The Academy did not fail to deliver both serious snubs and pleasant surprises this year. The 94th Oscar nominations were announced by Tracee Ellis Ross and Leslie Jordan on Tuesday, Feb. 8, at 8:18 a.m. EST. The hosts engaged in light banter while getting help from New York firefighters, Howard University students and healthcare workers to announce the nominations.
“The Power of The Dog” led the nominations with 12 nods, including Best Picture, Best Director for Jane Campion and four acting nominations. Campion is the first woman to have two nominations for Best Director. She was also the first woman to be nominated in 1994 for “The Piano.”
“Dune” got the second most nominations at ten. Shockingly, Denis Villenueve failed to get a Best Director nomination, which seemed like a surefire lock to predictors and pundits.
Lady Gaga did not secure a Best Actress nomination for “House of Gucci,” despite getting lots of nominations from other organizations. Many thought that her passionate campaign where she highlighted the lengths she went to portray Patrizia Reggiani would guarantee her a spot. “House of Gucci” only got one nomination (for Best Makeup and Hairstyling).
Other notable misses were Alana Haim for “Licorice Pizza” and Frances McDormand for “The Tragedy of Macbeth” in the Best Actress Category, the latter of which won Best Actress last year and two other times. Leonardo DiCaprio for “Don’t Look Up” was another snub.
Another huge miss was the lack of people of color in the acting categories. Only four were nominated: Aunjanue Ellis and Will Smith for “King Richard,” Ariana DeBose for “West Side Story” and Denzel Washington for “The Tragedy of Macbeth.” This is even more egregious considering that nine people of color were nominated for acting last year. Many point out Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga in “Passing” as worthy Black nominees who were unfairly snubbed.
However, the nominations didn’t completely lack diversity. Most notably, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi was nominated for Best Director for “Drive My Car.” The Japanese film also got three other nominations, including Best Picture. This is impressive for a film with little to no formal awards campaign and was probably made possible by the Academy’s admission of more international voters.
Troy Kotsur, nominated for Best Supporting Actor for “CODA,” is only the second deaf actor to get a nomination (his co-star, Marlee Matlin, was the first). “CODA” also pulled off a Best Picture nomination, a surprise to those who thought such a small film couldn’t achieve that.
There were many first-time nominees, most notably Beyoncé for her song “Be Alive” from “King Richard” and Billie Eilish for her song “No Time to Die” from the new James Bond film, both in the Best Original Song category. Kristen Stewart and Kirsten Dunst also got their first nominations.
Streaming services were the biggest winners, with seven of the 10 best picture nominees (including the two movies that were released on theaters and on HBOMax simultaneously) distributed by streamers. Streaming movies have been a controversial topic surrounding the Oscars, with many prominent filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg saying that every nominee must have a theatrical run. The Academy dropped their requirement for a theatrical run last year in the wake of the pandemic and kept the new rule for this year.
The Academy previously announced that the Oscars will have a host for the first time since Jimmy Kimmel hosted in 2018. They haven’t definitively settled on anyone, but names such as Pete Davidson, Tom Holland and the trio of Selena Gomez, Steve Martin and Martin Short have been floated around. The Academy has also reportedly explored having multiple hosts.
The Oscars will air on ABC on Mar. 27 at 8 p.m. EST.
