The nominations for the 98th Academy Awards were revealed on Thursday morning, with the movie “Sinners” making history at the Oscars. Garnering a remarkable total of 16 nominations, it surpassed the previous record held by “All About Eve,” “Titanic,” and “La La Land.” The film received accolades for Ryan Coogler’s writing and direction, as well as Michael B. Jordan’s performance, earning nods in categories ranging from directing to acting, with Jordan securing his first Oscar nomination.
Another standout at the nominations was the strong presence of “One Battle After Another” and the unexpected success of the Norwegian film “Sentimental Value.” The latter received nine nominations, an exceptional achievement for a non-English language film. Notably, foreign-language films like “The Secret Agent” from Brazil are in contention for the best picture award for the eighth consecutive year. Both “One Battle” and “Sentimental Value” are also vying for the Oscars’ newest category in a quarter of a century: achievement in casting.
The initial nominations for best performance by an actress in a supporting role went to Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas from “Sentimental Value,” Amy Madigan from “Weapons,” Wunmi Mosaku from “Sinners,” and Teyana Taylor from “One Battle After Another.”
The grand finale of the ceremony featured the prestigious award for best picture. The nominated films included “Bugonia,” “F1,” “Frankenstein,” “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme,” “One Battle After Another,” “The Secret Agent,” “Sentimental Value,” “Sinners,” and “Train Dreams.”
While the nominations largely aligned with expectations from earlier awards shows, there were some surprises. Notably, “Wicked: For Good” was entirely excluded, despite Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo earning nominations the previous year. Additionally, Delroy Lindo from “Sinners” received a supporting actor nod instead of the anticipated nominee, Miles Caton. “F1” from Apple emerged as a potential contender with four nominations, including a best picture nod, while James Cameron’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash” secured two nominations in technical categories.
“One Battle After Another” almost set a new Oscars record with four acting nominations, falling short by just one nomination to match a record from 1976’s “Network.” Notably, Chase Infiniti, the star of “One Battle,” missed out on a leading role nomination, replaced by Kate Hudson for her performance in “Song Sung Blue.”
Close behind the front runners were “Hamnet” and “Marty Supreme,” with eight and nine nominations, respectively. Jessie Buckley from “Hamnet” is a top contender for the best actress award, having already won at the Critics Choice and Golden Globes. Timothée Chalamet from “Marty Supreme” is a strong contender for best actor, having clinched the honor at the Golden Globes.
The 98th Academy Awards, set for March 15 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, will be hosted by Conan O’Brien. In the mix of nominations, Canadian filmmakers have notable representation, with Domee Shi and Maggie Kang nominated for best animated feature for “Elio” and “KPop Demon Hunters.”
The Canadian teams involved in “Frankenstein” also received nominations for makeup and hairstyling, sound, and production design. Furthermore, the Guillermo del Toro Netflix film was nominated for the best picture category.
