The 98th Academy Awards nominations were revealed on Thursday, with a groundbreaking achievement by the film “Sinners.” The movie secured a total of 16 nominations, surpassing the records of “All About Eve,” “Titanic,” and “La La Land.” Recognized for its excellence in craftsmanship, Ryan Coogler’s screenplay and direction, and Michael B. Jordan’s performance, it received nods in categories ranging from directing to acting, including Jordan’s first-ever Oscar nomination.
Additionally, “One Battle After Another” and the Norwegian film “Sentimental Value” made a notable impact. The latter garnered nine nominations, a remarkable feat for a non-English language film. Foreign language films like “The Secret Agent” from Brazil and “Sentimental Value” are in contention for the best picture award for the eighth consecutive year. Both “One Battle” and “Sentimental Value” are also contenders for the Oscars’ newly introduced category after 25 years, the achievement in casting.
The nominees for best actress in a supporting role were Elle Fanning (“Sentimental Value”), Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (“Sentimental Value”), Amy Madigan (“Weapons”), Wunmi Mosaku (“Sinners”), and Teyana Taylor (“One Battle After Another”).
The event culminated with the announcement of the best picture nominees, including “Bugonia,” “F1,” “Frankenstein,” “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme,” “One Battle After Another,” “The Secret Agent,” “Sentimental Value,” “Sinners,” and “Train Dreams.”
While the nominations largely aligned with expectations from previous award shows, there were a few surprises. Notably, “Wicked: For Good” was notably absent, despite Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo earning nominations last year. Delroy Lindo from “Sinners” was nominated for the supporting actor category in place of the anticipated nominee, Miles Caton.
Notable omissions in the best actor category included Jesse Plemons (“Bugonia”) and Paul Mescal (“Hamnet”). On the contrary, Apple’s “F1” emerged as a strong contender with four nominations, including a best picture nod, while James Cameron’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash” received two technical category nominations.
“One Battle After Another” narrowly missed setting a record with four acting nominations, falling just short of the five needed to match the record set by 1976’s “Network.” Kate Hudson’s nomination for “Song Sung Blue” in the best actress category was a surprising upset, given Chase Infiniti’s omission.
Following closely behind were “Hamnet” and “Marty Supreme” with eight and nine nominations, respectively. Jessie Buckley from “Hamnet” is favored to win the best actress award, having already secured wins at the Critics Choice and Golden Globes.
Timothée Chalamet from “Marty Supreme” is a strong contender for the best actor award, having won at the Golden Globes. The film “One Battle After Another” secured the second-highest number of nominations this year, following its success at the Golden Globes.
The pending acquisition of Warner Bros. by Netflix, amidst a hostile takeover bid by Paramount Skydance, could significantly impact the film industry. The Canadian directors of “Elio” and “KPop Demon Hunters,” Domee Shi and Maggie Kang, respectively, are nominated for the best animated feature, with “KPop” being a potential frontrunner.
The stop-motion film “The Girl Who Cried Pearls” by Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, and Alison McAlpine’s documentary short film “Perfectly a Strangeness” are also up for awards. The Canadian teams involved in “Frankenstein” received nominations for makeup and hairstyling, sound, and production design.
The Guillermo del Toro Netflix film was nominated for the best picture category, and the awards ceremony is set to take place on March 15 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, with Conan O’Brien hosting.
