Oscars organiser The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that a new award, Best Casting, will be presented from 2026 for films released in 2025.
Entertainment trade publication Variety reports that it is the first new category to be introduced at the Oscars since Best Animated Feature Film in 2001.
It says the Casting Directors Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which will vote for the nominees and winner, was formed in July 2013 and has nearly 160 members.
“Casting directors play an essential role in filmmaking, and as the Academy evolves, we are proud to add casting to the disciplines that we recognise and celebrate,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang in a statement.
“We congratulate our Casting Directors Branch members on this exciting milestone and their commitment and diligence throughout this process.”
Casting Directors Branch governors Richard Hicks, Kim Taylor-Colman and Debra Zane said in a statement that the new award “is a deserved acknowledgment of our casting directors’ exceptional talents and a testament to the dedicated efforts of our branch”.
This year’s Oscars, with Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy and the Irish-produced film Poor Things among the nominees, take place in Los Angeles on Sunday 10 March.
