We have reached the nomination finish line. After months of Benji and I talking about the potential nominees, we have reached the time when it’s time to predict who will be in and who will be out. We kicked off our final predictions by sharing our predictions for all the Below the Line categories.

The 2025 film season saw some truly remarkable films from incredible directors. From Ryan Coogler to Paul Thomas Anderson to Mona Fastvold. But none of those films can come to fruition without the hard work of all the below the line crew. This is the time of year when the Academy honors the best of the best. Let’s dive into our Below the Line 2026 Oscar Nomination Predictions.

Best Casting

Ricky

1. Sinners
2. One Battle After Another
3. Marty Supreme
4. Hamnet
5. Sentimental Value

Benji

1. One Battle After Another
2. Sinners
3. Marty Supreme
4. Sentimental Value
5. Weapons

Best Film Editing

Ricky

1. One Battle After Another
2. Sinners
3. F1
4. Marty Supreme
5. Frankenstein

Benji

1. One Battle After Another
2. Marty Supreme
3. Sinners
4. F1
5. Hamnet

Best Cinematography

Ricky

1. Sinners
2. One Battle After Another
3. Train Dreams
4. Frankenstein
5. Hamnet

Benji

1. Sinners
2. One Battle After Another
3. Train Dreams
4. Frankenstein
5. Marty Supreme

Best Production Design

Ricky

1. Frankenstein
2. Sinners
3. Wicked: For Good
4. Marty Supreme
5. Hamnet

Benji

1. Frankenstein
2. Sinners
3. Wicked: For Good
4. Hamnet
5. Marty Supreme

Best Sound

Ricky

1. F1
2. Sinners
3. One Battle After Another
4. Avatar: Fire and Ash
5. Frankenstein

Benji

1. Sinners
2. F1
3. One Battle After Another
4. Frankenstein
5. Sirāt

Best Original Score

Ricky

1. Sinners
2. One Battle After Another
3. Frankenstein
4. Marty Supreme
5. F1

Benji

1. Sinners
2. One Battle After Another
3. Hamnet
4. Frankenstein
5. Marty Supreme

Best Original Song

Ricky

1. “Golden” – KPop Demon Hunters
2. “I Lied To You” – Sinners
3. “The Girl in the Bubble” – Wicked: For Good
4. “Train Dreams” – Train Dreams
5. “Dream As One” – Avatar: Fire and Ash

Benji

1. “Golden” – KPop Demon Hunters
2. “I Lied To You” – Sinners
3. “Dear Me” – Diane Warren: Relentless
4. “The Girl in the Bubble” – Wicked: For Good
5. “Train Dreams” – Train Dreams

Best Visual Effects

Ricky

1. Avatar: Fire and Ash
2. F1
3. Frankenstein
4. Wicked: For Good
5. Sinners

Benji

1. Avatar: Fire and Ash
2. F1
3. Superman
4. The Lost Bus
5. Sinners

Best Documentary Feature Film

Ricky

1. The Perfect Neighbor
2. 2000 Meters to Andriivka
3. Mr. Nobody Against Putin
4. Seeds
5. Cover-Up

Benji

1. The Perfect Neighbor
2. 2000 Meters to Andriivka
3. Mr. Nobody Against Putin
4. My Undesirable Friends: Part 1 – Last Air in Moscow
5. Apocalypse in the Tropics

Best International Feature Film

Ricky

1. Sentimental Value
2. The Secret Agent
3. It Was Just An Accident
4. No Other Choice
5. Sirāt

Benji

1. The Secret Agent
2. Sentimental Value
3. It Was Just An Accident
4. No Other Choice
5. Sirāt

Best Costume Design

Ricky

1. Frankenstein
2. Wicked: For Good
3. Sinners
4. Hamnet
5. Hedda

Benji

1. Frankenstein
2. Wicked: For Good
3. Sinners
4. Hamnet
5. Marty Supreme

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Ricky

1. Frankenstein
2. Wicked: For Good
3. Sinners
4. The Smashing Machine
5. One Battle After Another

Benji

1. Frankenstein
2. The Smashing Machine
3. Wicked: For Good
4. Sinners
5. One Battle After Another

Best Animated Feature Film

Ricky

1. KPop Demon Hunters
2. Zootopia 2
3. Arco
4. Little Amelie or the Character of Rain
5. Ne Zha 2

Benji

1. KPop Demon Hunters
2. Zootopia 2
3. Arco
4. Little Amelie or the Character of Rain
5. Elio

Best Animated Short Film

Ricky

1. Éiru
2. Autokar
3. Butterfly
4. Forevergreen
5. Snow Bear

Benji

1. Autokar
2. Éiru
3. Butterfly
4. Snow Bear
5. The Girl Who Cried Pearls

Best Live Action Short Film

Ricky

1. Ado
2. Beyond Silence
3. The Boy with White Skin
4. Butcher’s Stain
5. Two People Exchanging Saliva

Benji

1. Ado
2. The Boy with White Skin
3. Beyond Silence
4. Rock, Paper, Scissors
5. Two People Exchanging Saliva

Best Documentary Short Film

Ricky

1. All the Empty Rooms
2. Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud
3. All the Walls Came Down
4. Bad Hostage
5. Children No More: Were and Are Gone

Benji

1. Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud
2. All the Empty Rooms
3. All the Walls Came Down
4. The Devil is Busy
5. Children No More: Were and Are Gone