Nominations for the 94th Academy Awards were announced on Tuesday, Feb. 8. The Academy is honoring films released between March 1 and Dec. 31, 2021. Eligibilty is usually for the full calendar year, that of 12 months, but, last year’s ceremony extended the eligibility to 14 months, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that this year’s eligibility was reduced to 10 months. The ceremony usually airs on the last Sunday in February, but has been pushed to March 27, due to the double-whammy of the Winter Olympics and Super Bowl LVI occurring in Los Angeles. Samuel L. Jackson, Elaine May and Liv Ullmann will receive Honorary Academy Awards and Danny Glover will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
Netflix’s The Power of the Dog got the most nominations with 12. Warner Bros.’ Dune is in second place with 10 nominations. Focus Features’ Belfast and 20th Century Studios’ West Side Story got 7 nominations. Warner Bros.’ King Richard got 6 nominations. Netflix’s Don’t Look Up, Searchlight Pictures’ Nightmare Alley and Japan’s Drive My Car each got 4 nominations. Finally, United Artists’ Licorice Pizza and Apple TV+’s CODA got 3 nominations. The aforementioned list of films are all up for Best Picture. Of the ten Best Picture contenders, CODA is the only one I haven’t seen and written a review.
Here is the list of the nominees in the other categories.
Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
CODA
Drive My Car
Dune
The Lost Daughter
The Power of the Dog
Best Writing, Original Screenplay
Belfast
Don’t Look Up
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
The Worst Person in the World
Best Production Design
Dune
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
The Tragedy of Macbeth
West Side Story
Best Costume Design
Cruella
Cyrano
Dune
Nightmare Alley
West Side Story
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Coming 2 America
Cruella
Dune
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
House of Gucci
Best Sound
Belfast
Dune
No Time to Die
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story
Best Visual Effects
Dune
Free Guy
No Time to Die
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Best Film Editing
Don’t Look Up
Dune
King Richard
The Power of the Dog
Tick, Tick… BOOM!
Best Cinematography
Dune
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
The Tragedy of Macbeth
West Side Story
Best Music, Original Score
Don’t Look Up
Dune
Encanto
Parallel Mothers
The Power of the Dog
Best Music, Original Song
“Down To Joy” by Van Morrison from Belfast
“Dos Oruguitas” by Lin-Manuel Miranda from Encanto
“Somehow You Do” by Diane Warren from Four Good Days
“Be Alive” by Beyoncé and DIXSON from King Richard
“No Time To Die” by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell from No Time to Die
Best Live Action Short Film
Ala Kachuu – Take and Run
The Dress
The Long Goodbye
On My Mind
Please Hold
Best Animated Short Film
Affairs of the Art
Bestia
Boxballet
Robin Robin
The Windshield Wiper
Best Documentary Short Subject
Audible
Lead Me Home
The Queen of Basketball
Three Songs for Benazir
When We Were Bullies
Best International Feature
Bhutan – Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom
Denmark – Flee
Italy – The Hand of God
Japan – Drive My Car
Norway – The Worst Person in the World
Best Documentary Feature
Ascension
Attica
Flee
Summer of Soul
Writing with Fire
Best Animated Feature
Encanto
Flee
Luca
The Mitchells vs. the Machines
Raya and the Last Dragon
Best Supporting Actress
Jesse Buckley – The Lost Daughter
Ariana DeBose – West Side Story
Judi Dench – Belfast
Kirsten Dunst – The Power of the Dog
Aunjanue Ellis – King Richard
Best Supporting Actor
Ciarán Hinds – Belfast
Troy Kotsur – CODA
Jesse Plemons – The Power of the Dog
J. K. Simmons – Being the Ricardos
Kodi Smit-McPhee – The Power of the Dog
Best Actress
Jessica Chastain – The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Olivia Colman – The Lost Daughter
Penélope Cruz – Parallel Mothers
Nicole Kidman – Being the Ricardos
Kristen Stewart – Spencer
Best Actor
Javier Bardem – Being the Ricardos
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Power of the Dog
Andrew Garfield – Tick, Tick… BOOM!
Will Smith – King Richard
Denzel Washington – The Tragedy of Macbeth
Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson – Licorice Pizza
Kenneth Branagh – Belfast
Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog
Ryusuke Hamaguchi – Drive My Car
Steven Spielberg – West Side Story
Best Picture
Belfast
CODA
Don’t Look Up
Drive My Car
Dune
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story
