Academy unveils Oscar contenders in nine categories

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has revealed shortlisted contenders in nine categories, including Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject and International Feature Film.

Other categories are: Makeup and Hairstyling, Music (Original Score), Music (Original Song), Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film and Visual Effects.

Fifteen films will advance in the documentary feature category after 159 films were submitted in the category, reports variety.com.

The names to make it to the list are: "Advocate", "American Factory", "The Apollo", "Apollo 11", "Aquarela", "The Biggest Little Farm", "The Cave", "The Edge of Democracy", "For Sama", "The Great Hack", "Honeyland", "Knock Down the House", "Maiden", "Midnight Family" and "One Child Nation".

In the Documentary Short Subject category, ten films will advance. They are "After Maria", "Fire in Paradise", "Ghosts of Sugar Land", "In the Absence", "Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl)", "Life Overtakes Me", "The Nightcrawlers", "St. Louis Superman", "Stay Close" and "Walk Run Cha-Cha".

Zoya Akhtar's "Gully Boy", which was India's official entry to the Oscars in the Best Foreign Language Film category, is out of the race.

This year in the Foreign Film category, the entries that have made the 10-film shortlist are: "The Painted Bird" (Czech Republic), "Truth And Justice" (Estonia), "Les Misérables" (France), "Those Who Remained" (Hungary), "Honeyland" (North Macedonia), "Corpus Christi" (Poland), "Beanpole" (Russia), "Atlantics" (Senegal), "Parasite" (South Korea) and "Pain And Glory" (Spain).

In Makeup and Hairstyling category, ten films will advance. All members of the Academy's Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch will be invited to view seven-minute excerpts from each of the 10 shortlisted films on January 4, 2020. Members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

The films in the race to make it to final are "Bombshell", "Dolemite Is My Name", "Downton Abbey", "Joker", "Judy", "Little Women", "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil", "1917", "Once upon a Time…in Hollywood" and "Rocketman".

Fifteen scores will advance in the original score category. They are "Avengers: Endgame", "Bombshell", "The Farewell", "Ford v Ferrari", "Frozen 2", "Jojo Rabbit", "Joker", "The King", "Little Women", "Marriage Story", "Motherless Brooklyn", "1917", "Pain and Glory", "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" and "Us".

In the original song category, 15 songs will advance. They are "Speechless" from "Aladdin", "Letter to my godfather" from "The Black Godfather", "I'm standing with you" from "Breakthrough", "Da bronx" from "The Bronx USA", "Into the unknown" from "Frozen 2", "Stand up" from "Harriet", "Catchy song" from "The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part", "Never too late" from "The Lion King", "Spirit" from "The Lion King", "Daily battles" from "Motherless Brooklyn", "A glass of soju" from "Parasite", "(I'm gonna) love me again" from "Rocketman", "High above the water" from "Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am", "I can't let you throw yourself away" from "Toy Story 4" and "Glasgow" from "Wild Rose".

Films such as "Dcera (Daughter)", "Hair Love", "He Can't Live without Cosmos", "Hors Piste", "Kitbull", "Memorable", "Mind My Mind", "The Physics of Sorrow", "Sister" and "Uncle Thomas: Accounting for the Days" are in race to make it to the final list in the animated short film category.

In the Live Action Short Film category, ten films will advance. They are "Brotherhood", "The Christmas Gift", "Little Hands", "Miller & Son", "Nefta Football Club", "The Neighbors' Window", "Refugee", "Saria", "A Sister" and "Sometimes, I Think about Dying".

The fight for the final list for Oscar in the Visual effects category will be between "Alita: Battle Angel", "Avengers: Endgame", "Captain Marvel", "Cats", "Gemini Man", "The Irishman", "The Lion King", "1917", "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" and "Terminator: Dark Fate".

The voting for Oscar nominations will open on January 2 and run through January 7. Nominations will be announced on January 13. Oscars will be handed out on February 9.IANS