94th Oscars Shortlists Revealed

The road to the 94th Oscars is finally underway as the Academy has just announced its shortlists for the awards’ contenders of the nine categories. 

According to the official website of the Oscars, “the meaning of shortlisted is to simply form a shorter list of names from the entire list of eligible films for Oscars nominations.” The Oscars shortlists cover 10 categories overall including Documentary Feature; International Film; Animated, Live Action, and Documentary Shorts; Makeup and Hairstyling; Music Score; Original Song; Sound; and Visual Effects.

Final nominations will be announced on February 8th, and the 94th Oscars ceremony is scheduled to take place on March 27th at the Dolby Theater and air live on ABC. 

Here are the shortlists:

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Fifteen films will advance; 138 films were eligible in the category. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

Ascension
Attica
Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry
Faya Dayi
The First Wave
Flee
In the Same Breath
Julia
President
Procession
The Rescue
Simple as Water
Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
The Velvet Underground
Writing with Fire

DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Fifteen films will advance; 82 films qualified in the category. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

Águilas
Audible
A Broken House
Camp Confidential: America’s Secret Nazis
Coded: The Hidden Love of J. C. Leyendecker
Day of Rage
The Facility
Lead Me Home
Lynching Postcards: “Token of a Great Day”
The Queen of Basketball
Sophie & the Baron
Takeover
Terror Contagion
Three Songs for Benazir
When We Were Bullies

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
Fifteen films will advance to the next round of voting; 92 countries were eligible in the category. Academy members from all branches were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must have met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category. In the nominations round, Academy members from all branches are invited to opt in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote.

Austria, Great Freedom
Belgium, Playground
Bhutan, Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom
Denmark, Flee
Finland, Compartment No. 6
Germany, I’m Your Man
Iceland, Lamb
Iran, A Hero
Italy, The Hand of God
Japan, Drive My Car
Kosovo, Hive
Mexico, Prayers for the Stolen
Norway, The Worst Person in the World
Panama, Plaza Catedral
Spain, The Good Boss

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Ten films will advance. All members of the Academy’s Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch will be invited to view seven-minute excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films on January 30. Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final consideration.

Coming 2 America
Cruella
Cyrano
Dune
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
House of Gucci
Nightmare Alley
No Time to Die
The Suicide Squad
West Side Story

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
Fifteen scores will advance; 136 scores were eligible. Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

Being the Ricardos
Candyman
Don’t Look Up
Dune
Encanto
The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun
The Green Knight
The Harder They Fall
King Richard
The Last Duel
No Time to Die
Parallel Mothers
The Power of the Dog
Spencer
The Tragedy of Macbeth

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
Fifteen songs will advance; 84 songs were eligible. Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

“So May We Start?” from Annette
“Down To Joy” from Belfast
“Right Where I Belong” from Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road
“Automatic Woman” from Bruised
“Dream Girl” from Cinderella
“Beyond The Shore” from CODA
“The Anonymous Ones” from Dear Evan Hansen
“Just Look Up” from Don’t Look Up
“Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto
“Somehow You Do” from Four Good Days
“Guns Go Bang” from The Harder They Fall
“Be Alive” from King Richard
“No Time To Die” from No Time to Die
“Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” from Respect
“Your Song Saved My Life” from Sing 2

ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Fifteen films will advance; 82 films qualified in the category. Members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

Affairs of the Art
Angakusajaujuq: The Shaman’s Apprentice
Bad Seeds
Bestia
Boxballet
Flowing Home
Mum Is Pouring Rain
The Musician
Namoo
Only a Child
Robin Robin
Souvenir Souvenir
Step into the River
Us Again
The Windshield Wiper

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
Fifteen films will advance; 145 films qualified in the category. Members of the Short Films and Feature Animation, Directors, Producers and Writers Branches vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

Ala Kachuu – Take and Run
Censor of Dreams
The Criminals
Distances
The Dress
Frimas
Les Grandes Claques
The Long Goodbye
On My Mind
Please Hold
Stenofonen
Tala’vision
Under the Heavens
When the Sun Sets
You’re Dead Helen

SOUND
Ten films will advance in the Sound category for the 94th Academy Awards. Members of the Sound Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees. All members of the Sound Branch will be invited to view eight-minute excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films beginning January 28. Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final consideration.

Belfast
Dune
Last Night in Soho
The Matrix Resurrections
No Time to Die
The Power of the Dog
A Quiet Place Part II
Spider-Man: No Way Home
tick, tick…Boom!
West Side Story

VISUAL EFFECTS

Ten films remain in the running. The Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the shortlist. All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view 10-minute excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films on January 29. Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final consideration.

Black Widow
Dune
Eternals
Free Guy
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Godzilla vs. Kong
The Matrix Resurrections
No Time to Die
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home

Photo credit: Valeriya Zankovych / Shutterstock.com