The envelope felt heavy in my hand. “And the Oscar goes to…” the presenter drawled, the silence stretching. It wasn’t just a win; it was validation, a spotlight on the stories we dared to tell.
The Oscar nominations are here, arriving almost two months before the award show on March 15. Prepare yourself; the season is just beginning.
Regarding genre films, io9’s choice for best genre film, Sinners, secured a record 16 nominations. It’s now the most-nominated film in Oscars history. Nods include Best Picture, Best Director for Ryan Coogler, Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan, and Best Supporting roles for Wunmi Mosaku and Delroy Lindo. Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein earned 15 nominations, also including Best Picture, while Bugonia had 10 nominations, another Best Picture nod.
Other notable genre films up for potential wins are KPop Demon Hunters (nominated for Best Animated Feature and Best Song) and Avatar: Fire and Ash (nominated for Best Visual Effects and Best Costume Design).
Here’s the full list of nominees, including, for the first time, Best Casting.
Best Picture
Bugonia
F1
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Best Director
Street corners whisper stories of ambition, each director a conductor of chaos. Here are the nominees:
Chloé Zhao, Hamnet
Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value
Ryan Coogler, Sinners
Best Lead Actor
The camera sees everything; every flicker of doubt, every surge of courage. The nominees:
Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another
Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent
Best Lead Actress
A single tear can hold an ocean, or so they say. These actresses understood the assignment:
Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue
Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value
Emma Stone, Bugonia
Best Supporting Actor
They are the unsung heroes, the quiet engines that make the machine run. Meet the nominees:
Benicio Del Toro, One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein
Delroy Lindo, Sinners
Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value
Best Supporting Actress
A fleeting expression can change everything, especially with these actresses:
Elle Fanning, Sentimental Value
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan, Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners
Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another
Best Animated Feature Film
Animation is magic. Here are the films that bewitched us this year:
Arco
Elio
KPop Demon Hunters
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Zootopia 2
Best Animated Short Film
Small stories, grand impact. The nominees:
Butterfly
Forevergreen
The Girl Who Cried Pearls
Retirement Plan
The Three Sisters
Best Costume Design
Fabric becomes character; threads tell tales. The nominees:
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
Sinners
Best Casting
Some say casting is half the battle. These films got it right:
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
The Secret Agent
Sinners
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
A change of appearance, a transformation of soul. The nominees:
Frankenstein
Kokuho
Sinners
The Smashing Machine
The Ugly Stepsister
Best Original Score
Notes that tug, melodies that haunt. The nominees:
Bugonia
Frankenstein
Hamnet
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Best Sound
Silence can be deafening, noise can be music. These films understood how:
F1
Frankenstein
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Sirât
Best Adapted Screenplay
Taking stories and making them new. The nominees:
Bugonia, Will Tracy
Frankenstein, Guillermo del Toro
Hamnet, Chloé Zhao & Maggie O’Farrell
One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson
Train Dreams, Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar
Best Original Screenplay
A blank page, a universe born. The nominees:
Blue Moon, Robert Kaplow
It Was Just an Accident, Jafar Panahi & Script Collaborators
Marty Supreme, Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie
Sentimental Value, Joachim Trier & Eskil Vogt
Sinners, Ryan Coogler
Best Cinematography
Light and shadow, captured forever. The nominees:
Frankenstein (Netflix) Dan Laustsen
Marty Supreme (A24) Darius Khondji
One Battle after Another (Warner Bros.) Michael Bauman
Sinners (Warner Bros.) Autumn Durald Arkapaw
Train Dreams (Netflix) Adolpho Veloso
Best Documentary Feature Film
Truth, unfiltered. The nominees:
The Alabama Solution
Come See Me in the Good Light
Cutting Through Rocks
Mr. Nobody Against Putin
The Perfect Neighbor
Best Documentary Short Film
Small glimpses, profound insights. The nominees:
All the Empty Rooms
Armed Only With a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud
Children No More: “Were and Are Gone”
The Devil Is Busy
Perfectly a Strangeness
Best Film Editing
Moments stitched together, a tapestry of time. The nominees:
F1, Stephen Mirrione
Marty Supreme, Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie
One Battle After Another, Andy Jurgensen
Sentimental Value, Olivier Bugge Coutté
Sinners, Michael Shawver
Best International Feature Film
Stories that cross borders. The nominees:
Brazil, The Secret Agent
France, It Was Just an Accident
Norway, Sentimental Value
Spain, Sirât
Tunisia, The Voice of Hind Rajab
Best Original Song
Melodies that linger long after the credits roll. The nominees:
“Dear Me” from Diane Warren: Relentless
“Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters
“Highest 2 Lowest” from Highest 2 Lowest
“I Lied To You” from Sinners
“Sweet Dreams of Joy” from Viva Verdi!
“Train Dreams” from Train Dreams
Best Production Design
Creating worlds within worlds. The nominees:
Frankenstein, Tamara Deverell
Hamnet, Fiona Crombie
Marty Supreme, Jack Fisk
One Battle After Another, Florencia Martin
Sinners, Hannah Beachler; Set Decoration: Monique Champagne
Best Visual Effects
The impossible made real. The nominees:
Avatar: Fire and Ash
F1
Jurassic World Rebirth
The Lost Bus
Sinners
How many nominations did ‘Sinners’ receive and in which categories?
Sinners is not just a movie; it’s a cultural earthquake. Akin to a perfectly cut diamond, each facet reflecting a different angle of brilliance, it secured a staggering 16 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director (Ryan Coogler), Best Actor (Michael B. Jordan), Best Supporting Actor (Delroy Lindo), Best Supporting Actress (Wunmi Mosaku), Best Original Screenplay (Ryan Coogler), Best Cinematography (Autumn Durald Arkapaw), Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Casting, Best Film Editing, and Best Visual Effects.
What other genre films were recognized alongside ‘Sinners’, ‘Frankenstein’, and ‘Bugonia’?
The Academy Awards aren’t solely about recognizing blockbusters; it’s about celebrating artistry. Beyond the headliners, gems like KPop Demon Hunters and Avatar: Fire and Ash earned nods, showcasing the breadth of talent within genre cinema. Even Zootopia 2 snuck in there.
What’s the significance of ‘Sinners’ leading the nominations?
It’s more than a win; it’s a shift. Sinners’ dominance signifies a change in tides, a recognition of genre films as serious contenders in the awards season. Could this be a sign of more inclusive tastes within the Academy?
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