Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” and Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” emerge as finalists in various categories. Advancing one step closer to an Oscar nomination, the Barbie power ballad “I’m Just Ken” and AP and Frontline’s documentary “20 Days in Mariupol” received recognition. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled shortlists on Thursday across 10 categories, encompassing best original song, documentary feature, international feature, original score, as well as crafts like hair and makeup, visual effects, and sound.
Making a notable appearance, Mstyslav Chernov’s “20 Days in Mariupol” secured a spot on the shortlist in both the documentary and international feature categories. It stands as Ukraine’s representative in the latter category.
Expected names on the list
As anticipated, Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” and Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” held prominent positions among the finalists across various categories, including score and sound. Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest” also made a notable appearance. Advancing in makeup, visual effects, and score, Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” secured spots in visual effects, song, and score.
Among the 15 international features progressing, noteworthy entries include “The Zone of Interest” (United Kingdom), Trần Anh Hùng’s “The Taste of Things” (France), Lila Avilés’ “Tótem” (Mexico), and Aki Kaurismäki’s “Fallen Leaves” (Finland). Notably, Justine Triet’s acclaimed “Anatomy of a Fall” did not get selected to represent France, rendering it ineligible in the category.
Other films, documentaries on the shortlists
In the realm of documentary nominees, alongside “20 Days in Mariupol,” notable entries include “American Symphony,” a portrayal of Batiste, “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie,” “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project,” “The Eternal Memory,” “A Still Small Voice,” and “Four Daughters.” Some expressed surprise at the absence of “Kokomo City,” exploring the lives of Black trans sex workers, and “Little Richard: I Am Everything.”
While “Barbie” didn’t make the cut for makeup and hairstyling, the nominations in this category include “Beau is Afraid,” “Poor Things,” “Maestro,” “Oppenheimer,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” and “Napoleon.”
Songs that made to the shortlist
Competing against “I’m Just Ken” for the original song category are two other contenders from Barbie: Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” and Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” Notably, only two songs from a single movie can progress to the nomination stage. However, both “Flora and Son” and “The Color Purple” have two songs advancing.
In addition to these, there are other strong contenders in the mix. Sharon Van Etten presents “Quiet Eyes” from “Past Lives,” Olivia Rodrigo contributes “Can’t Catch Me Now” from “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” Jon Batiste delivers “It Never Went Away” from “American Symphony,” Lenny Kravitz offers his Rustin song “Road to Freedom,” and Jarvis Cocker presents “Dear Alien (Who Art In Heaven)” from “Asteroid City.”
Diane Warren also secures another chance at a nomination with “The Fire Inside” from “Flamin’ Hot.” However, some anticipated finalists, including Justin Timberlake for “Trolls Band Together” and Jack Black for his Super Mario Bros. Movie ballad “Peaches,” were left off the list. Notably, “Wonka” was also missing from the selection.
Despite “Oppenheimer” performing well in most categories, it did not secure a spot among the finalists in the visual effects category. This unexpected omission was previously reported. Visual effects contenders often consist of superhero and franchise films, with this year featuring Zack Snyder’s poorly reviewed “Rebel Moon-Part One: A Child of Fire,” “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.”
The shortlists for live-action, animated, and documentary shorts were also unveiled. The live-action category boasts star-studded entries, including Pedro Almodóvar’s “Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal’s Western Strange Way of Life” and Wes Anderson’s “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” featuring Benedict Cumberbatch and Ben Kingsley. The documentary shortlist includes “To Kill a Tiger,” based on the Jharkhand gang rape.
Typically, members in their respective categories determine most shortlists, though the specifics vary across branches, with some having committees and others having minimum viewing requirements.
The final nominations for all categories will be announced on January 23. The 96th Oscars, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, is scheduled for March 10, broadcasting live on ABC from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, starting one hour earlier than usual at 7 p.m. ET.