Armenians at the Oscars 2026: Sev Ohanian, Natalie Musteata, Madeline Sharafian — Record Nominations and Victories

· March 17, 2026

News.am

Syune Arakelyan

Another Academy Awards ceremony took place in Los Angeles, this year for the 98th time. And while Armenians were still proudly remembering the emotions brought by Vache Tovmasyan and Karren Karagoulian at last year’s ceremony, when Anora, featuring their participation, won five awards (including Best Picture), this year as well there was no shortage of Armenians at the most important event in the film industry.

From record-breaking nominations to coveted awards… Who brought an Armenian touch to the Oscars this time?

Sev Ohanian’s Sinners record: 16 nominations and 4 statuettes

Armenian-American producer Sev Ohanian has been dominating major awards ceremonies since the beginning of the year with the film Sinners. At the 2026 Oscars, Sinners set a record by receiving 16 nominations and winning four awards.

The film won in the following categories:

Best Actor (Michael B. Jordan)
Best Original Screenplay
Best Original Score
Best Cinematography

Earlier, Sinners had received seven Golden Globe nominations, winning two awards: Best Original Score and Cinematic and Box Office Achievement. At the Critics’ Choice Awards, Sinners was the leading film with an impressive 17 nominations, confirming its strong reception among critics.

Speaking to NEWS.am STYLE about the film, Ohanian noted that after reading the script he began drawing parallels with the history of the Armenian people.

“My immediate reaction was how much I related to this story as an Armenian. Sinners is about people finding joy, love, and celebration despite hardship. That’s something deeply familiar to our history.”

His first conversation with director Ryan Coogler focused on exactly that idea.

“We talked about the ending and what it meant to me personally, how I saw my own people in it. That’s Ryan’s gift — he writes something very specific to his own ancestry, yet manages to reveal a shared humanity that everyone can recognize.”

Written and directed by Ryan Coogler, Sinners is a supernatural period drama set in the 1930s. The film tells the story of twin brothers Smoke and Stack (both played by Michael B. Jordan), World War I veterans who return home hoping to build a joyful gathering place for their community.

The film’s producers are Sev Ohanian, Zinzi Coogler, and Ryan Coogler.

Natalie Musteata and 1 Oscar

Romanian screenwriter and director Natalie Musteata, who has Armenian roots, also made her mark at the Oscars.

The short film Two People Exchanging Saliva, directed by Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh, won the award for Best Live Action Short Film.

The French-language film has a runtime of 36 minutes. The story takes place in a society where kissing is illegal and punishable by death. People deliberately avoid maintaining oral hygiene and eat garlic to avoid kissing.

However, the film’s protagonists decide to take the risk, fighting for their feelings in a world where intimacy is unacceptable.

Madeline Sharafian — nomination for the film Elio

Director and screenwriter Madeline Sharafian’s film Elio, created in collaboration with Pixar, was nominated in the Best Animated Feature Film category.

Although the film did not win an Oscar, the prestigious awards ceremony is not unfamiliar to the Armenian-American director.

Sharafian received her first Oscar nomination in 2021 for Pixar’s Burrow, which was nominated for Best Animated Short Film.

Notably, the director attended the ceremony wearing a dress designed by Armenian designer Varduhi Torosyan.

Thus, the 2026 Oscars once again demonstrated that creators with Armenian roots are not only participating in global film production but are also shaping its agenda.

Four Oscars, record nominations, and new creative achievements — this year’s ceremony was another reminder that Armenians continue to leave their mark on the history of cinema, presenting their stories, perspectives, and creative boldness to the world.