Oscar Shortlists: Rihanna and Lady Gaga Advance, ‘RRR’ Snubbed for VFX and Sound, ‘Good Night Oppy’ Shut Out of Doc Race
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“Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “RRR” are among the films advancing to the next round of the Oscars shortlist, while Rihanna and Taylor Swift are among the music performers still running for their chart-topping songs.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the shortlists for nine categories at the upcoming Oscars. They include documentary feature (15), documentary short subject (10), international feature (15), makeup and hairstyling (10), sound (10), original score (15), original song (15), animated short film (10), live action short film (10) and visual effects (10).
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The shortlist voting period concluded on Dec. 16, and the remaining films will move on to the phase one voting period, which will take place from Jan. 12-17.
Read the list of the remaining films in their respective categories below. The official nominees have not yet been determined and will be announced by the Academy when nominations are named on Tuesday, Jan. 24.
Makeup and Hairstyling
“All Quiet on the Western Front” (Netflix)
“Amsterdam” (20th Century Studios)
“Babylon” (Paramount Pictures)
“The Batman” (Warner Bros.)
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Marvel Studios)
“Blonde” (Netflix)
“Crimes of the Future” (Neon)
“Elvis” (Warner Bros.)
“Emancipation” (Apple Original Films)
“The Whale” (A24)
Surprise: David Cronenberg’s “Crimes of the Future” is the coolest inclusion of the day, recognized for its blood and body dismemberment. The poor reviews and box office didn’t keep the branch from moving David O. Russell’s “Amsterdam” or Andrew Dominik’s “Blonde” to the next round of voting. And Antoine Fuqua’s “Emancipation” found love for its impressive imagery, despite the Will Smith controversy from last year’s ceremony.
Snub: The Daniels’ “Everything Everywhere All at Once” multiple transformations through the multiverse didn’t seem to tickle the fancy of the branch members. They also weren’t enamored enough by the contemporary works of Olivia Wilde’s “Don’t Worry Darling” or Rian Johnson’s “Glass Onion,” nor the epic styles of Gina Prince-Bythewood’s “The Woman King.” For shame.
Sound
“All Quiet on the Western Front” (Netflix)
“Avatar: The Way of Water” (20th Century Studios)
“Babylon” (Paramount Pictures)
“The Batman” (Warner Bros.)
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Marvel Studios)
“Elvis” (Warner Bros.)
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24)
“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” (Netflix)
“Moonage Daydream” (Neon)
“Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount Pictures)
Surprises: No doubt many eyes widened when Brett Morgen’s David Bowie documentary “Moonage Daydream” found its way to the list, alongside the animated beauty of “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio.” The wave for Damien Chazelle’s “Babylon,” albeit bumpy, could still find its way to a good haul of nominations.
Snubs: The branch passed on the “establishment” veterans like seven-time winner Gary Rydstrom (“The Fabelmans”), recent winner Mark Mangini (“Good Night Oppy”) and 21-time nominee Kevin O’Connell (“The Woman King”). There was no love for Ron Howard’s “Thirteen Lives” from sound designers Oliver Tarney and Rachael Tate, who also worked on “Empire of Light.” The music and battle sequences of “RRR” also weren’t able to make the lineup.
Visual Effects
“All Quiet on the Western Front” (Netflix)
“Avatar: The Way of Water” (20th Century Studios)
“The Batman” (Warner Bros.)
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Marvel Studios)
“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” (Marvel Studios)
“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” (Warner Bros.)
“Jurassic World: Dominion” (Universal Pictures)
“Nope” (Universal Pictures)
“Thirteen Lives” (Amazon Studios/MGM)
“Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount Pictures)
Surprises: Coincidentally, since Variety was able to exclusively obtain the top 20 films that advanced to the shortlist round of voting, there aren’t too many surprise films in the fold. The German entry “All Quiet on the Western Front” could make history for Netflix as the first non-English title to get nominated (if it makes the eventual nominee list that will be announced on Jan. 24). “Thirteen Lives” finding love in this spot bodes for well for other artisan categories like production design.
Snubs: The heart shatters for “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “RRR” not being included since they presented some of the most inventive effects of the year. The branch has to do better in the future.
