Los Angeles, Calif. – Tuesday, January 22, 2019 Actor-comedian and Oscar®–nominated writer Kumail Nanjiani and actress–producer–director Tracee Ellis Ross announced the 91st Oscars® nominations today (January 22), live from the Academy’s headquarters in Beverly Hills via a global live stream on Oscar.com, Oscars.org, the Academy’s digital platforms, a satellite feed and broadcast media.

(Photo of Samuel Goldwyn Theater stage by Margie Anne Clark, Oct. 19, 2017, Oscar image ©A.M.P.A.S.®
The 91st Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 24, 2019, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
Nanjiani and Ross announced the nominees in 9 categories at 5:20 a.m. PT, and the remaining 15 categories at 5:30 a.m. PT. For a complete list of nominees, visit the official Oscars website, www.oscar.com.
Academy members from each of the 17 branches vote to determine the nominees in their respective categories – actors nominate actors, film editors nominate film editors, etc. In the Animated Feature Film and Foreign Language Film categories, nominees are selected by a vote of multi-branch screening committees. All voting members are eligible to select the Best Picture nominees.
Active members of the Academy are eligible to vote for the winners in all 24 categories beginning Tuesday, February 12, through Tuesday, February 19.
Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards:
Performance by an actor in a leading role
Christian Bale in “Vice”
Bradley Cooper in “A Star Is Born”
Willem Dafoe in “At Eternity’s Gate”
Rami Malek in “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Viggo Mortensen in “Green Book”
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Mahershala Ali in “Green Book”
Adam Driver in “BlacKkKlansman”
Sam Elliott in “A Star Is Born”
Richard E. Grant in “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Sam Rockwell in “Vice”
Performance by an actress in a leading role
Yalitza Aparicio in “Roma”
Glenn Close in “The Wife”
Olivia Colman in “The Favourite”
Lady Gaga in “A Star Is Born”
Melissa McCarthy in “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Amy Adams in “Vice”
Marina de Tavira in “Roma”
Regina King in “If Beale Street Could Talk”
Emma Stone in “The Favourite”
Rachel Weisz in “The Favourite”
Best animated feature film of the year
“Incredibles 2” Brad Bird, John Walker and Nicole Paradis Grindle
“Isle of Dogs” Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales and Jeremy Dawson
“Mirai” Mamoru Hosoda and Yuichiro Saito
“Ralph Breaks the Internet” Rich Moore, Phil Johnston and Clark Spencer
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
Achievement in cinematography
“Cold War” Łukasz Żal
“The Favourite” Robbie Ryan
“Never Look Away” Caleb Deschanel
“Roma” Alfonso Cuarón
“A Star Is Born” Matthew Libatique
Achievement in costume design
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” Mary Zophres
“Black Panther” Ruth Carter
“The Favourite” Sandy Powell
“Mary Poppins Returns” Sandy Powell
“Mary Queen of Scots” Alexandra Byrne
Achievement in directing
“BlacKkKlansman” Spike Lee
“Cold War” Paweł Pawlikowski
“The Favourite” Yorgos Lanthimos
“Roma” Alfonso Cuarón
“Vice” Adam McKay
Best documentary feature
“Free Solo” Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Evan Hayes and Shannon Dill
“Hale County This Morning, This Evening” RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes and Su Kim
“Minding the Gap” Bing Liu and Diane Quon
“Of Fathers and Sons” Talal Derki, Ansgar Frerich, Eva Kemme and Tobias N. Siebert
“RBG” Betsy West and Julie Cohen
Best documentary short subject
“Black Sheep” Ed Perkins and Jonathan Chinn
“End Game” Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman
“Lifeboat” Skye Fitzgerald and Bryn Mooser
“A Night at The Garden” Marshall Curry
“Period. End of Sentence.” Rayka Zehtabchi and Melissa Berton
Achievement in film editing
“BlacKkKlansman” Barry Alexander Brown
“Bohemian Rhapsody” John Ottman
“The Favourite” Yorgos Mavropsaridis
“Green Book” Patrick J. Don Vito
“Vice” Hank Corwin
Best foreign language film of the year
“Capernaum” Lebanon
“Cold War” Poland
“Never Look Away” Germany
“Roma” Mexico
“Shoplifters” Japan
Achievement in makeup and hairstyling
“Border” Göran Lundström and Pamela Goldammer
“Mary Queen of Scots” Jenny Shircore, Marc Pilcher and Jessica Brooks
“Vice” Greg Cannom, Kate Biscoe and Patricia DeHaney
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
“Black Panther” Ludwig Goransson
