The Revenant, Spotlight Shine in Nominations
The Revenant led the Oscar race with 12 nominations announced early Thursday morning including best picture, director (Alejandro González Iñárritu) and actor (Leonardo DiCaprio). The wilderness drama is one of eight films to fill the available 10 best-picture slots.
Actor John Krasinski from The Office and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announce the nominees for best picture. (Photo: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)
Others strong performers included sci-fi epic Mad Max: Fury Road with 10 nominations and The Martian with seven. Spotlight, about The Boston Globe‘s Catholic Church sex abuse investigation which was an awards season favorite, earned six, while recent release and Wall Street drama The Big Short earned five.
Surprises included Sylvester Stallone with a best supporting actor nod for bringing back Rocky Balboa in Creed, but director Ryan Cogler and start Michael B. Jordan were shut out, and celebrated English actress Charlotte Rampling for her work as a woman who learns of her husband’s devastation over his first love shortly before their anniversary party in 45 Years.
Oscar snubs included Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which although it got nominated for a bunch of technical awards, missed out on the big one including director for J.J. Abrams and best picture. Also, Idris Elba for Beasts of No Nation, Netfilx’s first original film and Will Smith for his work in Concussion, which received critical acclaim. Johnny Depp was passed over for his role as Whitey Bulger in Black Mass. And finally, a snub and a surprise for Straight Outta Compton, which got a nomination for best original screenplay only despite the N.W.A. biopic’s strong showing at the box office.
Below is the full list of nominations. The 88th Academy Awards will be handed out on Feb. 28.
Best motion picture of the year
The Big Short Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, Producers
Bridge of Spies Steven Spielberg, Marc Platt and Kristie Macosko Krieger, Producers
Brooklyn Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
Mad Max: Fury Road Doug Mitchell and George Miller, Producers
The Martian Simon Kinberg, Ridley Scott, Michael Schaefer and Mark Huffam, Producers
The Revenant Arnon Milchan, Steve Golin, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Mary Parent and Keith Redmon, Producers
Room Ed Guiney, Producer
Spotlight Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin and Blye Pagon Faust, Producers
Performance by an actor in a leading role
Bryan Cranston in Trumbo
Matt Damon in The Martian
Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant
Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl
Performance by an actress in a leading role
Cate Blanchett in Carol
Brie Larson in Room
Jennifer Lawrence in Joy
Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Christian Bale in The Big Short
Tom Hardy in The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo in Spotlight
Mark Rylance in Bridge of Spies
Sylvester Stallone in Creed
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Jennifer Jason Leigh in The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara in Carol
Rachel McAdams in Spotlight
Alicia Vikander in The Danish Girl
Kate Winslet in Steve Jobs
Best animated feature film of the year
Anomalisa Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson and Rosa Tran
Boy and the World Alê Abreu
Inside Out Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera
Shaun the Sheep Movie Mark Burton and Richard Starzak
When Marnie Was There Hiromasa Yonebayashi and Yoshiaki Nishimura
Achievement in directing
The Big Short Adam McKay
Mad Max: Fury Road George Miller
The Revenant Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Room Lenny Abrahamson
Spotlight Tom McCarthy
Achievement in cinematography
Carol Ed Lachman
The Hateful Eight Robert Richardson
Mad Max: Fury Road John Seale
The Revenant Emmanuel Lubezki
Sicario Roger Deakins
Achievement in costume design
Carol Sandy Powell
Cinderella Sandy Powell
The Danish Girl Paco Delgado
Mad Max: Fury Road Jenny Beavan
The Revenant Jacqueline West
Best documentary feature
Amy Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees
Cartel Land Matthew Heineman and Tom Yellin
The Look of Silence Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sørensen
What Happened, Miss Simone? Liz Garbus, Amy Hobby and Justin Wilkes
Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom Evgeny Afineevsky and Den Tolmor
Best documentary short subject