Original Score
“All Quiet on the Western Front” (Netflix) – Volker Bertelmann
“Avatar: The Way of Water” (20th Century Studios) – Simon Franglen
“Babylon” (Paramount Pictures) – Justin Hurwitz
“The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight Pictures) – Carter Burwell
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Marvel Studios) – Ludwig Göransson
“Devotion” (Sony Pictures) – Chanda Dancy
“Don’t Worry Darling” (Warner Bros.) – John Powell
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24) – Son Lux
“The Fabelmans” (Universal Pictures) – John Williams
“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” (Netflix) – Nathan Johnson
“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” (Netflix) – Alexandre Desplat
“Nope” (Universal Pictures) – Michael Abels
“She Said” (Universal Pictures) – Nicholas Britell
“The Woman King” (Sony Pictures) – Terence Blanchard
“Women Talking” (MGM/United Artists Releasing) – Hildur Guðnadóttir
Surprises: Two women included in the lineup is particularly encouraging, with Chanda Dancy’s “Devotion,” who could be the first Black woman ever nominated in the category, and Oscar-winner Hildur Guðnadóttir’s “Women Talking,” who would be the first woman to win the category twice. “All Quiet on the Western Front” asserted itself as Netflix’s leading awards contender with this entire shortlist announcement, and the mention of Volker Bertelmann’s gorgeous score proves it. Nathan Johnson, the cousin to writer and director Rian, has to make them excited about the prospects of “Glass Onion” moving forward. The composers also “branched” out to include names we suspected they would pass on such as Son Lux’s “Everything Everywhere” and Michael Abels’ “Nope.”
Snubs: If someone can make time later today to explain how you listen to Michael Giacchino’s “The Batman” score and not automatically check it off for a nod, that would be great. The same for Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch’s beautiful “Living” music and M.M. Keeravaani’s upbeat “RRR” orchestra. It also seems “A Man Called Otto” might have been too late to the party for the still Oscar-less Thomas Newman.
Original Song
“Time” from “Amsterdam” (20th Century Studios)
“Nothing is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” from “Avatar: The Way of Water” (20th Century Studios)
“Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Marvel Studios)
“This is a Life” from “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24)
“Ciao Papa” from “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” (Netflix)
“Til You’re Home” from “A Man Called Otto” (Sony Pictures)
“Naatu Naatu” from “RRR” (Variance Films)
“My Mind & Me” from “Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me” (Apple Original Films)
“Good Afternoon” from “Spirited” (Apple Original Films)
“Applause” from “Tell It Like a Woman” (Samuel Goldwyn Films)
“Stand Up” from “Till” (Orion/United Artists Releasing)
“Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount Pictures)
“Dust & Ash” from “The Voice of Dust and Ash” (Matilda Productions)
“Carolina” from “Where the Crawdads Sing” (Sony Pictures)
“New Body Rhumba” from “White Noise” (Netflix)
Surprises: The big music stars are here to help with ratings if the Academy feels inclined to lean into it. We have Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Drake, Jazmine Sullivan and Selena Gomez, with inventive selections like the team behind “Naatu Naatu” from “RRR.” I thought “Do a Little Good” was the push from the Apple musical “Spirited,” but they went with “Good Afternoon” as the inclusion for Oscar winners Pasek and Paul. Never count out Diane Warren. Never.
Snubs: There were some big names in music left off such as last year’s winners Billie Eilish and Finneas (“Nobody Like U” from “Turning Red”) and Joe Jonas (“Not Alone” from “Devotion”). I wish I had seen Billy Eichner’s collaboration with Marc Shaiman on “Love is Not Love” from “Bros.”
Documentary Feature
“All That Breathes” (HBO Documentary Films/Sideshow)
“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” (Neon)
“Bad Axe” (IFC Films)
“Children of the Mist” (CAT&Docs)
“Descendant” (Netflix)
“Fire of Love” (National Geographic Documentary Films/Neon)
“Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song” (Sony Pictures Classics)
“Hidden Letters” (Cargo Film & Releasing)
“A House Made of Splinters” (Madman Entertainment)
“The Janes” (HBO Documentary Films)
“Last Flight Home” (MTV Documentary Films)
“Moonage Daydream” (Neon)
“Navalny” (CNN/Warner Bros.)
“Retrograde” (National Geographic Films)
“The Territory” (National Geographic Documentary)
Surprises: “Children of the Mist” caught many by surprise, while “Hidden Letters” is a pleasant entry. It’s great to see Brett Morgen’s “Moonage Daydream” get recognition, especially after he’s been passed on so much in the past.
Snubs: This is where the murders occurred today. Where is “Good Night Oppy?” The most problematic branch, due to its unwillingness ability let others opt in to vote outside of the branch itself, continues its seemingly annual slaughter of top-tier contenders. There was also no love given to Hulu’s “Aftershock” and Apple’s “Louse Armstrong’s Black & Blue,” which many expected. And now, Robert Downey Jr. won’t become an Oscar winner (or nominee) this year with his personal and moving portrait of his father, “Sr.” failing to make the cut.
