How the Oscars went international
The Documentary Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 2.7K Ratings
🗓️ 15 March 2026
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On Sunday, many of the film industry’s biggest stars will gather in Los Angeles for Hollywood’s biggest night: the 98th annual Academy Awards.
Looming over the celebrations are some major upheavals in Hollywood: big corporate mergers, the incursion of AI, and mass layoffs. And it’s against that backdrop that the Oscars are increasingly nominating films, filmmakers, and actors from elsewhere in the world.
BBC film reporter and critic Tom Brook explains how the Oscars went global, and what it can tell us about the status of American soft power.
The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption. For more episodes, just search 'The Global Story' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.
Producers: Xandra Ellin and Valerio Esposito
Executive producer: James Shield
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: Workers make preparations for the 98th annual Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles Credit: Reuters / Caroline Brehman
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts. |
| 0:05.7 | Hi there, I'm Asma Khalid, and welcome to the documentary from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:11.5 | Now, normally, I host the Global Story. |
| 0:14.3 | It's a podcast that aims to bring clarity in a time of huge change in our world. |
| 0:19.1 | Every weekday, we dive deep on one story that helps us understand where the world |
| 0:23.9 | and America intersect. |
| 0:25.8 | You can find us wherever you listen to your BBC podcasts. |
| 0:28.7 | In this bonus episode, we're talking to the BBC's veteran film and movie reporter Tom |
| 0:33.8 | Brooke, who's covered every Oscars since 1985. |
| 0:37.4 | We ask him about this year's ceremony coming at a time when Hollywood is in crisis and international filmmakers appear to be reaping the benefits. |
| 0:48.2 | It's the Oscars on Sunday. It's Hollywood's biggest night. And one way to look at the Academy Awards |
| 0:54.1 | is that Hollywood is back. |
| 0:56.3 | The main contenders for Best Picture |
| 0:58.0 | are two distinctly American movies. |
| 1:01.1 | One battle after another. |
| 1:02.4 | What time is it? |
| 1:04.3 | You know, I don't remember that part. |
| 1:08.7 | Let's just not nitpick over the password stuff. |
| 1:12.1 | Look, this is Bob Ferguson, all right? |
| 1:13.6 | You just called my house. |
| 1:14.3 | And sinners. |
| 1:20.4 | Traveling, I don't know where the world. |
... |
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