Body Team 12 David Darg and Bryn Mooser
Chau, beyond the Lines Courtney Marsh and Jerry Franck
Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah Adam Benzine
A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
Last Day of Freedom Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman
Achievement in film editing
The Big Short Hank Corwin
Mad Max: Fury Road Margaret Sixel
The Revenant Stephen Mirrione
Spotlight Tom McArdle
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey
Best foreign language film of the year
Embrace of the Serpent Colombia
Mustang France
Son of Saul Hungary
Theeb Jordan
A War Denmark
Achievement in makeup and hairstyling
Mad Max: Fury Road Lesley Vanderwalt, Elka Wardega and Damian Martin
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared Love Larson and Eva von Bahr
The Revenant Siân Grigg, Duncan Jarman and Robert Pandini
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
Bridge of Spies Thomas Newman
Carol Carter Burwell
The Hateful Eight Ennio Morricone
Sicario Jóhann Jóhannsson
Star Wars: The Force Awakens John Williams
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
Earned It from Fifty Shades of Grey
Music and Lyric by Abel Tesfaye, Ahmad Balshe, Jason Daheala Quenneville and Stephan Moccio
Manta Ray from Racing Extinction
Music by J. Ralph and Lyric by Antony Hegarty
Simple Song #3 from Youth
Music and Lyric by David Lang
Til It Happens To You from The Hunting Ground
Music and Lyric by Diane Warren and Lady Gaga
Writing’s On The Wall from Spectre
Music and Lyric by Jimmy Napes and Sam Smith
Achievement in production design
Bridge of Spies Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Rena DeAngelo and Bernhard Henrich
The Danish Girl Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Michael Standish
Mad Max: Fury Road Production Design: Colin Gibson; Set Decoration: Lisa Thompson
The Martian Production Design: Arthur Max; Set Decoration: Celia Bobak
The Revenant Production Design: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Hamish Purdy
Best animated short film
Bear Story Gabriel Osorio and Pato Escala
Prologue Richard Williams and Imogen Sutton
Sanjay’s Super Team Sanjay Patel and Nicole Grindle
We Can’t Live without Cosmos Konstantin Bronzit
World of Tomorrow Don Hertzfeldt
Best live action short film
Ave Maria Basil Khalil and Eric Dupont
Day One Henry Hughes
Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut) Patrick Vollrath
Shok Jamie Donoughue
Stutterer Benjamin Cleary and Serena Armitage
Achievement in sound editing
Mad Max: Fury Road Mark Mangini and David White
The Martian Oliver Tarney
The Revenant Martin Hernandez and Lon Bender
Sicario Alan Robert Murray
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Matthew Wood and David Acord
Achievement in sound mixing
Bridge of Spies Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Drew Kunin
Mad Max: Fury Road Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff and Ben Osmo
The Martian Paul Massey, Mark Taylor and Mac Ruth
The Revenant Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño, Randy Thom and Chris Duesterdiek
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Andy Nelson, Christopher Scarabosio and Stuart Wilson
Achievement in visual effects
Ex Machina Andrew Whitehurst, Paul Norris, Mark Ardington and Sara Bennett
Mad Max: Fury Road Andrew Jackson, Tom Wood, Dan Oliver and Andy Williams
The Martian Richard Stammers, Anders Langlands, Chris Lawrence and Steven Warner
The Revenant Rich McBride, Matthew Shumway, Jason Smith and Cameron Waldbauer
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Neal Scanlan and Chris Corbould
Adapted screenplay
The Big Short Screenplay by Charles Randolph and Adam McKay
Brooklyn Screenplay by Nick Hornby
Carol Screenplay by Phyllis Nagy
The Martian Screenplay by Drew Goddard
Room Screenplay by Emma Donoghue
Original screenplay
Bridge of Spies Written by Matt Charman, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen
Ex Machina Written by Alex Garland
Inside Out Screenplay by Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley; Original story by Pete Docter, Ronnie del Carmen
Spotlight Written by Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy
Straight Outta Compton Screenplay by Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff; Story by S. Leigh Savidge, Alan Wenkus and Andrea Berloff
Editor-in-Chief Mark Heckathorn is a journalist, movie buff and foodie. He oversees DC on Heels editorial operations as well as strategic planning and staff development. Reach him with story ideas or suggestions at dcoheditor (at) gmail (dot) com.
