The film community arrives at a crescendo as the Academy finally announces their nominees. The lineup of nominees, as a result, are all powerhouses, weaving narratives that excellently show the art of motion picture in telling a story.

The victory of Parasite at the 2020 Oscars was landscape-defining. The Oscars has only had two non-English foreign Best Picture winners in its almost century-long existence, and post-Parasite, the Academy has decided to expand its ability to give recognition to film way beyond what Hollywood gives and the majorly Western-centric narratives many of the considered films have. 

This year is the first year the Oscars’ representation and inclusion standards take effect in order for a film to be eligible for Best Picture. Transcending geographical boundaries and the conventional standards of film, the Academy now requires films to meet two out four of standards regarding representation of minorities such as people of color, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ+.

Leading nominees consist of “Oppenheimer” with an astounding 13 nominations, followed by “Poor Things” with 11 nominations, “Killers of the Flower Moon” with 10, and “Barbie” with 8.

The nominees for each major category are the following:

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 Director

• “Anatomy of a Fall,” Justine Triet
• “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Martin Scorsese
• “Oppenheimer,” Christopher Nolan
• “Poor Things,” Yorgos Lanthimos
• “The Zone of Interest,” Jonathan Glazer

Best Actor

• Bradley Cooper, “Maestro”
• Colman Domingo, “Rustin”
• Paul Giamatti, “The Holdovers”
• Cillian Murphy, “Oppenheimer”
• Jeffrey Wright, “American Fiction”

Best Supporting Actor

• 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

• Annette Bening, “Nyad”
• Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
• Sandra Hüller, “Anatomy of a Fall”
• Carey Mulligan, “Maestro”
• Emma Stone, “Poor Things”

Best Supporting Actress

• Emily Blunt, “Oppenheimer”
• Danielle Brooks, “The Color Purple”
• America Ferrera, “Barbie”
• Jodie Foster, “Nyad”
• Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers”

Best Writing – Adapted screenplay

• “American Fiction”

 Written for the screen by Cord Jefferson

• “Barbie”

 Written by Greta Gerwig & Noah Baumbach

• “Oppenheimer”

 Written for the screen by Christopher Nolan

• “Poor Things”

 Screenplay by Tony McNamara

• “The Zone of Interest”

 Written by Jonathan Glazer

Best Writing – Original screenplay

• “Anatomy of a Fall”

 Screenplay – Justine Triet and Arthur Harari

• “The Holdovers”

 Written by David Hemingson

• “Maestro”

 Written by Bradley Cooper & Josh Singer

• “May December”

  Screenplay by Samy Burch; Story by Samy Burch & Alex Mechanik

• “Past Lives”

  Written by Celine Song

Now we all eagerly await March 10, 2024 for The 96th Academy Awards.