Here's the State of the 2026 Oscar Race
Yes, I realize the 98th Academy Awards are over nine months away, and a lot can and will change between now and then—but, revisit the nominees for the 2025 ceremony, and you'll remember just how pivotal Cannes can be. Last year's Palme d'Or winner, Anora, went on to secure the best-picture statuette, and two of its nine fellow nominees in the top category, Emilia Pérez and The Substance, also premiered at the festival. In best director, three of the five nominees debuted their film at Cannes (including Sean Baker, who won), and of the 20 acting nominees, over a third walked the Croisette before they landed on the Oscars red carpet. Two of them, Anora's Mikey Madison and Emilia Pérez's Zoe Saldaña, left with two of the four acting prizes on offer. It's a truly staggering showing for a single festival, especially considering how early it falls in the awards season calendar.
It's difficult to imagine this year's Cannes cohort—which includes many quieter, more contemplative films compared to the hoopla of Anora, The Apprentice, Emilia Pérez, and The Substance—having quite the same impact on the Oscar race, but still, there are plenty of releases that could very well dominate across the board, from best picture and the writing and directing line-ups to the highly competitive acting races.
Below, a rundown of the releases currently surging, as well as those which have faced setbacks following a more muted Cannes debut than expected.
It Was Just an Accident's Palme d'Or win could take it into the best-picture line-up
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Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
French streamer dies live online after apparent extreme challenge
French police are investigating the death of a popular streamer, who died during a nearly 12-day live stream after apparently suffering abusive and humiliating treatment. Raphaël Graven, 46, known online as Jean Pormanove or JP, is one of the biggest streamers in France on the platform Kick and died on Monday. The 46-year-old military veteran had built a following numbering more than a million across different platforms streaming himself playing video games and had often appeared in extreme challenges. He had been collaborating since 2023 with several other streamers, principally Owen Cenazandotti, known as Naruto online, and Safine Hamadi, both of whom took part in his final livestream. Cenazandotti announced his death Monday on Instagram. In the video livestream that appeared to show his death, after he stopped moving, viewers donated money to send messages alerting the sleeping streamers to Pormanove's condition. The Nice prosecutor's office told CNN that an investigation has been opened into his death and an autopsy ordered. So far, authorities have not announced any charges related to Pormanove's death. In dozens of videos from past livestreams reviewed by CNN, Pormanove appears to be the target of jokes, bullying, physical attacks and degrading stunts. Videos from their joint livestreams show Pormanove's fellow streamers competing to see how long they could throttle him, others show him being shot with paintballs or doused with water. Thanks to donations from subscribers, the group earned money from the livestreams. In Pormanove's final livestream, a counter at the top of the screen suggested the group had earned some 36,000 euros ($42,000) from the days-long stream. Leaving a mark During Pormanove's final livestream, which appeared to run to nearly 300 hours, participants were woken up by the revving of a motorbike in their shared bedroom, or a leafblower. At one point, Pormanove appears to be woken up when a bucket of water is thrown over him. In an interview with CNN affiliate BFMTV, Yassin Sadouni, a lawyer for Cenazandotti, said Pormanove suffered from cardiovascular problems. In one video, Pormanove talked of having to take medication. In another, Cenazandotti purports to read out messages Pormanove sent to his mother in which he complains of being 'held prisoner' by his co-streamers. The game 'is going too far,' Cenazandotti said his message read, during Pormanove's last livestream. 'I feel like I'm being held prisoner by their sh***y concept,' Cenazandotti said Pormanove wrote. It's not clear who precisely Pormanove was referring to and in a later clip he tells Cenazandotti, 'you know what I'm like when I'm angry' in reference to the messages. In another clip, his mother berates Pormanove over the phone for letting the co-streamers shave off parts of his hair. 'Are you proud of your hair? Did you see what he did to you?' she said, 'They are treating you like s***.' Sadouni, Cenazandotti's lawyer, told BFMTV that Pormanove's mother participated in staged stunts with the streamers. A common theme in discussions with his co-streamers was Pormanove's wish to marry and have children, a hope that often drew apparently mockery from the streamers. In a video from 2024, Pormanove was asked how he hoped to be remembered when he died. 'No wife, no kids. But what a nice guy!' Pormanove said, 'Me, what's on my mind now, it's to leave a mark.' 'An absolute horror' Sadouni said Cenazandotti – known by his streamer handle Naruto – had nothing to do with Pormanove's death and said that the incidents targeting Pormanove were all staged. 'My client is ready to be heard and to provide all useful information,' he told CNN affiliate BFMTV Tuesday. Cenazandotti has also filed a complaint with authorities that he is being harassed online since Pormanove's death, according to Sadouni. CNN has reached out to Pormanove's mother and Hamadi for comment. Cenazandotti and Hamadi were briefly detained as part of a police investigation into the humiliation of vulnerable people in January 2025, according to CNN affiliate BFMTV. According to the Nice prosecutor, they denied committing any crime and have not been charged with any crime. 'The death of Jean Pormanove and the violence he endured are an absolute horror,' French Secretary of State for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Affairs Clara Chappaz said in a post on X Tuesday. 'Jean Pormanove was humiliated and mistreated for months live on the Kick platform,' she added. Kick, the streaming platform the streamers used, said that all those involved in the broadcast had been banned 'pending the ongoing investigation,' which the site will cooperate with, per a statement to CNN Wednesday. Solve the daily Crossword
