International Films Break Records At 98th Oscars Nominations

The 98th Academy Awards nominations, announced on January 22, 2026, have set the stage for a historic and globally resonant Oscars season. This year’s slate, unveiled in Los Angeles, is marked by a remarkable embrace of international cinema, record-shattering statistics, and a celebration of new and returning talent across the film world. As the Dolby Theatre prepares to host the ceremony on March 15, 2026, the contours of this year’s race tell an exhilarating story of change, diversity, and cinematic achievement.

Among the most headline-grabbing developments is the dominance of international films, with Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value and Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent leading the charge. According to Deadline, Sentimental Value earned an impressive nine nominations, including a coveted Best Director nod for Trier, who edged out industry titan Guillermo del Toro. The film’s haul places it just behind Hollywood heavyweights like Sinners—which itself set a new all-time record with 16 nominations, topping the previous high of 14 set by classics like All About Eve and Titanic.

But the story doesn’t stop with numbers. Sentimental Value’s Stellan Skarsgård made history as the first actor in a non-English language film to be nominated for Best Supporting Actor. He joins a record-breaking group of four performers nominated for non-English language roles: Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Renate Reinsve, Skarsgård, and Wagner Moura. The previous record, set in 1976, was three. As Variety reports, this year’s acting categories saw a wave of first-time nominees—eleven in total—including Elle Fanning, Michael B. Jordan, and Wunmi Mosaku, alongside the international standouts.

The Secret Agent has emerged as a particular emblem of this international surge. Directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho and set during Brazil’s tumultuous 1970s military dictatorship, the film not only secured nominations for Best Picture and Best International Feature Film, but also made history with Wagner Moura’s Best Actor nod. As The Hollywood Reporter notes, Moura is the first Brazilian actor ever nominated in this category, and only the third Brazilian to receive an acting Oscar nomination at all, following Fernanda Montenegro and Fernanda Torres. Moura’s performance as Armando, a civil servant caught in a web of conspiracy and surveillance, has already garnered him the Cannes Best Actor prize, a New York Film Critics Circle win, and a Golden Globe—each a first for a Brazilian actor.

“Kleber also suffered consequences for the things that he was saying. You know the drill: They attack universities, artists, the press. It’s not a new tactic. It’s the playbook of fascism,” Moura told The Hollywood Reporter in September. “That was sort of the genesis of this project. Kleber and I, and lots of artists and intellectuals, academics and journalists in Brazil were like: ‘What the fuck are we going to do?’ The Secret Agent came from that political situation.”

This year’s nominations also reflect a broader shift in the Academy’s recognition of women and technical innovation. As Deadline points out, the Spanish film Sirāt not only received nominations for Best International Feature Film and Sound, but also became the first film with an all-women sound team—Amanda Villavieja, Laia Casanovas, and Yasmina Praderas—to be nominated for a sound award. Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw became only the fourth woman ever nominated in her category, while Charmaine Chan joined the select group of women nominated for visual effects. Altogether, a record 74 women were nominated across all categories, a milestone highlighted by the Academy.

The Academy also introduced a new category this year: Achievement in Casting, the first addition since Best Animated Feature Film in 2001. The Secret Agent was among the inaugural nominees, further cementing its place in Oscars history.

Other significant international achievements abound. France claimed its 40th nomination in the International Feature Film category for Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident, maintaining its lead over Italy, which stands at 30. The Japanese historical drama Kokuho earned a Makeup and Hairstyling nomination, while Norwegian black comedy The Ugly Stepsister and Little Amélie or the Character of Rain were recognized in Animation. The documentary Mr Nobody Against Putin and Panahi’s screenplay for It Was Just an Accident added further global flair to the ballot.

In the music categories, Diane Warren continued her streak with a ninth consecutive nomination for Original Song, bringing her career total to 17. Notably, two documentary-originated songs, “Dear Me” and “Sweet Dreams Of Joy,” were also nominated, reflecting the Academy’s growing appreciation for music in nonfiction storytelling.

Looking at the broader landscape, this year marks the eighth consecutive Oscars in which at least one non-English-language film has been nominated for Best Picture—a testament to the Academy’s widening cultural lens. Only Parasite has managed to win both Best Picture and International Feature Film, but with The Secret Agent and Sentimental Value both in contention for both honors, history could be made again.

The Oscars have also become a space for career milestones and comebacks. Amy Madigan received her first acting nomination in 40 years, the third-longest gap in Academy history. Four previous acting winners—Benicio Del Toro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, and Emma Stone—returned to the nominations list, while Timothée Chalamet stood out as the only acting nominee to be recognized in consecutive years.

Behind the scenes, legendary producer Steven Spielberg extended his own record with a 14th Best Picture nomination, underscoring the Oscars’ blend of tradition and transformation. Meanwhile, the Best Picture field reflected a multi-year trend of female directors, with this year marking the seventh consecutive year that at least one woman helmed a nominee. Chloé’s nomination for Hamnet marked the 11th directing nomination for a woman, making her the second to receive multiple nods after Jane Campion.

For Brazil, the back-to-back Best Picture nominations for I’m Still Here (2024) and The Secret Agent (2026) mark a remarkable reversal after decades of absence from the Oscars’ top categories. If The Secret Agent wins Best International Feature Film, it will be the first time in nearly 40 years that a country has won the category two years in a row—a feat last accomplished by Denmark in the late 1980s.

With final Oscar voting set for February 26 to March 5, and the ceremony hosted by Conan O’Brien, the world will be watching to see which of these groundbreaking stories takes home the gold. The 98th Academy Awards, more than ever, reflect a film industry in flux—one that’s learning to celebrate its diversity, reward new voices, and honor the past while looking boldly toward the future.