“BlacKkKlansman” Terence Blanchard
“If Beale Street Could Talk” Nicholas Britell
“Isle of Dogs” Alexandre Desplat
“Mary Poppins Returns” Marc Shaiman
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
“All The Stars” from “Black Panther”
Music by Mark Spears, Kendrick Lamar Duckworth and Anthony Tiffith; Lyric by Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, Anthony Tiffith and Solana Rowe
“I’ll Fight” from “RBG”
Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
“The Place Where Lost Things Go” from “Mary Poppins Returns”
Music by Marc Shaiman; Lyric by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman
“Shallow” from “A Star Is Born”
Music and Lyric by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt
“When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings” from “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”
Music and Lyric by David Rawlings and Gillian Welch
Best motion picture of the year
“Black Panther” Kevin Feige, Producer
“BlacKkKlansman” Sean McKittrick, Jason Blum, Raymond Mansfield, Jordan Peele and Spike Lee, Producers
“Bohemian Rhapsody” Graham King, Producer
“The Favourite” Ceci Dempsey, Ed Guiney, Lee Magiday and Yorgos Lanthimos, Producers
“Green Book” Jim Burke, Charles B. Wessler, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly and Nick Vallelonga, Producers
“Roma” Gabriela Rodríguez and Alfonso Cuarón, Producers
“A Star Is Born” Bill Gerber, Bradley Cooper and Lynette Howell Taylor, Producers
“Vice” Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Adam McKay and Kevin Messick, Producers
Achievement in production design
“Black Panther” Production Design: Hannah Beachler; Set Decoration: Jay Hart
“The Favourite” Production Design: Fiona Crombie; Set Decoration: Alice Felton
“First Man” Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Kathy Lucas
“Mary Poppins Returns” Production Design: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
“Roma” Production Design: Eugenio Caballero; Set Decoration: Bárbara Enríquez
Best animated short film
“Animal Behaviour” Alison Snowden and David Fine
“Bao” Domee Shi and Becky Neiman-Cobb
“Late Afternoon” Louise Bagnall and Nuria González Blanco
“One Small Step” Andrew Chesworth and Bobby Pontillas
“Weekends” Trevor Jimenez
Best live action short film
“Detainment” Vincent Lambe and Darren Mahon
“Fauve” Jeremy Comte and Maria Gracia Turgeon
“Marguerite” Marianne Farley and Marie-Hélène Panisset
“Mother” Rodrigo Sorogoyen and María del Puy Alvarado
“Skin” Guy Nattiv and Jaime Ray Newman
Achievement in sound editing
“Black Panther” Benjamin A. Burtt and Steve Boeddeker
“Bohemian Rhapsody” John Warhurst and Nina Hartstone
“First Man” Ai-Ling Lee and Mildred Iatrou Morgan
“A Quiet Place” Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
“Roma” Sergio Díaz and Skip Lievsay
Achievement in sound mixing
“Black Panther” Steve Boeddeker, Brandon Proctor and Peter Devlin
“Bohemian Rhapsody” Paul Massey, Tim Cavagin and John Casali
“First Man” Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño, Ai-Ling Lee and Mary H. Ellis
“Roma” Skip Lievsay, Craig Henighan and José Antonio García
“A Star Is Born” Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic, Jason Ruder and Steve Morrow
Achievement in visual effects
“Avengers: Infinity War” Dan DeLeeuw, Kelly Port, Russell Earl and Dan Sudick
“Christopher Robin” Christopher Lawrence, Michael Eames, Theo Jones and Chris Corbould
“First Man” Paul Lambert, Ian Hunter, Tristan Myles and J.D. Schwalm
“Ready Player One” Roger Guyett, Grady Cofer, Matthew E. Butler and David Shirk
“Solo: A Star Wars Story” Rob Bredow, Patrick Tubach, Neal Scanlan and Dominic Tuohy
Adapted screenplay
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
“BlacKkKlansman” Written by Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee
“Can You Ever Forgive Me?” Screenplay by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty
“If Beale Street Could Talk” Written for the screen by Barry Jenkins
“A Star Is Born” Screenplay by Eric Roth and Bradley Cooper & Will Fetters
Original screenplay
“The Favourite” Written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara
“First Reformed” Written by Paul Schrader
“Green Book” Written by Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly
“Roma” Written by Alfonso Cuarón
“Vice” Written by Adam McKay
About the Best Pictures Nominees
Black Panther (Walt Disney) – Kevin Feige, producer – This is his first nomination.
