The Academy has introduced the Best Casting Award at Oscars 2026, which is the first new category created by it since 2001. The last time the organisation had introduced a new category at the awards ceremony was Best Animated Feature Film.
Interestingly, the Casting Directors Branch, which chose the five nominees for the category, was formed in July 2013. It now boasts of nearly 160 members.
The nominees for Best Casting included Cassandra Kulukundis for One Battle After Another, Nina Gold for Hamnet, Jennifer Venditti for Marty Supreme, Francine Maisler for Sinners and Gabriel Domingues for The Secret Agent. Amongst them, Cassandra Kulukundis took home the first-ever award for casting at the Oscars for One Battle After Another.
Kulukundis went up to the stage to appreciate the honour. She noted, “I have to thank the Academy for even adding this category and for the casting directors who fought tirelessly to make it happen despite everything in their way. I dedicate this to you and to the casting directors who never got a chance to get up here, who didn’t even get a chance to get their name on the movie. So to you guys.” She went on to say, “When Paul calls you, you enter the witness protection program and literally don’t talk to your friends and family unless they have somebody that’s right for the movie. I put them all to work and get mad at them when they haven’t provided. I have to thank all of the crew, who I’m in all of your departments, whether you like me or not, whether it’s locations, stunts, production, art directors, everyone, and editors, obviously. Thank you. This is a thing and I just thank you for – ten movies, we’ve done this over 30 years.”
She concluded, “The truth is, no one knows what we do. They don’t understand it. We’re in this weird dungeon all by ourselves. It is an art, and it’s also a science, because we have to deal with DNA, and I take it super seriously.”
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