MOVIE NEWS – It’s further confirmation that Hamnet is an Oscar contender for Best Picture.

After triumphing at the Toronto Film Festival, the film also won the Audience Award at the Middleburg Film Festival. Launched in 2013, Middleburg primarily showcases the season’s best independent features and documentaries, and titles celebrated there often perform well during the Oscars.

Hamnet was already considered an Oscar threat thanks to writer-director Chloé Zhao, whose work reliably turns specific subjects into universal messages through her distinctive vision. Five years ago Nomadland won three Oscars, two of which Zhao took home.

Hamnet is a period drama depicting a lesser-known, thus far unfilmed chapter of William Shakespeare’s life, focusing on the tragic story of his wife, Agnes (Jessie Buckley). The couple loses their young son, Hamnet, and this trauma contributes to the creation of one of the world’s most renowned plays.

Alongside praise for Zhao’s direction, critics particularly single out Buckley’s searing performance, touting her as an Oscar hopeful.

(Hamnet – Hungarian release: January 22, 2026)

Forrás: UIP Dunafilm