BlacKkKlansman (Focus Features) – Sean McKittrick, Jason Blum, Raymond Mansfield, Jordan Peele and Spike Lee, producers –
This is the second Best Picture nomination for both Sean McKittrick and Jordan Peele, who were nominated last year for Get Out.
This is the third Best Picture nomination for Jason Blum, who was nominated for Whiplash (2014) and last year’s Get Out.
This is the first Best Picture nomination for both Raymond Mansfield and Spike Lee.
Bohemian Rhapsody (20th Century Fox) – Graham King, producer – This is his fourth Best Picture nomination. He was previously
nominated for The Aviator (2004) and Hugo (2011), and won the award in 2006 for The Departed.
The Favourite (Fox Searchlight) – Ceci Dempsey, Ed Guiney, Lee Magiday and Yorgos Lanthimos, producers – This is the first Best
Picture nomination for Ceci Dempsey, Lee Magiday and Yorgos Lanthimos.
This is the second Best Picture nomination for Ed Guiney, who was nominated in 2015 for Room.
Green Book (Universal) – Jim Burke, Charles B. Wessler, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly and Nick Vallelonga, producers – This is the
second Best Picture nomination for Jim Burke, who was previously nominated for The Descendants (2011).
This is the first Best Picture nomination for Charles B. Wessler, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly and Nick Vallelonga.
Roma (Netflix) – Gabriela Rodríguez and Alfonso Cuarón, producers – This is the first nomination for Gabriela Rodríguez.
This is the second Best Picture nomination for Alfonso Cuarón, who was nominated in 2013 for Gravity.
A Star Is Born (Warner Bros.) – Bill Gerber, Bradley Cooper and Lynette Howell Taylor, producers – This is the first nomination for
both Bill Gerber and Lynette Howell Taylor.
This is the second Best Picture nomination for Bradley Cooper, who was nominated in 2014 for American Sniper.
Vice (Annapurna Pictures) – Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Adam McKay and Kevin Messick, producers – This is the sixth Best Picture nomination for Dede Gardner and the fifth for Jeremy Kleiner. Together, they won the award for 12 Years a Slave (2013)
and Moonlight (2016), and shared nominations for Selma (2014) and The Big Short (2015). Gardner was previously nominated for
The Tree of Life (2011).
This is the first Best Picture nomination for both Adam McKay and Kevin Messick.
Achievement in Directing:
BlacKkKlansman – Spike Lee – This is his first nomination in this category and his fifth overall, including his Best Picture and
Adapted Screenplay nominations this year. He was previously nominated for his original screenplay for Do the Right Thing
(1989) and for the documentary feature 4 Little Girls (1997). Lee was the recipient of an Honorary Award in 2015.
Cold War – Paweł Pawlikowski – This is his first nomination.
The Favourite – Yorgos Lanthimos – This is his first nomination in this category and his third overall, including his Best Picture
nomination this year. He was previously nominated for the original screenplay for The Lobster (2016).
Roma – Alfonso Cuarón – This is his second nomination in this category and his tenth overall, including his Best Picture,
Cinematography and Original Screenplay nominations this year. He was nominated for the original screenplay for Y Tu Mamá
También (2002) and in the Film Editing and Adapted Screenplay categories for Children of Men (2006). In 2013 he won Oscars
in the Directing and Film Editing categories for Gravity, for which he also received a Best Picture nomination.
