Blockbusters like "Top Gun: Maverick," "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" and "Avatar: The Way of Water" and pop stars like Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and Rihanna just got one step closer to getting Oscar nominations.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Wednesday announced shortlists in 10 categories for the 95th Oscars, including documentary feature, international film, makeup and hairstyling, score, original song, sound, visual effects and shorts.
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's "Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths" was along the 15 films shortlisted in the international film category, one of the most competitive. The category also includes already decorated films like "Holy Spider" (Denmark), "All Quiet on the Western Front" (Germany), "Saint Omer" (France), "Corsage" (Austria), "EO" (Poland), "Return to Seoul" (Cambodia), "Decision to Leave" (South Korea), "Close" (Belgium) and "Argentina, 1985" (Argentina).
The inclusion of "Joyland" marks the first time Pakistan has ever made the shortlist. Most of the directors are first-timers on the shorlist too, with the exception being Inarritu.
India's official submission was not S.S. Rajamouli's popular action epic "RRR," but rather Pan Nalin's "Last Film Show" which made the cut becoming the first film from the country to do so in over 20 years. "RRR" could get nominations in other categories, including for the shortlisted original song "Naatu Naatu."
Jafar Panahi was also not put forward to represent Iran, whose selection was not among the 15 and Russia did not submit a film this year.
With many below-the-line categories at hand, big budget sequels like "Avatar," "Top Gun," and "Black Panther" were well represented in the effects and sound categories, as well as original song which included Gaga's "Hold My Hand," The Weeknd's "Nothing is Lost" from "Avatar: The Way of Water" and Rihanna's "Lift Me Up" from "Black Panther."
Also on the original song shortlist are Swift's "Carolina" from "Where the Crawdads Sing," Drake's "Time" from "Amsterdam," LCD Soundsystem's "New Body Rhumba" from "White Noise," Selena Gomez's "My Mind and Me" from the documentary of the same name and Rita Wilson's "Til You're Home" from "A Man Called Otto." Diane Warren also gets another shot at a competitive Oscar with "Applause" from "Tell It Like a Woman." Doja Cat's song from "Elvis" was not eligible.
For the most part shortlists are determined by members in their respective categories, though the specifics vary from branch to branch: Some have committees, some have minimum viewing requirements.
"All Quiet on the Western Front" got quite a few spots on the shortlist, including original score, makeup and hair, sound and visual effects.
Other films advancing in makeup and hairstyling include "The Whale," in which Brendan Fraser transforms into a 600-pound man, "Elvis, "Emancipation," "The Batman" and the Marilyn Monroe film "Blonde."
The 15 original scores selected were winnowed for from 147 eligible and include "Women Talking" from Hildur Guonadottir, "The Fabelmans" from John Williams, "The Banshees of Inisherin" from Carter Burwell, "Babylon" from Justin Hurwitz, "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio" from Alexandre Desplat and "The Woman King" from Terence Blanchard. Also in the mix are Ludwig Goransson ("Black Panther: Wakanda Forever"), Nicholas Britell ("She Said") and Son Lux ("Everything Everywhere All At Once").
Guonadottir's "Tar" score was not eligible, nor was the "Top Gun: Maverick" score, written by Hans Zimmer, Harold Faltermeyer, Lorne Balfe and Gaga.
Check out the complete list below:
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM
All That Breathes
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Bad Axe
Children of the Mist
Descendant
Fire of Love
Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song
Hidden Letters
A House Made of Splinters
The Janes
Last Flight Home
Moonage Daydream
Navalny
Retrograde
The Territory
DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM
American Justice on Trial: People v. Newton
Anastasia
Angola Do You Hear Us? Voices from a Plantation Prison
As Far as They Can Run
The Elephant Whisperers
The Flagmakers
Happiness Is £4 Million
Haulout
Holding Moses
How Do You Measure a Year?
The Martha Mitchell Effect
Nuisance Bear
Shut Up and Paint
Stranger at the Gate
38 at the Garden
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
Argentina, Argentina, 1985
Austria, Corsage
Belgium, Close
Cambodia, Return to Seoul
Denmark, Holy Spider
France, Saint Omer
Germany, All Quiet on the Western Front
India, Last Film Show
Ireland, The Quiet Girl
Mexico, Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
Morocco, The Blue Caftan
Pakistan, Joyland
Poland, EO
South Korea, Decision to Leave
Sweden, Cairo Conspiracy
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
All Quiet on the Western Front
Amsterdam
Babylon
The Batman
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Blonde
Crimes of the Future
Elvis
Emancipation
The Whale
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
All Quiet on the Western Front
Avatar: The Way of Water
Babylon
The Banshees of Inisherin
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Devotion
Don’t Worry Darling
Everything Everywhere All at Once
The Fabelmans
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Nope
She Said
The Woman King
Women Talking
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
“Time” from Amsterdam
“Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” from Avatar: The Way of Water
“Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
“This Is A Life” from Everything Everywhere All at Once
“Ciao Papa” from Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
“Til You’re Home” from A Man Called Otto
“Naatu Naatu” from RRR
“My Mind & Me” from Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me
“Good Afternoon” from Spirited
“Applause” from Tell It like a Woman
“Stand Up” from Till
“Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick
“Dust & Ash” from The Voice of Dust and Ash
“Carolina” from Where the Crawdads Sing
“New Body Rhumba” from White Noise
ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Black Slide
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
The Debutante
The Flying Sailor
The Garbage Man
Ice Merchants
It’s Nice in Here
More than I Want to Remember
My Year of Dicks
New Moon
An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It
Passenger
Save Ralph
Sierra
Steakhouse
LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM
Fifteen films will advance in the Live Action Short Film category for the 95th Academy Awards. Two hundred films qualified in the category. Members of the Short Films and Feature Animation, Directors, Producers and Writers Branches vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
SOUND
All Quiet on the Western Front
Avatar: The Way of Water
Babylon
The Batman
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Elvis
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Moonage Daydream
Top Gun: Maverick
VISUAL EFFECTS
All Quiet on the Western Front
Avatar: The Way of Water
The Batman
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
Jurassic World Dominion
Nope
Thirteen Lives
Top Gun: Maverick
Nominations for all categories will be announced on Jan. 24. The 95th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 12 and broadcast live on ABC.
