From Barbie to Rustin, the nominations for the 96th Academy Awards feature several queer (and queer-adjacent) films from over the past year. As per, there are some major snubs.
The nominations were announced on 23 January by Joker star Zazie Beetz and The Boys lead actor Jack Quaid. Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the ceremony will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on 10 March.
As expected, the cultural phenomenon of ‘Barbenheimer’ – consisting of blockbusters Barbie and Oppenheimer – proved to be a favourite with the Academy, respectively earning eight and 13 nominations each.
There are a few surprises, however, with Ryan Gosling earning a nod for Best Supporting Actor while Barbie’s lead actress and director, Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig, were snubbed. (The movie’s feminist message was lost on some, huh?)
Excitingly, Ugly Betty icon America Ferrera has received her first-ever nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film. As Gloria, the character delivers one of Barbie‘s most memorable sequences with a powerful monologue about the various injustices faced by women in a male-dominated world.
Billie Eilish’s existential, chart-topping ballad ‘What Was I Made For?’ is up for Best Original Song, as well as ‘I’m Just Ken’, performed by Gosling. Although it was nominated for the Golden Globe, Dua Lipa missed out with Barbie’s disco banger ‘Dance the Night’.
The two other major contenders are Yargo Lanthimos’ surreal comedy Poor Things with 11 nominations – including Best Actress for Emma Stone – and Martin Scorsese’s Western drama Killers of the Flower Moon with ten.
For his celebrated performance as gay and civil rights leader Bayard Rustin in Netflix’s biopic, Euphoria star Colmon Domingo is a first-time nominee for Actor in a Leading Role, where he faces stiff competition from Bradley Cooper, Paul Giamatti, Cillian Murphy and Jeffrey Wright.
Sterling K. Brown is also a first timer for his role as Clifford “Cliff” Ellison, a gay man, in American Fiction.
Annette Bening has received her fourth Oscar nomination for Best Leading Actress (and fifth overall) for her portrayal of lesbian long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad in Nyad, while her co-star Jodie Foster is up for Best Supporting Actress.
Also in the Leading Actress category is Lily Gladstone for Killers of the Flower Moon, making history in the process as the first Indigenous woman to be nominated for the award. The star, who goes by she/they pronouns, previously became the first Indigenous woman to win an acting Golden Globe.
The Color Purple received a sole nomination for Best Supporting Actress (Danielle Brooks).
The lauded musical drama, the second adaptation of Alice Walker’s beloved novel of the same name, was praised for being a more faithful adaptation by depicting the queer romance between Fantasia Barrino and Taraji P. Henson’s characters, Ceile and Shug. Neither actress earned a nomination.
The remainder of the nominations were pretty expected, although we were hoping Trace Lysette would sneak in for her career-defining performance in Monica. Also starring Patricia Clarkson and Emily Browning, the drama follows the titular character, a trans woman, as she returns home to care for her dying mother.
Kokomo City, Lena Waithe’s documentary exploring Black trans women and their experiences as sex workers in New York and Georgia, also lost out on ‘Best Documentary Feature’.
Despite being one of the most acclaimed films of the past year, All of Us Strangers was entirely ignored – including Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal’s performances – as was Emerald Fennell’s homoerotic thriller Saltburn.
Check out the full list of nominees below.
Best Picture
American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
Barbie
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Annette Bening – Nyad
Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Huller – Anatomy of a Fall
Carey Mulligan – Maestro
Emma Stone – Poor Things
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Bradley Cooper – Maestro
Colman Domingo – Rustin
Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer
Jeffery Wright – American Fiction
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Sterling K Brown – American Fiction
Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr – Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling – Barbie
Mark Ruffalo – Poor Things
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Emily Blunt – Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple
America Ferrera – Barbie
Jodie Foster – Nyad
Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers
Best Director
Justine Triet – Anatomy of a Fall
Martin Scorsese – Killers of the Flower Moon
Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer
Yorgos Lanthimos – Poor Things
Jonathan Glazer – The Zone of Interest
Best Writing (Original Screenplay)
Anatomy of a Fall – Justine Triet, Arthur Harari
The Holdovers – Alexander Payne
Maestro – Bradley Cooper, Josh Singer
May December – Samy Burch
Past Lives – Celine Song
Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
American Fiction – Cord Jefferson
Barbie – Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach
Oppenheimer – Christopher Nolan
Poor Things – Tony McNamara
The Zone of Interest – Jonathan Glazer
Best International Feature Film
Io Capitano
Perfect Days
Society of the Snow
The Teachers’ Lounge
The Zone of Interest
Best Animated Feature Film
The Boy and the Heron
Elemental
Nimona
Robot Dreams
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Best Documentary Feature
Bobi Wine: The People’s President
The Eternal Memory
Four Daughters
To Kill a Tiger
20 Days in Mariupol
Best Film Editing
Anatomy of a Fall
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Best Cinematography
El Conde
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Best Music (Original Score)
American Fiction
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Best Music (Original Song)
‘The Fire Inside’ – Flamin’ Hot
‘I’m Just Ken’ – Barbie (Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt)
‘It Never Went Away’ – American Symphony
‘Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)’ – Killers of the Flower Moon
‘What Was I Made For?’ – Barbie (Billie Eilish O’Connell, Finneas O’Connell)
Best Sound
The Creator
Maestro
Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning
Oppenheimer
The Zone of Interest
Best Visual Effects
The Creator
Godzilla Minus One
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3
Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning
Napoleon
Best Production Design
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Best Costume Design
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Golda
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Society of the Snow
Best Animated Short Film
Letter to a Pig
Ninety-Five Senses
Our Uniform
Pachyderme
War is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko
Best Live Action Short Film
The After
Invincible
Night of Fortune
Red, White and Blue
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
Documentary Short Film
The ABCs of Book Banning
The Barber of Little Rock
Island in Between
The Last Repair Shop
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