The Oscars are almost here! On the fifty- eighth episode of ATFT, my friends filmmaker Emma Catherine, movie lover Taylor Donaldson, and Emmy- winning photojournalist Cole Echevarria join this year’s panel to discuss the Oscar nominated films and share our predicted winners! This episode is explicit and spoiler- filled.
As Cole and I discussed in the “2025 in Film” episode, this past year has been a solid, diverse year for cinema and that is very much reflected in the Academy Award nominees. This year’s awards season has largely been excitingly unpredictable, making the Oscar’s more highly anticipated than usual. The four of us share many of the same favorite 2025 films such as Hamnet, One Battle After Another, and Sinners. The latter, which reunited one of the best actor- director collaborators of our time (Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler), has already made history as the most nominated film in Oscars history. There were several actors who became first time nominees from Renate Reinsve to Teyana Taylor to Delroy Lindo. It’s a competitive year with so many great films and artists nominated. But there is one particular film and actor that we find overrated and it becomes a continuous topic of discussion… but you’ll have to listen to the episode to find out about what we’re talking about.
This is the fourth annual Oscars special! Cole has been a part of this big episode all four years and this episode marks his 21st appearance on the All the Film Things! Since the Oscars is the “Super Bowl for film fans”, this episode was aimed to be more of a Sports Center/ panelist format. This is the first time Emma and Taylor have joined the Oscars special panel, making this Emma’s second appearance on the show and Taylor’s fifth! Emma joined our friend filmmaker Franklin Ritch and I for an analytical discussion on One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest this past September while Taylor hasn’t been on the podcast since the 1999 in Film episode, which was released a year and a half ago. This episode was recorded on February 17, 2026. It was originally 2 hours and 45 minutes so it really had to be trimmed down and, sadly, some hilarious moments, were left on the cutting room floor.
After a sold out Cirque de Mort show in October, Emma will soon be performing in another aerial showcase for Jax Beach Aerial Arts this May! This spring showcase is in development so there will be more information to come! I’ll be sure to post about it on the All the Films Things Instagram but follow Emma on Instagram to stay updated! Taylor, who is based in North Carolina, is currently looking for a new job! Though she has a degree in film and experience in film production, she is very open to working in other industries. After working with her on a few projects, I can attest she is wonderful, hard- working, and easy to work with! Reach out to her on LinkedIn about potential job opportunities!
In this episode, Cole, Taylor, Emma, and I go through each category sharing our thoughts on what should win and what will likely win, according to Gold Derby and Cole’s new favorite writer Scott Fineberg from The Hollywood Reporter. Cole, who continuously brings up Fineberg, shared great insight about the documentaries nominated this year. He also has a short rant about a film that shouldn’t have been nominated for Best Visual Effects. Cole and I's banter nearly hits our peak in this episode, partly because of those two reasons. Taylor reveals which Oscar- nominated actor scares her, Emma shares her least favorite Safdie brother and I once again champion my favorite actor who has a chance at earning his second Oscar this year. All this and much more on this new episode of All the Film Things!
ATFT Announcement!: All the Film Things will be back on April 8! Stay updated by following @all.the.film.things on Instagram!
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