These 2026 Oscar-Nominated Films Are Free on YouTube

There aren’t many 2026 Oscar-nominated films that are free to watch online, but three of them are available on YouTube. The vast majority of movies nominated for the upcoming 98th Academy Awards, which will air on March 15, 2026 on ABC and Hulu, can be found on paid subscription services, particularly HBO Max and Apple TV. So it’s great to see that at least a handful of them won’t cost a dime to watch.

Three 2026 Oscar nominees are available to watch on YouTube

Two animated shorts, Papillon (Butterfly) and Retirement Plan, as well as the live-action short Two People Exchanging Saliva, are free to watch on YouTube. All three films have been nominated in their categories for the 2026 Oscars.

Directed and animated by Florence Miailhe, Butterfly is available for free through the Jewish Film Institute’s channel on YouTube. According to the synopsis, this 15-minute short “tells the story of Jewish French swimmer Alfred Nakache, who competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympics in Nazi Germany.”

Meanwhile, Retirement Plan, otherwise known as The Dream of Finishing One’s To-Do List, has been posted on The New Yorker’s channel. The Irish animated short, by John Kelly and Andrew Freedman, is only about seven minutes-long (and that’s including the credits). It features a man named Ray, voiced by Domhnall Gleeson, who muses about his plans for the future (once he has the time).

Last but not least, Two People Exchanging Saliva from Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh can also be found by The New Yorker’s channel. Lasting around 36 minutes, the short film is set in a dystopian society where the act of kissing comes with the penalty of death.

The full list of 2026 Oscar nominees features several frontrunners, including Sinners with a record-breaking 16 Oscar nominations, Hamnet, One Battle After Another, Marty Supreme, and Sentimental Value. However, the nominations do not include Wicked: For Good nor the Korean dark comedy thriller No Other Choice.

Source: Comingsoon.net