Celebrating the Diversity of the 2026 Oscars

On his Friday, March 13th episode of Real Time with Bill Maher, the late-night host brought up the #OscarsSoWhite movement to claim its mission is no longer needed. Maher argued that the Academy does not overlook “minority achievement” anymore and told the #OscarsSoWhite movement to “take the win.” 

A long history of white-dominated Oscars award winners and nominees would say otherwise. Although we’ve made much progress in 2026, underrepresented groups are still just that: underrepresented. According to The Inclusion List, of the 218 Oscar nominees in 2026, 28% were from an underrepresented racial/ethnic group, and 33% were women. Maher was right in one thing, though: we have made progress. Equality and equity in the film industry may have yet to be achieved, but 2026 ranks highest in Oscars history for its representation of minorities in all categories, and that’s definitely something to be celebrated. 

A Round of Applause for “Sinners”

“Sinners” (2025) leads the charge for diverse representation this year with a whopping total of 16 nominations, making it the most Oscar-nominated movie in history. Of that group, 10 Black artists are nominated, tying the all-time record for a movie with the most Black nominees with “Judas and the Black Messiah” (2021). Those nominees are Ryan Coogler for Best Picture, Director, and Original Screenplay; Zinzi Coogler for Best Picture; Michael B. Jordan for Best Actor; Delroy Lindo for Best Supporting Actor; Wunmi Mosaku for Best Supporting Actress; Hannah Beachler for Production Design; Autumn Durald Arkapaw for Cinematography; Ruth E. Carter for Costume Design; Shunika Terry for Makeup and Hairstyling; and Raphael Saadiq for Original Song. 

In its 98-year history, the Oscars has only nominated seven Black directors for Best Director, and a Black director has never won the category, making Coogler, if he wins, the first to win in this category. His possible win is one of many historic firsts “Sinners” could produce if its nominees win. Since Coogler’s wife and creative partner, Zinzi Coogler, is nominated as a producer, together, they are the first Black married couple to ever receive a nomination in any category. Autumn Durald Arkapaw has become the first Filipina and woman of color to receive a nomination for cinematography, and if she wins, she would be the first woman and first Black cinematographer, period, to ever win Best Cinematography. Only four women have ever been nominated, and never has one won the award. Wunmi Mosaku, meanwhile, could be the first Nigerian to ever win an Oscar. 

Coogler continues to keep many of his crew members across projects, leading to multiple nominations for those collaborators. Hannah Beachler remains the only Black woman ever nominated for production design after her win for “Black Panther” (2018), and “Sinners” marks her second nomination. Ruth E. Carter, who similarly became the first Black winner in Best Costume Design for “Black Panther”, now has five nominations including “Sinners.” 

Ryan Coogler is one of the few major Hollywood figures who has repeatedly proved that he is dedicated to carving out opportunities for underrepresented communities on his projects, and it’s thanks to him that we have phenomenons like “Black Panther” and “Sinners” at the box office and in the awards circuit. Hopefully, with all the love that “Sinners” has received, more figures like him will rise to reshape this industry and create more movies that champion inclusive stories from diverse creators.

Latine and Hispanic Landmarks

“Sinners” may hold the most nominations of any one movie for minority creatives, but it’s not the only one that should be celebrated. A number of other nominations push the envelope when it comes to diversity this awards season. Four non-English-language performances are nominated this year, setting a new record. One of those nominees is Wagner Moura, the first Brazilian ever nominated for Best Actor, and only the sixth Latino ever nominated in this category. 

Speaking of Latine representation, this year marks an exceptional awards season for this group. The movie in which Moura stars, “The Secret Agent,” (2025) is one of two films this year to earn nominations not only in the Best International Feature category, but for Best Picture. This is a record year for Brazil in nominations, including Kleber Mendonça Filho for “The Secret Agent,” and Adolpho Veloso in cinematography for “Train Dreams” (2025).

On top of that, Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has now become the most nominated Latino producer in Oscars history with his film “Frankenstein” (2025) and could stand to become the first Latino winner in the Best Adapted Screenplay category. Puerto Rican actor Benicio del Toro receives his third Best Supporting Actor nomination for “One Battle After Another” (2025), making him the most nominated Latino actor in this category. Lastly, the team behind the sound design for Best International Film nominee “Sirât” (2025) are the first all-female and Spanish team to be nominated in this category. 

“K-Pop Demon Hunters,” “It Was Just An Accident,” and more

In other news, the song “Golden” from animated musical sensation “K-Pop Demon Hunters” (2025) could be the first K-Pop song to win an Oscar, and the writing team behind the iconic songs could be the first South Koreans to win the category. Meanwhile, director Chloé Zhao adds another Best Director nomination to her roster, making her the second woman ever to receive multiple nominations for Best Director and the first woman of color to achieve this. She also has a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, and if she wins the award, she would be the first Asian woman to do so. 

Additionally, Jafar Panahi’s nomination in Best International Feature for his film “It Was Just as Accident” (2025) is a landmark for Iranian representation at the Oscars. He’s the second Iranian writer nominated for Original Screenplay. Separately, Darius Khondji could become the first Iranian winner of the Best Cinematography award for his work on “Marty Supreme” (2025).

With all of these diverse nominees, this Oscars ceremony is shaping up to be an exciting one. It’s encouraging to see the awards ceremony continue a trend toward inclusivity. We’ll be here with our fingers crossed for our favorites. You can watch the Oscars 2026 on Sunday, March 15.