their loneliness, before showing them coming together and sharing space.

‘Sinners’ (2025)

Ryan Coogler is back with a unique and scary vampire movie that expertly uses the atmosphere of the American South to create a truly chilling experience. The film’s stunning nighttime visuals, captured by cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, feature deep shadows that conceal lurking dangers. It blends supernatural horror with a realistic, historical setting, emphasizing the humid and textured environment to create a sense of unease. The camera work feels like a predator stalking its prey, putting the audience right in the perspective of the threat.

‘Sirāt’ (2025)

This visually stunning film uses a bridge as a symbol to represent journeys of both the spirit and the body. The camera work focuses on height and unsettling angles, making the viewer feel dizzy and on edge. Light is used symbolically, with characters often moving from shadow into a bright, almost heavenly glow. The scenery is expansive and harsh, making the characters seem small and highlighting the difficulties and importance of their struggle for survival.

‘Song Sung Blue’ (2025)

Craig Brewer’s musical drama feels alive with the energy of a live show and honestly portrays the lives of working-class people. The film’s visuals jump between the vibrant, close-up atmosphere of bars and the stark, unglamorous look of everyday home life. When the band is performing, the camera work is energetic and makes you feel like you’re right there with them on stage. The difference between the excitement of music and the difficulties of real life is powerfully shown through the use of lighting and color.

‘Sound of Falling’ (2025)

This moving film tells its story through striking visuals that emphasize loneliness and the weight of life. The camera work often shows characters as small figures within vast landscapes, and the cool, understated colors create a feeling of sadness and distance. Slow camera movements build a sense of something unavoidable happening, reflecting the story’s themes of loss and the struggle to overcome it.

‘Train Dreams’ (2025)

This film, adapted from Denis Johnson’s story, beautifully portrays the wild and expansive American West during the early 1900s. The filmmakers use sweeping, wide-angle shots to emphasize the grandeur of the natural world and how small people seem in comparison. Everything is lit with natural light, showcasing both the harsh landscapes and the characters’ worn appearances. The film unfolds at a deliberate, peaceful pace, giving viewers time to truly experience the feel of the period and the quietness of the wilderness.

‘Wicked: For Good’ (2025)

Wow, the second half of this musical adaptation really blew me away! They took everything I loved about the first part and just made it bigger and more beautiful. The colors were incredible – so bright and vibrant, it really felt like classic Technicolor. And the way they filmed the musical numbers? The camera moved so smoothly, capturing all the energy and detail. Honestly, the special effects weren’t cheesy at all – they blended perfectly with everything else, making Oz feel completely real and magical, like you were actually in the show!

2025-12-17 21:16