Buzz Feed
4 hours ago
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Austin Butler Battles A Bee To Protect Zoë Kravitz
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CNN
5 hours ago
- CNN
French streamer dies live online after months of apparent abuse
French police are investigating the death of a popular streamer, who died during a nearly 12-day live stream after apparently suffering abusive and humiliating treatment. Raphaël Graven, 46, known online as Jean Pormanove or JP, is one of the biggest streamers in France on the platform Kick and died on Monday. The 46-year-old military veteran had built a following numbering more than a million across different platforms streaming himself playing video games and had often appeared in extreme challenges. He had been collaborating since 2023 with several other streamers, principally Owen Cenazandotti, known as Naruto online, and Safine Hamadi, both of whom took part in his final livestream. Cenazandotti announced his death Monday on Instagram. In the video livestream that appeared to show his death, after he stopped moving, viewers donated money to send messages alerting the sleeping streamers to Pormanove's condition. The Nice prosecutor's office told CNN that an investigation has been opened into his death and an autopsy ordered. So far, authorities have not announced any charges related to Pormanove's death. In dozens of videos from past livestreams reviewed by CNN, Pormanove appears to be the target of jokes, bullying, physical attacks and degrading stunts. Videos from their joint livestreams show Pormanove's fellow streamers competing to see how long they could throttle him, others show him being shot with paintballs or doused with water. Thanks to donations from subscribers, the group earned money from the livestreams. In Pormanove's final livestream, a counter at the top of the screen suggested the group had earned some 36,000 euros ($42,000) from the days-long stream. During Pormanove's final livestream, which appeared to run to nearly 300 hours, participants were woken up by the revving of a motorbike in their shared bedroom, or a leafblower. At one point, Pormanove appears to be woken up when a bucket of water is thrown over him. In an interview with CNN affiliate BFMTV, Yassin Sadouni, a lawyer for Cenazandotti, said Pormanove suffered from cardiovascular problems. In one video, Pormanove talked of having to take medication. In another, Cenazandotti purports to read out messages Pormanove sent to his mother in which he complains of being 'held prisoner' by his co-streamers. The game 'is going too far,' Cenazandotti said his message read, during Pormanove's last livestream. 'I feel like I'm being held prisoner by their sh***y concept,' Cenazandotti said Pormanove wrote. It's not clear who precisely Pormanove was referring to and in a later clip he tells Cenazandotti, 'you know what I'm like when I'm angry' in reference to the messages. In another clip, his mother berates Pormanove over the phone for letting the co-streamers shave off parts of his hair. 'Are you proud of your hair? Did you see what he did to you?' she said, 'They are treating you like s***.' Sadouni, Cenazandotti's lawyer, told BFMTV that Pormanove's mother participated in staged stunts with the streamers. A common theme in discussions with his co-streamers was Pormanove's wish to marry and have children, a hope that often drew apparently mockery from the streamers. In a video from 2024, Pormanove was asked how he hoped to be remembered when he died. 'No wife, no kids. But what a nice guy!' Pormanove said, 'Me, what's on my mind now, it's to leave a mark.' Sadouni said Cenazandotti – known by his streamer handle Naruto – had nothing to do with Pormanove's death and said that the incidents targeting Pormanove were all staged. 'My client is ready to be heard and to provide all useful information,' he told CNN affiliate BFMTV Tuesday. Cenazandotti has also filed a complaint with authorities that he is being harassed online since Pormanove's death, according to Sadouni. CNN has reached out to Pormanove's mother and Hamadi for comment. Cenazandotti and Hamadi were briefly detained as part of a police investigation into the humiliation of vulnerable people in January 2025, according to CNN affiliate BFMTV. According to the Nice prosecutor, they denied committing any crime and have not been charged with any crime. 'The death of Jean Pormanove and the violence he endured are an absolute horror,' French Secretary of State for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Affairs Clara Chappaz said in a post on X Tuesday. 'Jean Pormanove was humiliated and mistreated for months live on the Kick platform,' she added. Kick, the streaming platform the streamers used, said that all those involved in the broadcast had been banned 'pending the ongoing investigation,' which the site will cooperate with, per a statement to CNN Wednesday.
