Lights, Camera, Action! The Oscars Shortlist is Here

Culture&Life
Helen Mirren and Golda Meir 082223 split 53bfff9263ee4ddd90c629dc66ce1cae
Credit: Helen Mirren (left) and Helen Mirren portraying Golda Meir in GOLDA (right). PHOTO: DANIELE VENTURELLI/GETTY IMAGES FOR PARAMOUNT+; BLEECKER STREET MEDIA /COURTESY EVERETT COLLECTION

It’s that enchanting time of the year once again, dear readers! The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has just unveiled the shortlists for 10 categories for the forthcoming 96th Oscars ceremony, and there are some delightful surprises in the mix.

Greta Gerwig’s meta-comedy “Barbie” leads the pack with an impressive five nominations. The film’s nods include accolades for sound, original song, and original score. However, it’s eyebrow-raising that it missed out on a spot in the makeup and hairstyling category.

In addition to “Barbie,” other notable films like “The Color Purple” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” also failed to make the cut. However, A24’s eccentric “Beau is Afraid” and Universal Pictures’ horror summer film “The Last Voyage of the Demeter” managed to sneak into the shortlist, much to the surprise of many.

The music categories are also bursting with talent, showcasing compositions from esteemed artists such as Daniel Pemberton, Ludwig Göransson, and the late Robbie Robertson. It’s a delight to see a diverse lineup of composers receiving the recognition they so rightly deserve, including Black composers Jon Batiste and Kris Bowers, the legendary female musician Laura Karpman, and the nonbinary Oscar nominee Mica Levi.

In the original song category, we have some fascinating contenders such as tracks from Warner Bros’ “The Color Purple,” Apple Original Films’ “Flora and Son,” and even a hit from Olivia Rodrigo featured in “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.”

But the surprises do not end there. Variety has exclusively reported the 20 visual effects finalists, with some noteworthy films like Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” and Zack Snyder’s “Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire” making the list. It’s certainly going to be a tough competition for the Visual Effects Branch to select the final nominees.

Several frontrunners also secured spots in the documentary feature category, including Apple Original Films’ “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie,” Netflix’s “American Symphony,” and MTV Documentary Films’ “The Eternal Memory.” However, there were some unexpected omissions that left many scratching their heads.

The international feature race saw the usual suspects making an appearance, with standout films like the U.K.’s “The Zone of Interest” and Spain’s “Society of the Snow” making the cut. While there were no major snubs, the competition is definitely heating up in this category.

With the official nominations set to be announced on Jan. 23, the anticipation is electric as we await to see which films will make the final cut. This year’s Oscars are shaping up to be a captivating spectacle, brimming with unforeseen twists and turns as the competition unfolds.

So, grab your popcorn and prepare for the show because the race to the Oscars is officially on!

The list of included films:

Documentary Feature

  • “American Symphony”
  • “Apolonia, Apolonia”
  • “Beyond Utopia”
  • “Bobi Wine: The People’s President”
  • “Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy”
  • “The Eternal Memory”
  • “Four Daughters”
  • “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project”
  • “In the Rearview”
  • “Stamped from the Beginning”
  • “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie”
  • “A Still Small Voice”
  • “32 Sounds”
  • “To Kill a Tiger”
  • “20 Days in Mariupol”

Documentary Short Subject

  • “The ABCs of Book Banning”
  • “The Barber of Little Rock”
  • “Bear”
  • “Between Earth & Sky”
  • “Black Girls Play: The Story of Hand Games”
  • “Camp Courage”
  • “Deciding Vote”
  • “How We Get Free”
  • “If Dreams Were Lightning: Rural Healthcare Crisis”
  • “Island in Between”
  • “The Last Repair Shop”
  • “Last Song from Kabul”
  • “Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó”
  • “Oasis”
  • “Wings of Dust”

International Feature

  • Armenia, “Amerikatsi”
  • Bhutan, “The Monk and the Gun”
  • Denmark, “The Promised Land”
  • Finland, “Fallen Leaves”
  • France, “The Taste of Things”
  • Germany, “The Teachers’ Lounge”
  • Iceland, “Godland”
  • Italy, “Io Capitano”
  • Japan, “Perfect Days”
  • Mexico, “Totem”
  • Morocco, “The Mother of All Lies”
  • Spain, “Society of the Snow”
  • Tunisia, “Four Daughters”
  • Ukraine, “20 Days in Mariupol”
  • United Kingdom, “The Zone of Interest”

Makeup and Hairstyling

  • “Beau Is Afraid”
  • “Ferrari”
  • “Golda”
  • “Killers of the Flower Moon”
  • “The Last Voyage of the Demeter”
  • “Maestro”
  • “Napoleon”
  • “Oppenheimer”
  • “Poor Things”
  • “Society of the Snow”

Sound

  • “Barbie”
  • “The Creator”
  • “Ferrari”
  • “The Killer”
  • “Killers of the Flower Moon”
  • “Maestro”
  • “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”
  • “Napoleon”
  • “Oppenheimer”
  • “The Zone of Interest”

Original Score

  • “American Fiction”
  • “American Symphony”
  • “Barbie”
  • “The Boy and the Heron”
  • “The Color Purple”
  • “Elemental”
  • “The Holdovers”
  • “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”
  • “Killers of the Flower Moon”
  • “Oppenheimer”
  • “Poor Things”
  • “Saltburn”
  • “Society of the Snow”
  • “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
  • “The Zone of Interest”

Original Song

  • “It Never Went Away” from “American Symphony”
  • “Dear Alien (Who Art In Heaven)” from “Asteroid City”
  • “Dance The Night” from “Barbie”
  • “I’m Just Ken” from “Barbie”
  • “What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie”
  • “Keep It Movin’” from “The Color Purple”
  • “Superpower (I)” from “The Color Purple”
  • “The Fire Inside” from “Flamin’ Hot”
  • “High Life” from “Flora and Son”
  • “Meet In The Middle” from “Flora and Son”
  • “Can’t Catch Me Now” from “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes”
  • “Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)” from “Killers of the Flower Moon”
  • “Quiet Eyes” from “Past Lives”
  • “Road To Freedom” from “Rustin”
  • “Am I Dreaming” from “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”

Animated Short Film

  • “Boom”
  • “Eeva”
  • “Humo (Smoke)”
  • “I’m Hip”
  • “A Kind of Testament”
  • “Koerkorter (Dog Apartment)”
  • “Letter to a Pig”
  • “Ninety-Five Senses”
  • “Once Upon a Studio”
  • “Our Uniform”
  • “Pachyderme”
  • “Pete”
  • “27”
  • “War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko”
  • “Wild Summon”

Live Action Short Film

  • “The After”
  • “The Anne Frank Gift Shop”
  • “An Avocado Pit”
  • “Bienvenidos a Los Angeles”
  • “Dead Cat”
  • “Good Boy”
  • “Invincible”
  • “Invisible Border”
  • “Knight of Fortune”
  • “The One Note Man”
  • “Red, White and Blue”
  • “The Shepherd”
  • “Strange Way of Life”
  • “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar”

Visual Effects

  • “The Creator”
  • “Godzilla Minus One”
  • “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”
  • “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”
  • “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”
  • “Napoleon”
  • “Poor Things”
  • “Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire”
  • “Society of the Snow”
  • “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
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