Film News South Africa

All the 2024 Academy Award nominations

Christopher Nolan's latest film, Oppenheimer has emerged as a frontrunner at the upcoming Oscars, securing a whopping 13 nominations. The biopic, centred around scientist Robert Oppenheimer, the architect of the atomic bomb, is in contention for categories such as Best Film, Best Director, and Adapted Screenplay.

Notably, this could mark Nolan's first-ever Oscar win, having previously received five nominations. The star-studded cast, including Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr, and Emily Blunt, are also vying for individual accolades.

In a close second, Yorgos Lanthimos's feminist fantasy, Poor Things received 11 nominations, adding an intriguing dynamic to the awards race. Martin Scorsese's true crime epic, Killers of the Flower Moon secured 10 nods, while the unexpected contender, Barbie surprisingly garnered 8 nominations.

However, the nominations announcement brought some notable slights, with only one female director, Justine Triet, making the cut for the Best Director category. High-profile figures like Margot Robbie, Leonardo DiCaprio, Greta Lee, and Andrew Scott faced disappointment with their exclusion.

Lily Gladstone's inclusion in the nominations makes her the first Native American actor ever to be considered for the award, setting the stage for a compelling competition with Emma Stone, who recently won a Best Actress Golden Globe for Poor Things.

Surprises continued with unexpected nods for Poor Things, particularly for Mark Ruffalo as Best Supporting Actor and Yorgos Lanthimos for Best Director. The Best Picture shortlist features a diverse lineup, including Barbie, Past Lives, Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon, American Fiction, The Holdovers, Maestro, and The Zone of Interest.

In a noteworthy development, The Zone of Interest, shot in Poland in the German language, marks the first British film in contention for Best International Film in 24 years. Sandra Hüller, the star of the film, competes for Leading Actress for her role in Anatomy of a Fall against some formidable contenders such as Annette Benning, Carey Mulligan and Emma Stone.

Bradley Cooper's Maestro also gained recognition in seven categories, while Alexander Payne's comedy, The Holdovers, missed out on Best Director but remains a strong contender for Original Screenplay. Unexpected inclusions in the race for Best Supporting Actress include Jodie Foster and Danielle Brooks.

However, some notable omissions and disappointments marked the nominations, with acclaimed films like All of Us Strangers and Saltburn receiving no recognition.

The Oscars, determined by approximately 11,000 industry professionals from 93 countries, is scheduled to take place on 10 March 2024 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, with Jimmy Kimmel as the host.

Here's the full list of nominations:

Best Picture

American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
Barbie
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest

Best Director

Jonathan Glazer, The Zone of Interest
Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon
Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall

Best Actor

Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Colman Domingo, Rustin
Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction

Best Actress

Annette Bening, Nyad
Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall
Carey Mulligan, Maestro
Emma Stone, Poor Things

Best Supporting Actor

Sterling K. Brown, American Fiction
Robert De Niro, Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling, Barbie
Mark Ruffalo, Poor Things

Best Supporting Actress

Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple
America Ferrera, Barbie
Jodie Foster, Nyad
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers

Original Screenplay

Anatomy of a Fall
The Holdovers
May December
Maestro
Past Lives

Adapted Screenplay

American Fiction
Barbie
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest

Animated Feature

The Boy and the Heron
Elemental
Nimona
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Robot Dreams

Production Design

Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

Costume Design

Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

Cinematography

El Conde
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

Editing

Anatomy of a Fall
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

Makeup and Hairstyling

Golda
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Society of the Snow

Sound

The Creator
Maestro
Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One
Oppenheimer
The Zone of Interest

Visual Effects

The Creator
Godzilla Minus One
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One
Napoleon

Original Score

American Fiction
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

Original Song

The Fire Inside (Flamin’ Hot)
I’m Just Ken (Barbie)
It Never Went Away (American Symphony)
Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People) (Killers of the Flower Moon)
What Was I Made For? (Barbie)

Documentary Feature

Bobi Wine: The People’s President
The Eternal Memory
Four Daughters
To Kill a Tiger
20 Days in Mariupol

International Feature

The Teachers’ Lounge, Germany
Io Capitano, Italy
Perfect Days, Japan
Society of the Snow, Spain
The Zone of Interest, United Kingdom

Animated Short

Letter to a Pig
Ninety-Five Senses
Our Uniform
Pachyderme
War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko

Documentary Short

The ABCs of Book Banning
The Barber of Little Rock
Island in Between
The Last Repair Shop
Nai Nai & Wai Po

Live-Action Short

The After
Invincible
Knight of Fortune
Red, White and Blue
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

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