Chloe Zhao was widely mocked as she made an unrecognizable appearance at the 2026 Academy Awards on Sunday.The Hamnet director draped herself in dark and gothic...
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Bintano News
March 16, 2026
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Chloe Zhao was widely mocked as she made an unrecognizable appearance at the 2026 Academy Awards on Sunday.
The Hamnet director draped herself in dark and gothic attire, complete with a bridal veil, while walking the star-studded red carpet.
The Oscar-winning filmmaker, 43, looked like the Grim Reaper and was also at the center of social media discourse as fans criticized her dramatic outfit.
For Hollywood's biggest night at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, she joined the star parade with her look on the or to be decided by fans.
Her statement-making look comprised of a metallic, gunmetal dress with bell sleeves and a long skirt covered in ruffles.
She wore a sheer, black veil delicately placed over her pin-straight, jet-black hair and face.
Chloe Zhao made a dramatic arrival at the 2026 Oscars in a dark and gothic outfit with a black veil over her face
She also had dark and dramatic makeup underneath her headpiece for her statement-making look for the Academy Awards this year
She also rocked a dark, smoky eye underneath her unexpected, sultry look.
Paired with her dramatic look, she wore a diamond-encrusted, serpent-inspired statement necklace.
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She walked the red carpet with a solemn and stoic expression on her face though her movie Hamnet is up for eight Oscars.
For her sultry look, she wore a metallic, gunmetal dress with billowing bell sleeves and a flowing, frilly long skirt
Paired with her dramatic look, she wore a diamond-encrusted, serpent-inspired statement necklace
One X user shared a mocking tweet: 'An outfit with a trash bag so we don't get lost, friend.'
'I thought the Hefty Bag look was over,' another person wrote as they chimed in on the criticism. 'And most of them are dressed beautifully.'
Though some fans may not be impressed with her look, Zhao is still one of the top nominees and most critically acclaimed filmmakers in Hollywood.
Her film Hamnet, starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, is nominated for eight Academy Awards at this year's Oscars.
Most notably, she is up for Best Director and the film has been nominated for Best Picture.
Leading star Buckley is up for Best Actress.
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Hamnet also received nods in the following categories: Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design and Best Casting.
The Oscar-winning filmmaker, who is the second woman in Academy Award history to win a golden statuette, fully concealed her face and body for her dramatic appearance at the top event of award season
Some fans praised her for her statement-making attire while others expressed confusion or distaste. One X user tweeted: 'Certainly a choice!'
'No one is going to beat how horrible this is,' one person bluntly wrote on social media
Another person compared her to a witch, adding: 'She's looking like the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz'
One X user shared a mocking tweet: 'An outfit with a trash bag so we don't get lost, friend'
'I thought the Hefty Bag look was over,' another person wrote as they chimed in on the criticism. 'And most of them are dressed beautifully'
The 98th are celebrating the best films of 2025, with the glitzy ceremony taking place at the Dolby Theatre in .
Conan O'Brien, 62, is returning to host the show for a second consecutive year after taking over the role from .
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Ryan Coogler's Sinners leads the pack with a record-breaking 16 nominations, the most for any film in Academy Awards history.
The horror flick is one of the ten films up for Best Picture alongside Bugonia, F1, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value and Train Dreams.
Sinners star Michael B. Jordan faces a stacked Best Actor category, competing against fellow nominees (Marty Supreme), Leonardo (One Battle After Another), (Blue Moon), and Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent).
Set in 1930s , Sinners follows twin brothers (both played by Jordan) who return to their hometown only to face a supernatural evil.
Ryan Coogler's Sinners leads the pack with a record-breaking 16 nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan
Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another landed in second place with 13 nominations, including Best Actor for Leonardo DiCaprio, Supporting Actor nods for Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn, as well as a Supporting Actress nomination for Teyana Taylor
Marty Supreme, directed by Josh Safdie, netted nine Oscar nods, with leading man Timothee Chalamet up for Best Actor and the movie nominated for Best Picture
The Best Actor race is currently a dead heat. While Chalamet dominated the early season with wins at the Golden Globes and Critics' Choice Awards, the momentum shifted after Jordan won at the Actor Awards, formerly known as the SAG Awards.
Adding to the tension, the ceremony arrives on the heels of Chalamet's controversial comments about how 'no one cares' about ballet or opera, which sparked a wave of backlash from the arts community.
Based on the life of professional ping-pong player Marty Reisman, Josh Safdie's Marty Supreme stars Chalamet as a table tennis prodigy in 1950s New York whose ambition to become world champion jeopardizes his personal relationships.
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Irish star Jessie Buckley is the frontrunner in the Best Actress category for her work in Hamnet. She faces a star-studded field including Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I would Kick You), Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue), Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value), and Emma Stone (Bugonia).
Helmed by 2021's Best Director winner Chloe Zhao, Hamnet dives into the reimagined story of William Shakespeare's home life and how the death of his 11-year-old son provided the emotional blueprint for his masterpiece, Hamlet.
Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another earned 13 nominations.
Along with a Best Director nod, the film also nabbed a Best Actor mention for DiCaprio, and Supporting Actor nods for Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn.
The black comedy action-thriller follows a washed-up ex-revolutionary (DiCaprio) who is forced to come out from hiding to rescue his daughter, after she is targeted by his former nemesis, a corrupt military officer (Penn).
Irish star Jessie Buckley is the frontrunner in the Best Actress category for her work in Chloe Zhao's Hamnet, which is also up for Best Picture
Yorgos Lanthimos's Bugonia earned a Best Actress nod for Emma Stone
Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein secured nine nominations. Leading the film's acting honors is Jacob Elordi, who earned a Best Supporting Actor nod for his portrayal of the Creature
Aside from Penn and del Toro, the Best Supporting Actor category includes Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein), Delroy Lindo (Sinners) and Stellan Skarsgard (Sentimental Value).
