Oscars 2026 - CinemaHounds - A Lorehounds Podcast

Whether or not you plan to watch along when the 2026 Spirit Awards air this Sunday, February 15 (or later), Elysia will walk you through everything you need to know: what's nominated in what categories, what overlaps are there with the Oscars, and what hidden gems might you want to check out.ChaptersEmerging Filmmaker Awards jury prizes (00:02:40)Special Awards jury prizes (00:18:44)Best Feature categories (00:31:10)First Feature categories (00:53:48)Acting categories for film (01:05:38)  Technical categories (01:19:50)Documentary (01:31:10) International (01:40:18)TV awards (01:47:00)Top 10 films (01:54:44)Elysia's top 10 Spirit Awards films for LorehoundsTwinless (Hulu, VoD)Lurker (Mubi, VoD)The Long Walk (Starz, VoD)FucktoysSplitsville (Hulu, VoD)The Baltimorons (AMC+, VoD)One of Them Days (Netflix)Hedda (Prime)A PoetTie: The Plague (VoD) & On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (HBO, VoD)Find the full list of Spirit Award nominees hereThe 41st Independent Spirit Awards will air Sunday, February 15, 2025 at 5 pm ET – watch on YouTube as it airs and join us in the Lorehounds Discord (see linktree) for a live-watch chat!Check your extended stats (including the Spirit Awards and jury prize nominees) on DeathRaceTracking.comSpirit Award nominees coveredThe Baltimorons (ContraZoom blog)Friendship (Properly Howard podcast)For subscribers: If I Had Legs I Would Kick You (Leiden IFF – WhachaWachin) Fucktoys (Imagine Fantastic FF – WhachaWachin)Non-Oscars awards coverageBAFTA longlisted shortsIndependent Spirit Awards preview (this episode)BAFTAs previewOscars 2026 coverageNominations + Best Picture previewLive-Action, Animated, & Documentary ShortsProduction Design, Costumes, Makeup & HairInternational FeaturesDocumentary FeaturesAnimated FeaturesScore & Original SongCinematography, Editing, Sound, VFXDirector, Original & Adapted ScreenplayLead & Supporting Actor & Actress, CastingCeremony reactions + Best Picture rankingsDeep dives into 2026 Oscar nomineesSinnersOne Battle After Another – pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3FrankensteinWeaponsShorts: “Two People Exchanging Saliva,” “Jane Austen’s Period Drama,” “The Singers,” “Retirement Plan,” and “The Girl Who Cried Pearls”For subscribers: Leiden IFF – WhachaWachin (Sentimental Value, If I Had Legs I Would Kick You, and Arco)Revisit Oscars 2024 & 2025: links in these show notesContact UsQuestions or comments? Visit us at our website where you can use the contact form or use the voicemail feature. Or, send an email to lorehounds@thelorehounds.com.Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliateslinktr.ee/thelorehoundsAny opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.

