What Do the 2026 Oscars Have to Say About Religion?

About this episode

The episode discusses the intersection of religion and film in the context of the upcoming 2026 Oscars, featuring insights from theologian Paul Anleitner.

2025 was a big year for film. Theaters drew people in for a wide variety of stories. Moviegoers saw thrillers like Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” and Josh Safdie’s “Marty Supreme.” They saw the returns of beloved characters with James Gunn’s “Superman” and James Cameron’s “Avatar: Fire & Ash.” They embraced the strange with “Bugonia,” the romantic with “Materialists” and the tragic with “Frankenstein.” But, as has been increasingly the case in recent years, droves of moviegoers also showed up to films with heavily religious themes. Faith based studios and directors produced a variety of faith-forward movies with family-friendly animated movies like “David“ or “Light of The World” and more mature films such as “Guns and Moses” or “The Last Rodeo. But faith also appeared in many religiously unaffiliated Hollywood films, such as the latest installment of the “Knives Out” franchise which focused on the murder of a controversial catholic priest and Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” which explored the clashes of spirituality and conventional religion. As the Oscars are fast approaching this weekend, Religion Unplugged’s Culture Editor Jillian Cheney and Film Critic…

People in this episode

Hosts: Jillian Cheney, Joseph Holmes

Guest: Paul Anleitner

Topics covered

• film
• religion
• Oscars
• faith-based movies
• Hollywood
• theology

Keywords

• Oscars
• religion
• film
• faith-based movies
• Hollywood
• Paul Anleitner
• Jillian Cheney
• Joseph Holmes

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Goodmakers

Books & works: Based on a True Story: Vibe Shifts, the End of Deconstruction, & the Reboot of Meaning, One Battle After Another, Marty Supreme, Superman, Avatar: Fire & Ash, Bugonia, Materialists, Frankenstein, David, Light of The World

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