The 2026 Oscars are done and dusted, and Dan Lawrence is joined once again by Oscar Trinick for a post-show post-mortem on the latest episode of A Friendly Film Take.
After a season of heavy campaigning, the duo asks the big question: Do the Oscars need fixing?
PTA vs. Coogler: A battle for the ages
The 2026 Oscars race was a definitive two-horse race between Ryan Coogler’s Sinners and Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another.
While Coogler’s vampire epic received a record 16 nominations and a best actor win for Michael B. Jordan, it was PTA who finally secured his flowers for best director and best picture.
Dan and Oscar debate whether the Academy chose the right “titan” and celebrate the long-overdue recognition for one of cinema’s greatest living auteurs.
Breaking the glass ceiling (slowly)
The episode highlights a historic milestone: the first-ever win for a female cinematographer in 98 years, going to Sinners’ Autumn Durald Arkapaw.
However, the celebration is tempered by a discussion on why it took nearly a century to achieve.
From the “patriarchy” within the Academy to the technical sweep by Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, the pair critiques how certain categories like production design and sound often go to the “loudest” or “biggest” films rather than the most nuanced.
READ MORE – Film opinion: Core problems continue to cast shadow over Oscars
An alternative take
The discussion concludes with a segment dubbed ‘The Oscar’, where Oscar Trinick hands out his own personal awards.
Eschewing the mainstream bias, he highlights snubs like Amanda Seyfried in The Testament of Ann Lee and crowns the Chinese masterpiece Caught by the Tides as his true best picture.
Don’t miss out on the full debate and watch the episode on YouTube!
