MOVIE NEWS – As the end of the year approaches, the international film industry and movie-loving audiences are speculating ever more actively about which productions might be contenders for the best picture Oscar. In recent days, Hamnet has surged ahead, having already conquered the autumn festival season, and there is tense anticipation surrounding its wide release early next year.
Variety runs a dedicated section on Oscar expectations, and in the past few days, it has named Hamnet the clear favorite for the best picture award. According to the magazine’s tally, the film by Chloé Zhao, which is an adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel – the author was the other screenwriter – has won seven major audience awards at important festivals in recent months (Toronto, San Diego, Virginia, Valladolid, Mill Valley, Middleburg, BFI London). Such unanimous enthusiasm from audiences is rare, the paper stresses, and in addition to the production’s merits, this could also influence the votes of members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (it is their ballots that decide the Oscars).
Beyond the best picture prize, Hamnet could also be a strong contender in at least two other categories: critics speak in superlatives about the performance of lead actress Jessie Buckley, and it is not out of the question that Zhao, the director, could take home another statuette after the success of Nomadland.
Hamnet depicts one of the lesser-known episodes in the life of William Shakespeare. The writer (Paul Mescal) and his wife (Buckley) lose their young son Hamnet, and each of them processes the grief in their own way.
(Hamnet – Hungarian release: 22 January 2026)
Source: UIP Dunafilm