Elysia is joined by Brandon from ShortStick blog and podcast for a look at the five nominees for each of the three short-film Oscar categories: Animated Shorts (00:08:29), Documentary Shorts (00:29:07), and Live-Action Shorts (00:54:48). They lay out what each short film is, what makes it stand out, and where you can see them (when possible), as they discuss how short films works differently from feature films and the more difficult path to nomination, and also call out other top shorts from this awards season that they think Lorehounds listeners will also love.Find Brandon at: Shortstick Films blog & podcast (on Spotify)ShortStick's Top 75 Short Films of 2025Nominated Shorts:Animated ShortsButterfly – trailer, info, full film*Forevergreen – trailer, info, full film*The Girl Who Cried Pearls – trailer, info, full film* (in French), full film* (English dub)Retirement Plan – trailer, infoThe Three Sisters – trailer, infoOther shorts mentioned: Snow Bear (full film*), Playing God, The Night Boots, Hurikán, The Shyness of Trees (full film*), Autokar (to rent*), Two Ships, Ovary-Acting (previous film: Night of the Living Dread; full film)Note: All nominated (and shortlisted) animated films are available on Animation Showcase, available to (free) members of DeathRaceTracking.comDocumentary ShortsAll the Empty Rooms – trailer, info (Netflix)Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud – trailer, info (HBO Max)Children No More: Were and Are Gone – trailer, infoThe Devil Is Busy – trailer, info (HBO Max)  Perfectly a Strangeness – trailer, infoOther shorts mentioned: Bad Hostage, All the Walls Came Down (LA Times Docs), Classroom 4 (PBS, US only), We Were the Scenery (on FestivalScope until Feb 22), Neil Armstrong and the Langholmites, Shanti Rides Shotgun (Vimeo) ConfessionLive-Action ShortsButcher's Stain – trailer, infoA Friend of Dorothy – trailer, info (Disney+)Jane Austen's Period Drama – trailer, info, available on Kanopy* or in SwedenThe Singers – trailer, info (Netflix, from Feb 13)Two People Exchanging Saliva – trailer, info, full film*Other shorts mentioned: Beyond Silence, Dad’s Not Home, Extremist (full film*), The Pearl Comb (Disney+), Pantyhose, Blondi, Wonderwall, One Day This Kid (Criterion), A Bear Remembers, Nervous Energy, The Second Time Around *Watch quickly! May be taken offline without warning.The 98th Academy Awards will air Sunday, March 15, 2025 at 7 pm ET (on ABC/Hulu in the US) – where it's aired around the world (last year's link)Check how many Oscar nominees you've seen at OscarsDeathRace.com – or with extended stats and access to the animated shorts via DeathRaceTracking.comOscars 2026 coverageNominations + Best Picture previewLive-Action, Animated, & Documentary Shorts (this episode)Production Design, Costumes, Makeup & HairInternational FeaturesDocumentary FeaturesAnimated FeaturesScore & Original SongCinematography, Editing, Sound, VFXDirector, Original & Adapted ScreenplayLead & Supporting Actor & Actress, CastingCeremony reactions + Best Picture rankingsDeep dives into 2026 Oscar nomineesSinnersOne Battle After Another – pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3FrankensteinWeaponsShorts: “Two People Exchanging Saliva,” “Jane Austen’s Period Drama,” “The Singers,” “Retirement Plan,” and “The Girl Who Cried Pearls”For subscribers: Leiden IFF – WhachaWachin (Sentimental Value, If I Had Legs I Would Kick You, and Arco)Additional awards coverageBAFTA longlisted shortsIndependent Spirit Awards previewBAFTAs previewRevisit Oscars 2024 & 2025: links in these show notesContact UsQuestions or comments? Visit us at our website where you can use the contact form or use the voicemail feature. Or, send an email to lorehounds@thelorehounds.com.Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliateslinktr.ee/thelorehoundsAny opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.

Elysia talks to practical VFX artist Lee Romaire about everything he's learned from a 25-year career covering everything from Emmy-winning special-effects makeup and Frankenstein animal gore to Disney park animatronics and robotic red-carpet accessories.Links from the discussion:Romaire Studios websiteKeke Palmer interviews Frank Ocean & the animatronic babySocks recreates the Five Nights at Freddy's experienceCajun Christmas reingatorsContact UsQuestions or comments? Visit us at our website where you can use the contact form or use the voicemail feature. Or, send an email to lorehounds@thelorehounds.com.Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliateslinktr.ee/thelorehoundsAny opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.

David and Elysia officially kick of this year's awards-season coverage with their reactions to the 2026 Oscar nominees, including all the new records set by this year's crop. After talking through the headlines (00:11:40), they preview this year's 10 Best Picture nominees (00:30:30) before discussing the biggest surprises and snubs (01:29:19) and the four acting categories (01:49:33). Stick around until the end for a preview of the rest of the coverage plans.The 98th Academy Awards will air Sunday, March 15, 2025 at 7 pm ET (on ABC/Hulu in the US) – where it's aired around the world (last year's link)Check how many Oscar nominees you've seen at OscarsDeathRace.com – or with extended stats and access to the animated shorts via DeathRaceTracking.comOscars 2026 coverageNominations + Best Picture preview (this episode)Live-Action, Animated, & Documentary ShortsProduction Design, Costumes, Makeup & HairInternational FeaturesAnimated FeaturesDocumentary FeaturesScore & Original SongCinematography, Editing, Sound, VFXLead & Supporting Actor & Actress, CastingDirector, Original & Adapted ScreenplayCeremony reactions + Best Picture rankingsDeep dives into 2026 Oscar nomineesSinnersOne Battle After Another – pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3FrankensteinWeaponsShorts: “Two People Exchanging Saliva,” “Jane Austen’s Period Drama,” “The Singers,” “Retirement Plan,” and “The Girl Who Cried Pearls”For subscribers: Leiden IFF – WhachaWachin (Sentimental Value, If I Had Legs I Would Kick You, and Arco)Additional awards coverageBAFTA longlisted shortsIndependent Spirit Awards previewBAFTAs previewRevisit Oscars 2024 & 2025: links in these show notesContact UsQuestions or comments? Visit us at our website where you can use the contact form or use the voicemail feature. Or, send an email to lorehounds@thelorehounds.com.Links to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliateslinktr.ee/thelorehoundsAny opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.