Unlike past years, the Academy has decided to reveal all of the shortlists simultaneously. Here is the press release.
On initial glance, there were no major embarrassments to be found. All of my predictions in Documentary Feature, Foreign Language Film, and Visual Effects made the short list. A few from my Original Song and Original Score selections did not, but there weren’t any incredibly notable snubs or omissions.
I will try to update my Hopefuls soon.
91ST OSCARS® SHORTLISTS IN NINE AWARD CATEGORIES ANNOUNCED
LOS ANGELES, CA — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced shortlists in consideration for the 91st Oscars® in nine categories: Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, Foreign Language Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, Music (Original Score), Music (Original Song), Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film and Visual Effects. To download shortlists by category, visit Oscars.org/91st-oscars-shortlists.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Fifteen films will advance in the Documentary Feature category for the 91st Academy Awards. One hundred sixty-six films were originally submitted in the category. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
“Charm City”
“Communion”
“Crime + Punishment”
“Dark Money”
“The Distant Barking of Dogs”
“Free Solo”
“Hale County This Morning, This Evening”
“Minding the Gap”
“Of Fathers and Sons”
“On Her Shoulders”
“RBG”
“Shirkers”
“The Silence of Others”
“Three Identical Strangers”
“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Ten films will advance in the Documentary Short Subject category for the 91st Academy Awards. One hundred four films had originally qualified in the category. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
“Black Sheep”
“End Game”
“Lifeboat”
“Los Comandos”
“My Dead Dad’s Porno Tapes”
“A Night at the Garden”
“Period. End of Sentence.”
“’63 Boycott”
“Women of the Gulag”
“Zion”
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Nine films will advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for the 91st Academy Awards. Eighty-seven films had originally been considered in the category.
Los Angeles-based Academy members from all branches screened the original submissions in the category between mid-October and December 10. The group’s top six choices, augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy’s Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee, constitute the shortlist. Academy members eligible to participate in the Nominations round of voting will view the shortlisted films. Members must see all nine films before casting their ballots.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:
Colombia, “Birds of Passage”
Denmark, “The Guilty”
Germany, “Never Look Away”
Japan, “Shoplifters”
Kazakhstan, “Ayka”
Lebanon, “Capernaum”
Mexico, “Roma”
Poland, “Cold War”
South Korea, “Burning”
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Seven films will advance in the Makeup and Hairstyling category for the 91st Academy Awards. All members of the Academy’s Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch will be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the seven shortlisted films on Saturday, January 5, 2019. Members will vote to nominate three films for final Oscar® consideration.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
“Black Panther”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“Border”
“Mary Queen of Scots”
“Stan & Ollie”
“Suspiria”
“Vice”
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
Fifteen scores will advance in the Original Score category for the 91st Academy Awards. One hundred fifty-six scores were eligible in the category. Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
The scores listed in alphabetical order by film title are:
“Annihilation”
“Avengers: Infinity War”
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”
“Black Panther”
“BlacKkKlansman”
“Crazy Rich Asians”
“The Death of Stalin”
“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”
“First Man”
“If Beale Street Could Talk”
“Isle of Dogs”
“Mary Poppins Returns”
“A Quiet Place”
“Ready Player One”
“Vice”
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
Fifteen songs will advance in the Original Song category for the 91st Academy Awards. Ninety songs were eligible in the category. Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
The original songs, along with the motion picture in which each song is featured, are listed below in alphabetical order by film title and song title:
“When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings” from “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”
“Treasure” from “Beautiful Boy”
“All The Stars” from “Black Panther”
“Revelation” from “Boy Erased”
“Girl In The Movies” from “Dumplin’”
“We Won’t Move” from “The Hate U Give”
“The Place Where Lost Things Go” from “Mary Poppins Returns”
“Trip A Little Light Fantastic” from “Mary Poppins Returns”
“Keep Reachin’” from “Quincy”
“I’ll Fight” from “RBG”
“A Place Called Slaughter Race” from “Ralph Breaks the Internet”
“OYAHYTT” from “Sorry to Bother You”
“Shallow” from “A Star Is Born”
“Suspirium” from “Suspiria”
“The Big Unknown” from “Widows”
ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Ten films will advance in the Animated Short Film category for the 91st Academy Awards. Eighty-one films had originally qualified in the category. Members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
“Age of Sail”
“Animal Behaviour”
“Bao”
“Bilby”
“Bird Karma”
“Late Afternoon”
“Lost & Found”
“One Small Step”
“Pépé le Morse”
“Weekends”
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
Ten films will advance in the Live Action Short Film category for the 91st Academy Awards. One hundred forty films had originally qualified in the category. Members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
“Caroline”
“Chuchotage”
“Detainment”
“Fauve”
“Icare”
“Marguerite”
“May Day”
“Mother”
“Skin”
“Wale”
VISUAL EFFECTS
Ten films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 91st Academy Awards. The Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the shortlist. All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, January 5, 2019. Following the screenings, members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
“Ant-Man and the Wasp”
“Avengers: Infinity War”
“Black Panther”
“Christopher Robin”
“First Man”
“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”
“Mary Poppins Returns”
“Ready Player One”
“Solo: A Star Wars Story”
“Welcome to Marwen”
Nominations voting begins on Monday, January 7, 2019 and concludes on Monday, January 14, 2019.
Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 22, 2019.
The 91st Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 24, 2019, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
For the first time, Phoenix’s premier critics organization has announced no nominations, giving us their awards only. Below are the results, an unexceptional list of choices that differ slightly from the current selections of other groups, but not too divergently so. However, films like BlacKkKlansman, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, and First Reformed didn’t do so well.
With added categories for Briths/Irish films, actors, and filmmakers, The Favourite crushed all others in the nominations count. Even without those nominations, it still did topped the list with six. Below, the tallies include the total each film received with the number in parentheses representing how many the film would have received without those nationality-based prizes. It should also be mentioned that their eligibility period is a bit different from the U.S. due to delayed release outside the United States, which would explain a few of the minor selections here. It’s interesting to see just how differently London-based critics feel about this year’s offerings compared to American critics.
It was the week before Christmas and all through the large manor house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The thirteen guests were all snug in their nightclothes in their separate bedrooms watching their favorite old Christmas movie.
In the single most original decision this Oscar season, Utah’s critics have selected Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse as the year’s best picture beating out Roma. The surprise selection pairs with a largely repetitive set of selections with Actress and Supporting Actor among the more atypical selections.
More of the same out of the Southeastern film critics, who have chosen Roma as their favorite and The Favourite as their second favorite.
Sometimes it takes the regional critics to infuse Oscar season with some unusual selections. Most of what Indiana’s film journalists have done is select unique and interesting choices. There are a few that aren’t out of left field, but from Best Picture on down, this is one of the most eclectic batches so far.
