The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has added a new Oscar category for the first time in more than two decades, introducing an award recognizing casting directors.
The announcement came last week alongside the release of nominations for the 98th Academy Awards, scheduled to take place in March. The new category, Best Casting, marks the first expansion of the Oscars since the introduction of Best Animated Feature in 2001, when «Shrek» became the category’s first winner in 2002.
Why the academy expanded the awards
In 2024, the Academy confirmed that a separate competitive award would be created to honor casting, a move that surprised some industry observers. As The Hollywood Reporter noted, the decision came amid ongoing pressure from ABC, the longtime broadcaster of the ceremony, which has pushed for a shorter telecast for financial reasons.
The Academy appears to have found a partial solution. Beginning in 2029, the Oscars will be streamed on YouTube under a deal with the platform that runs through 2033.
This year’s nominees and films
This year, the films «Marty Supreme,» «Sinners,» «One Battle After Another,» «Hamnet,» and «The Secret Agent» are competing for the inaugural Best Casting statuette. Nominees include veteran casting directors Francine Maisler, Cassandra Kulukundis, Nina Gold, and Jennifer Venditti, as well as Brazilian casting director Gabriel Domingues.
How best casting will be decided
The Academy’s casting directors branch was established only in 2013, much later than branches representing actors, directors, cinematographers, and other crafts. Until now, its members voted alongside the broader Academy without having a dedicated award category. Under the new rules, the branch will independently select nominees for Best Casting.
As with other Oscar categories, the process begins with a shortlist of 10 films, followed by a so-called bake-off. During this stage, casting directors submit representative clips from their films and respond to a series of questions. From the remaining five nominees, all Academy members vote to determine the winner.
Eligibility is limited to individuals — no more than two — credited as «casting by» in a film’s official credits. Directors, even those closely involved in casting decisions, are not eligible.
Two casting directors have previously received honorary Oscars. Lynn Stalmaster was honored in 2016 for his influential career, which included introducing Dustin Hoffman in «The Graduate» and casting Christopher Reeve as Superman. Juliet Taylor received an honorary award in 2024 after working on more than 40 Woody Allen films, as well as classics such as «The Exorcist» and «Taxi Driver.»
