, Guest Columnist
The 2026 Oscars’ Most Vital Moment Won't Be Best Picture
The power of a story.
Photographer: Photographer: Les Films Pelléas; Jafar Panahi ProductionsBest Picture. Best Director. Best Actress. Best Actor. Best Screenplay. Known as the Oscars’ “Big Five,” these categories garner the most buzz leading up to and during the ceremony.
But it’s time to expand that list to include Best International Feature. At a moment when Americans are more exposed to global headlines — many of them delivered in real time through social media feeds — the category takes on added cultural weight.