Paul Mescal (Hamnet), Adam Sandler (Jay Kelly), and Jesse Plemons (Bugonia) were the most notable snubs from the category.
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Frankenstein and Sentimental Value both earned nine nominations at this year's ceremony.
Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein is a lavish reimagining of Mary Shelley's classic, focusing on a heart-wrenching tale of a father's rejection and a creature's quest for love.
Meanwhile, Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value follows two sisters forced to reconcile with their estranged filmmaker father.
Nominees for Best Supporting Actress include Elle Fanning (Sentimental Value), Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (Sentimental Value), Amy Madigan (Weapons), Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners) and Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another).
There was a massive backlash after Ariana Grande was snubbed in the Supporting category for Wicked: For Good.
She had been nominated last year for her work in the first film of the musical franchise.
Conan O'Brien, 62, is returning to host the show for a second consecutive year after taking over the role from Jimmy Kimmel; Pictured in 2025
Wicked: For Good was completely shut out of nominations. This came despite an acclaimed leading performance by Cynthia Erivo, as well as new songs written for the film, including No Place Like Home and The Girl In The Bubble.
Gwyneth Paltrow was also left off the list in the category for her work in Marty Supreme.
There was a new award announced this year for Best Casting as the inaugural field includes: Nina Gold - Hamnet, Jennifer Venditti - Marty Supreme, Cassandra Kulukundis - One Battle After Another, Gabriel Domingues - The Secret Agent, and Francine Maisler - Sinners.
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The ceremony kicks off at 7pm ET/ 4pm PT, airing live on ABC and streaming live on Hulu. It will also be streaming via Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV and FuboTV.
Best Picture
Bugonia
F1
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
The Secret Agent
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Sentimental Value
Sinners
Train Dreams
Best Actress
Jessie Buckley - Hamnet
Rose Byrne - If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Kate Hudson - Song Sung Blue
Renate Reinsve - Sentimental Value
Emma Stone - Bugonia
Best Supporting Actress
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Elle Fanning - Sentimental Value
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas - Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan - Weapons - WINNER
Wunmi Mosaku - Sinners
Teyana Taylor - One Battle After Another
Best Original Screenplay
Robert Kaplow - Blue Moon
Jafar Panahi - It Was Just an Accident
Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie - Marty Supreme
Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier - Sentimental Value
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Ryan Coogler - Sinners
Best International Feature Film
The Secret Agent (Brazil)
It Was Just an Accident (France)
Sentimental Value (Norway)
Sirat (Spain)
The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia)
Best Editing
F1
Marty Supreme
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One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Best Original Score
Bugonia
Frankenstein
Hamnet
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Best Sound
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F1
Frankenstein
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Sirat
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Frankenstein - WINNER
Kokuho
Sinners
The Smashing Machine
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The Ugly Stepsister
Best Costume Design
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Frankenstein - WINNER
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
Sinners
Best Live-Action Short Film
Butcher's Stain
A Friend of Dorothy
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Jane Austen's Period Drama
The Singers
Two People Exchanging Saliva
Best Documentary Feature Film
The Alabama Solution
Come See Me in the Good Light
Cutting Through Rocks
Mr Nobody Against Putin
The Perfect Neighbor
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Best Actor
Timothee Chalamet - Marty Supreme
Michael B Jordan - Sinners
Leonardo DiCaprio - One Battle After Another
Ethan Hawke - Blue Moon
Wagner Moura - The Secret Agent
Best Director
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Chloe Zhao - Hamnet
Josh Safdie - Marty Supreme
Paul Thomas Anderson - One Battle After Another
Joachim Trier - Sentimental Value
Ryan Coogler - Sinners
Best Supporting Actor
Benicio Del Toro - One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi - Frankenstein
Sean Penn - One Battle After Another
Delroy Lindo - Sinners
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Stellan Skarsgard - Sentimental Value
Best Adapted Screenplay
Will Tracy - Bugonia
Guillermo Del Toro - Frankenstein
Chloe Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell - Hamnet
Paul Thomas Anderson - One Battle After Another
Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar - Train Dreams
Best Animated Feature Film
Arco
Elio
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KPop Demon Hunters - WINNER
Little Amelie or the Character of Rain
Zootopia 2
Best Casting
Nina Gold - Hamnet
Jennifer Venditti - Marty Supreme
Cassandra Kulukundis - One Battle After Another - WINNER
Gabriel Domingues - The Secret Agent
Francine Maisler - Sinners
Best Cinematography
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Dan Laustsen - Frankenstein
Darius Khondji - Marty Supreme
Michael Bauman - One Battle After Another
Autumn Durald Arkapaw - Sinners
Adolpho Veloso - Train Dreams
Best Production Design
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
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Sinners
Best Original Song
Dear Me - Diane Warren: Relentless
Golden - KPop Demon Hunters
I Lied to You - Sinners
Sweet Dreams of Joy - Viva Verdi!
Train Dreams - Train Dreams
Best Visual Effects
Avatar: Fire and Ash
F1
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Jurassic World: Rebirth
The Lost Bus
Sinners
Best Animated Short Film
Butterfly
Forevergreen
The Girl Who Cried Pearls - WINNER
Retirement Plan
The Three Sisters
Best Documentary Feature Film
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The Alabama Solution
Come See Me in the Good Light
Cutting Through Rocks
Mr Nobody Against Putin
The Perfect Neighbor
Best Documentary Short
All the Empty Rooms
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