What Do the 2026 Oscars Have to Say About Religion?

What Do the 2026 Oscars Have to Say About Religion?

Author: The Media Project March 10, 2026 Duration: 56:08

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 Joseph Holmes sat down with public intellectual and theologian Paul Anleitner. Paul is the President and CEO of Goodmakers, and the author of “Based on a True Story: Vibe Shifts, the End of Deconstruction, & the Reboot of Meaning,” which comes out this summer and is available for pre-order now. 


Jillian, Joseph and Paul talk through the spiritual and religious themes of some of this years’ most beloved Oscar Nominees including “Sinners,” “Train Dreams,” “One Battle After Another” and “F1.”

#oscars #goodmakers #podcast #paulanleitner #traindreams #sinners #f1 #onebattleafteranother


In a world where faith is often reduced to headlines or soundbites, Religion Unplugged offers a different kind of space. This podcast, from The Media Project, engages with the profound and complex ways belief shapes our lives, politics, and history. You’ll hear candid conversations and stories drawn from original reporting by a global network of journalists. We move beyond simple debates to explore the nuanced realities of spirituality and religious practice as they intersect with culture, conflict, and community. Each episode is an opportunity to listen deeply to narratives that are frequently overlooked, understanding that religion remains a powerful and growing force across the globe. This isn’t about doctrine; it’s about the human experience at the intersection of the sacred and the everyday. Tune in for a grounded, journalistic approach that unplugs the stereotypes and connects you to the authentic stories defining faith in the 21st century.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Religion Unplugged
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