The film The Power of the Dogby Jane Campion, leads the race for the 94and edition of the Oscars with twelve nominations in total, announced, Tuesday, February 8, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences of the cinema which awards the prestigious prizes.
A dark and psychological western, the film produced by Netflix is notably in the running in the categories of best film, best director, best actor (Benedict Cumberbatch) and best female (Kirsten Dunst) and male supporting roles, where it manages to align two candidates out of five in total (Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee).
Its director, New Zealander Jane Campion, makes history as the first female director to land two nominations for the Oscar for best direction, twenty-eight years later. The Piano Lesson.
The Power of the Dog is followed closely by the big budget space opera Dunes (ten nominations) by Denis Villeneuve, snubbed as a director by the academy. This adaptation of Frank Herbert’s science fiction novel was a hit in the technical categories, but its star, Timothée Chalamet, was not selected.
Kenneth Branagh is one of five nominees in the Best Director category thanks to his film Belfastimmersed in black and white in his childhood at the heart of the violence in Northern Ireland at the end of the 1960s. With seven nominations, Belfast is on par with the musical film remake West Side Story, by Steven Spielberg. The two directors are in the running in their category.
Despite the mixed reception received by his remake, West Side Story made its way among the ten films candidates for the best feature film, Hollywood’s supreme award, with also a nomination for Ariana DeBose for the supporting female role.
The two final nominees for the Best Director Oscar are Paul Thomas Anderson, for Licorice Pizzaand the Japanese Ryusuke Hamaguchi for Drive My Carwhich, although subtitled, is also present in the category of best feature film.
Blockbusters like Spider-Man: No Way Home and the latest James Bond, Dying can wait, have however failed to make a place for themselves. The red and blue superhero has to settle for a meager special effects nomination while Dying can wait leaves with three technical nominations.
Unsurprisingly, Will Smith was selected for his role in The Williams Method, where he plays the coaching father of champions Serena and Venus Williams. He will find Benedict Cumberbatch, Denzel Washington (The Tragedy of Macbeth), Andrew Garfield (the musical Tick, tick… Boom!) and Javier Bardem (Being the Ricardos).
Disappointment among actresses for Lady Gaga, whose film House of Gucci only has one nomination, for make-up. The lucky winners are Jessica Chastain (In the eyes of Tammy Faye), Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter), Kristen Stewart (spencer), Penélope Cruz (madres paralelas) and Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos).
The Oscars will be presented on March 27 in Los Angeles.
Belfast
Coda
Don’t Look Up: Cosmic Denial
Drive My Car
Dunes
The Williams Method
Licorice Pizza
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story
Best Achievement:
Kenneth Branagh (Belfast)
Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car)
Paul Thomas Anderson (Licorice Pizza)
Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog)
Steven Spielberg (West Side Story)
Javier Bardem (Being the Ricardos)
Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog)
Andrew Garfield (Tick, tick… Boom!)
Will Smith (The Williams Method)
Denzel Washington (The Tragedy of Macbeth)
Jessica Chastain (In the eyes of Tammy Faye)
Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter)
Penelope Cruz (madres paralelas)
Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos)
Kristen Stewart (spencer)
Best Supporting Actress:
Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter)
Ariana DeBose (West Side Story)
Judi Dench (Belfast)
Kirsten Dunst (The Power of the Dog)
Aunjanue Ellis (The Williams Method)
Best Supporting Actor:
Ciaran Hinds (Belfast)
Troy Kotsur (Coda)
Jesse Plemons (The Power of the Dog)
JK Simmons (Being the Ricardos)
Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog)
Best International Film:
Drive My Car (Japan)
Flee (Denmark)
God’s hand (Italy)
The school at the end of the world (Bhutan)
Julie (in 12 chapters) (Norway)
Best animated film:
Encanto: The Fantastic Madrigal Family
Flee
Luke
The Mitchells vs. the Machines
Raya and the Last Dragon
Ascent
Attica
Flee
summer of soul
Writing with Fire
Best Original Screenplay:
Belfast
Don’t Look Up: Cosmic Denial
The Williams Method
Licorice Pizza
Julie (in 12 chapters)
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Coda
Drive My Car
Dunes
The Lost Daughter
The Power of the Dog