Kolja for HEDONIST: Whoever Makes Films for the Oscar Has Lost Their Way in Art

After years of criticism, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences appears to be charting a new course, favoring classical, audience-friendly films that have been widely embraced by both critics and the public, and opting for a safer approach.

The biggest favorite among American critics and audiences, Sinners, secured an astonishing 16 nominations, breaking the long-standing record previously held by La La Land, Titanic, and All About Eve, each with 14 nominations.

It was followed by One Battle After Another with thirteen nominations, then Marti Supreme, Sentimental Value, and Frankenstein with nine each, Hamnet with eight, while Bugonia, F1, Dream Train, and The Secret Agent earned four nominations apiece.

Ryan Coogler’s vampire horror film Sinners, this year’s record-holder, managed to maintain its momentum despite premiering as far back as last spring, an unusual feat during awards season. The film blends elements of horror, racial drama, and the blues-infused atmosphere of the Mississippi Delta in a largely predictable yet not particularly inventive manner, albeit with a politically impeccable approach. This approach earned it the favor of the liberal wing of the critics, as well as audiences, who turned it into one of the year’s commercial surprises. Notably, Sinners also delivered the only two British acting nominations this year. Vunmi Mosaku’s nomination for Best Supporting Actress was somewhat expected, but Delroy Lindo’s nomination for Best Supporting Actor came as a genuine shock. Many interpret this as further evidence of the Academy’s strong bias toward the film. Although the excellent Lindo had narrowly missed nominations in the past, at the age of 73, he has finally received his first, one that many believe is long overdue.

While Hamnet and One Battle After Another performed solidly in terms of total nominations, especially the latter, the acting categories were marked by painful omissions. British actor Paul Mescal failed to receive a nomination for Best Supporting Actor, a decision many found incomprehensible. When a film is nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and even Best Ensemble Cast, it is hard not to ask how the acting could be so strong overall if one of its key performers was overlooked.

At the same time, One Battle After Another pushed through four major acting names, yet the exclusion of the talented Chase Infiniti from the Best Actress race was widely seen as undeserved. Disappointment also followed the omissions of Jesse Plemons and Joel Edgerton, even though their films Bugonia and Dream Train were nominated for Best Picture. In the latter case, the decision borders on tragicomedy, as this harrowing melodrama rests almost entirely on Edgerton’s performance. This raises an obvious question: what, in the eyes of Academy voters, made Dream Train awards-worthy if not Joel Edgerton’s acting? The film received nominations for Best Cinematography, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Song. Essentially, voters seemed to think Dream Train looks great and sounds great, just not when the actors are on screen, which accounts for roughly ninety percent of the film.

As for Best Picture and Best Director, it is clear that the race will come down to a duel between Sinners and One Battle After Another. The latter is the stronger film, yet the sheer number of nominations suggests that Coogler’s Sinners stands a real chance. At the same time, Thomas Paul Anderson, director of classics such as There Will Be Blood, The Master, and Magnolia, remains without an Oscar for directing, a fact that realistically gives him his best opportunity yet to finally take one home.

One of the biggest disappointments is the sequel to the musical Wicked. While the first installment earned ten nominations and two statuettes, Wicked: Good suffered a complete collapse with zero nominations. Many expected at least one nod, particularly for the original song “The Girl in the Bubble” performed by Ariana Grande, but that did not materialize. Meanwhile, Avatar: Fire and Ash salvaged its campaign with technical nominations, while several mainstream titles shifted toward the animated category, where Zootopia 2 and K-Pop Demon Hunters attracted significant attention.

The new Casting category largely met expectations, with nominations for Marti Supreme, One Battle After Another, Hamnet, Sinners, and The Secret Agent. However, the omission of Sentimental Value raised eyebrows, considering that all four of its leading actors received individual nominations. Critics have questioned how it is possible to reward the performances while overlooking the casting team responsible for assembling them.

Running beneath all these surprises is a larger narrative: Timothée Chalamet’s status as an almost untouchable star of the new generation. He earned his third nomination for Best Actor before the age of 30. Although overshadowed by Sinners’ record-breaking success and surprises like F1, commentators note that the atmosphere around Chalamet feels different this year, as if the stage is being set for a long-awaited coronation after two unsuccessful nominations, regardless of the fact that his competitors include veterans such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael B. Jordan, Ethan Hawke, and Wagner Moura.

Beyond the complete and embarrassing disregard for Heda by director Nia DaCosta and Kathryn Bigelow’s House of Dynamite, the greatest injustice remains the continued exclusion of cult Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook. Despite global acclaim for films such as Oldboy, Lady Vengeance, and Decision to Leave, Park has never won an Oscar. Unfortunately, this year’s ceremony will extend that streak, as his brilliant anti-capitalist satire No Other Choice was ignored in all categories, including Best International Feature Film. If Park were to lose his mind over this, as Lee Byung-hun’s character does in the film, few would blame him.

In the battle among studios, Warner Bros. leads with 30 nominations, followed by Neon with 18, and Netflix, currently in the process of acquiring Warner Bros, with 16.

The Academy Awards ceremony will be broadcast on March 15 on ABC and the streaming platform Hulu, with Conan O’Brien returning as host for the second time. The event comes at a moment when the film industry is grappling with the consequences of corporate consolidation, declining theatrical attendance compared to the pre-pandemic era, and the growing influence of new technologies, including artificial intelligence.

Unlike last year’s Oscars, when The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent received a nomination, the countries of the former Yugoslavia will have no representatives at this year’s ceremony. Serbia’s submission, The Sun Never Again, by director David Jovanović, failed to make the shortlist and received no significant backing.

Nikola Pejaković on the Academy Awards

We spoke about the Oscar and its significance in cinematic art with the acclaimed actor, director, and screenwriter Nikola Pejaković, known as Kolja, who told Hedonist that the Oscar “does not have to, cannot, and must not” be the primary goal when making a film, regardless of how prestigious the award may be.

“Anyone who sets that as their goal is certainly an amateur and a complete fool who has wandered into the world of film, and art in general, by mistake,” Kolja said.

When asked whether the Oscar today remains a genuine award and form of recognition, as it once was, or whether it has become politically conditioned, Pejaković replied that the Oscar has never been merely an award for the best film.

“There has always been politics involved, just as in everything else. In recent times, there is more politics than ever,” Kolja concluded.

So, ladies and gentlemen, enjoy your favorite films. Don’t be upset if your favorite doesn’t win an award, because you have already given it an Oscar.