International Feature
“All Quiet on the Western Front” (Germany)
“Argentina, 1985” (Argentina)
“Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths” (Mexico)
“Cairo Conspiracy” (Sweden)
“The Blue Caftan” (Morocco)
“Close” (Belgium)
“Corsage” (Austria)
“Decision to Leave” (South Korea)
“EO” (Poland)
“Holy Spider” (Denmark)
“Joyland” (Pakistan)
“Last Film Show” (India)
“The Quiet Girl” (Ireland)
“Return to Seoul” (Cambodia)
“Saint Omer” (France)
Surprises: Believe it or not, there aren’t any, and that’s the surprise. I had been tracking the only two films I failed to predict for the shortlist — Sweden’s “Cairo Conspiracy” and Morocco’s “The Blue Caftan” — on the international feature charts in the No. 17 and 22 spots.
Snubs: The two features that were surging towards the end, Ukraine’s “Klondike” and Norway’s “War Sailor,” were among the notable omissions, as was Hong Kong’s “Where the Wind Blows” and Spain’s “Alcarràs.”
Animated Short
“Black Slide” (dir. Uri Lotan)
“The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” (dir. Peter Baynton)
“The Debutante” (dir. Elizabeth Hobbs)
“The Flying Sailor” (dir. Amanda Forbis, Wendy Tilby)
“The Garbage Man” (dir. Laura Gonçalves)
“Ice Merchants” (dir. João Gonzalez)
“It’s Nice in Here” (dir. Robert-Jonathan Koeyers)
“More than I Want to Remember” (dir. Amy Bench)
“My Year of Dicks” (dir. Sara Gunnarsdóttir)
“New Moon” (dir. Jérémie Balais, Raul Domingo, Jeffig Le Bars)
“An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It” (dir. Lachlan Pendragon)
“Passenger” (dir. Juan Pablo Zaramella)
“Save Ralph” (dir. Spencer Susser)
“Sierra” (dir. Sander Joon)
“Steakhouse” (dir. Spela Cadez)
Documentary Short
“American Justice on Trial: People v. Newton” (dir. Herb Ferrette, Andrew Abrahams)
“Anastasia” (dir. Sarah McCarthy)
“Angola Do You Hear Us? Voices from a Plantation Prison” (dir. Cinque Northern)
“As Far as They Can Run” (dir. Tanaz Eshaghian)
“The Elephant Whisperers” (dir. Kartiki Gonsalves)
“The Flagmakers” (dir. Sharon Liese, Cynthia Wade)
“Happiness Is £4 Million” (dir. Weixi Chen, Kai Wei)
“Haulout” (dir. Maxim Arbugaev, Evgenia Arbugaeva)
“Holding Moses” (dir. Rivkah Beth Medow, Jen Rainin, co-director)
“How Do You Measure a Year?” (dir. Jay Rosenblatt)
“The Martha Mitchell Effect” (dir. Anne Alvergue, Debra McClutchy, co-director)
“Nuisance Bear” (dir. Gabriela Osio Vanden, Jack Weisman)
“Shut Up and Paint” (dir. Titus Kaphar, Alex Mallis)
“Stranger at the Gate” (dir. Joshua Seftel)
“38 at the Garden” (dir. Frank Chi)
Live Action Short
“All in Favor” (dir. Santiago Requelo)
“Almost Home” (dir. Nils Keller)
“An Irish Goodbye” (dir. Tom Berkeley, Ross White)
“Ivalu” (dir. Anders Walter)
“Le Pupille” (dir. Alice Rohrwacher)
“The Lone Wolf” (dir. Filipe Melo)
“Nakam” (dir. Andreas Kessler)
“Night Ride” (dir. Eirik Tveiten)
“Plastic Killer” (dir. Jose Pozo)
“The Red Suitcase” (dir. Cyrus Neshvad)
“The Right Words” (dir. Adrian Moyse Dullin)
“Sideral” (dir. Carlos Segundo)
“The Treatment” (dir. Álvaro Carmona)
“Tula” (dir. Beatriz Silva)
“Warsha” (dir. Dania Bdeir)
See the latest film predictions, in all 23 categories, in one place on Variety’s Oscars Collective. To see the ranked predictions for each individual category, visit Variety’s Oscars Hub.
2023 Academy Awards Predictions
BEST PICTURE | DIRECTOR | ACTOR | ACTRESS | SUPPORTING ACTOR | SUPPORTING ACTRESS | ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY | ADAPTED SCREENPLAY | ANIMATED FEATURE | PRODUCTION DESIGN | CINEMATOGRAPHY | COSTUME DESIGN | FILM EDITING | MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING | SOUND | VISUAL EFFECTS | ORIGINAL SCORE | ORIGINAL SONG | DOCUMENTARY FEATURE | INTERNATIONAL FEATURE | ANIMATED SHORT | DOCUMENTARY SHORT | LIVE ACTION SHORT
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