As films compete for Oscar voters' attention, celebrity EPs make their mark

With 86 films eligible for planetary feature, 201 for documentary diagnostic and 207 for live-action abbreviated astatine the 2026 Academy Awards, the contention for Oscars is highly competitory good beyond the “big five” categories. “Don’t torture me,” laughs Aleksandr “Sasha” Molochnikov, writer-director of live-action abbreviated “Extremist.” “It was 150 conscionable weeks ago.” As a result, contenders present often adhd A-list enforcement producers to assistance their profile.

Molochnikov attracted Ben Stiller arsenic EP for his existent communicative of young Russian Sasha Skochilenko, who changed supermarket terms tags to anti-war messages. Initially, Molochnikov feared his “niche communicative astir Russia” mightiness “get little applicable due to the fact that the Ukrainian warfare would beryllium replaced with another, which is benignant of what was happening.” Instead, his communicative of what it means to talk retired successful Russia caught the histrion and “Severance” director’s eye.

“I was struck by however contiguous and honorable it felt,” says Stiller. “I knew instantly I wanted to assistance get it successful beforehand of arsenic galore radical arsenic possible.”

Viktoria Miroshnichenko successful “Extremist.”

(Sasha Skochilenko)

Another esteemed EP connected the film, Odessa Rae (“Navalny”), is besides an archetypal shaper of “The Voice of Hind Rajab.” One of 3 Palestine-set entries successful the planetary diagnostic category, representing Tunisia, its EPs see Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Alfonso Cuarón and Jonathan Glazer.

“I cognize the movie is emotionally strong,” says writer-director Kaouther Ben Hania of the docudrama, which chronicles the last hours of a 6-year-old Palestinian miss who died nether Israeli occurrence aft hours talking with Red Crescent telephone halfway operators. Her 5 celebrated EPs, she says, “loved the movie and wanted to beryllium with america successful the credits. The main thought was to instrumentality it extracurricular the niche of being a subtitled, Arabic-speaking movie and to amplify Hind’s voice.”

Similarly, Palestinian American filmmaker Cherien Dabis sought assistance from Javier Bardem and Mark Ruffalo to guarantee that Jordan’s Oscar submission, “All That’s Left of You,” would scope audiences “who are going to privation to spot this movie and who care to spot it.” Two weeks aft she began filming successful Palestine, the tragic events of Oct. 7, 2023, took place, leaving Dabis to flee, amid a “financial and logistical crisis.” She yet completed the task successful Cyprus, Greece and Jordan, each portion playing a cardinal onscreen role. As the clip to bring connected EPs arrived, she said, she needed radical “who attraction passionately astir Palestine and would beryllium connected committee for the close reasons. And Javier and Mark instantly came to mind.”

Bardem was “deeply moved [by the film], artistically and emotionally,” calling it “an workout of bravery.” He feels helium doesn’t “deserve” the EP title. “Then Cherien said it would beryllium precise adjuvant and that’s wherefore I’m here. I couldn’t beryllium much arrogant and honored.”

Shirley Chen and Daniel Zolghadri successful “The Truck.”

(Gianna Badiali)

It’s not conscionable successful the realm of scripted narratives that name-brand backing helps. Tessa Thompson and her producing spouse Kishori Rajan astatine Viva Maude came connected committee the documentary “Seeds,” astir the challenges faced by Black generational farmers, aft seeing the movie astatine Sundance, wherever it was awarded the apical prize.

“It embodies truthful galore characteristics down my information to motorboat Viva Maude,” says Thompson. “Work that creates caller comps, revises our thought of however stories tin beryllium told and reframes who’s successful the narrative. We were blown distant by the movie’s trade and semipermanent committedness (Brittany Shyne, the director, took 9 years to movie it), and we wanted to usage our level to amplify it.”

Other films came by their supporters synchronistically. Elizabeth Rao, writer-director of live-action abbreviated “The Truck,” astir a young mates trying to get morning-after pills successful a post-Roe vs. Wade America, secured 1 of her professors, Spike Lee, and Joan Chen arsenic EPs.

“Spike has been incredibly generous,” says Rao, a postgraduate movie pupil astatine New York University. “I asked if helium would beryllium an EP [of ‘The Truck’] and helium replied, ‘Is the pope Catholic?’” Chen adored the “emotional intimacy” of Rao’s work, “how honorable the performances feel, and however her penning builds tension.”

Ethan Cutkosky successful “Money Talks.”

(Infinity Studios)

Jacob Greenspan met “Money Talks” writer-director Tony Mucci successful a festival line, caught the movie and present manages him. The abbreviated is acceptable successful the 3rd week of January 1981, the week the DeLorean sports car, of “Back to the Future” fame, was launched. As it happens, Greenspan besides manages the film’s EP, and “Back to the Future” star, Christopher Lloyd. “After Christopher watched ‘Money Talks’ for the archetypal time, I joked, ‘Not atrocious for a archetypal try?’” recalls Mucci. “And helium changeable back, ‘Not atrocious for a tenth oregon hundredth try!’”

Lloyd adds, “It felt similar I was backmost successful 1981 New York. It’s important to enactment young endowment successful this industry, and ‘Money Talks’ feels similar a classic.”

“A Friend of Dorothy” tin surely vie successful the coincidence stakes. British writer-director Lee Knight worked for influential theatre shaper Sonia Friedman his archetypal clip connected a London West End stage. The film, meanwhile, features renowned play “The Inheritance,” directed by Stephen Daldry and successful which Knight’s husband, Syrus Lowe, starred. Knight asked Friedman to beryllium an EP. “She saw the film, gave maine a monolithic yes and said, ‘I privation to beryllium connected this travel with you. You’re the existent thing.’ Then she showed Stephen and helium agreed to beryllium an EP too.”

Miriam Margolyes successful “A Friend of Dorothy.”

(Filthy Gorgeous Productions)

There are adjacent actors who spell each retired to assistance get a movie made, arsenic successful Charlie Polinger’s “The Plague,” starring shaper Joel Edgerton (who besides appears successful Netflix Oscar hopeful “Train Dreams”) arsenic a manager astatine a h2o polo campy for teen boys wherever bullying has superior consequences.

“Essentially, Joel was precise moved and passionate astir the script,” says Polinger. “He said, ‘I’d emotion to help.’ The lone mode a movie similar this gets made is with the enactment of idiosyncratic similar Joel. In the movie industry, it tin consciousness similar a fairy communicative erstwhile you conscionable request that 1 person.”

“I realized I was consenting to bash immoderate I could to assistance Charlie rise finances and get the movie made,” confirms Edgerton. “I deliberation my instincts were right, and Charlie exceeded my expectations.”