Vice – Adam McKay – This is his second nomination in this category and his fifth overall, including his Best Picture and Original
Screenplay nominations this year. He won for the adapted screenplay for The Big Short (2015), for which he was also nominated
for Directing.
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:
Christian Bale (“Dick Cheney” in Vice) – This is his fourth nomination and second in this category. He won the award in 2010 for his
supporting role in The Fighter, and was nominated for his leading role in American Hustle (2013) and his supporting role in The
Big Short (2015).
Bradley Cooper (“Jack” in A Star Is Born) – This is his third nomination in this category and his seventh overall, including his Best
Picture and Adapted Screenplay nominations this year. He was nominated for his leading roles in Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
and American Sniper (2014) and for his supporting role in American Hustle (2013). He was also nominated in the Best Picture
category for American Sniper.
Willem Dafoe (“Vincent Van Gogh” in At Eternity’s Gate) – This is his fourth nomination and first in this category. He was nominated
for his supporting roles in Platoon (1986), Shadow of the Vampire (2000) and last year’s The Florida Project.
Rami Malek (“Freddie Mercury” in Bohemian Rhapsody) – This is his first nomination.
Viggo Mortensen (“Tony Lip” in Green Book) – This is his third nomination in this category. He was previously nominated for
Eastern Promises (2007) and Captain Fantastic (2016).
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:
Mahershala Ali (“Dr. Donald Shirley” in Green Book) – This is his second nomination in this category. He won the award in 2016 for
his performance in Moonlight.
Adam Driver (“Flip Zimmerman” in BlacKkKlansman) – This is his first nomination.
Sam Elliott (“Bobby” in A Star Is Born) – This is his first nomination.
Richard E. Grant (“Jack Hock” in Can You Ever Forgive Me?) – This is his first nomination.
Sam Rockwell (“George W. Bush” in Vice) – This is his second nomination in this category. He won the award last year for his
performance in Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri.
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:
Yalitza Aparicio (“Cleo” in Roma) – This is her first nomination.
Glenn Close (“Joan Castleman” in The Wife) – This is her seventh nomination and fourth in this category. She was nominated for her
supporting roles in The World According to Garp (1982), The Big Chill (1983) and The Natural (1984), and for her leading roles
in Fatal Attraction (1987), Dangerous Liaisons (1988) and Albert Nobbs (2011).
Olivia Colman (“Queen Anne” in The Favourite) – This is her first nomination.
Lady Gaga (“Ally” in A Star Is Born) – This is her first nomination in this category and her third overall, including her Original Song
nomination this year. She was nominated in the Original Song category for The Hunting Ground (2015).
Melissa McCarthy (“Lee Israel” in Can You Ever Forgive Me?) – This is her second nomination and first in this category. She was
nominated for her supporting role in Bridesmaids (2011).
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:
Amy Adams (“Lynne Cheney” in Vice) – This is her sixth nomination and fifth in this category. She was nominated for her supporting
roles in Junebug (2005), Doubt (2008), The Fighter (2010) and The Master (2012), and for her leading role in American Hustle
(2013).
Marina de Tavira (“Sra. Sofia” in Roma) – This is her first nomination.
Regina King (“Sharon Rivers” in If Beale Street Could Talk) – This is her first nomination.
Emma Stone (“Abigail” in The Favourite) – This is her third nomination and second in this category. She won the award in 2016 for
her leading role in La La Land. She was also nominated for her supporting role in Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of
Ignorance) (2014).
Rachel Weisz (“Lady Sarah” in The Favourite) – This is her second nomination in this category. She won the award in 2005 for The
Constant Gardener.
Adapted Screenplay
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs – Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen (“All Gold Canyon” is based on a story by Jack London; “The
Gal Who Got Rattled” is inspired by a story by Stewart Edward White). – This is the seventh Writing nomination for both Joel
Coen and Ethan Coen. They received Best Picture, Directing and Adapted Screenplay nominations for True Grit (2010), and were
nominated in the Best Picture and Original Screenplay categories for A Serious Man (2009) and in the Original Screenplay
category for Bridge of Spies (2015). In 2007, they won Oscars in the Best Picture, Directing and Adapted Screenplay categories
for No Country for Old Men. They previously won Oscars for writing Fargo (1996), and were also nominated for their screenplay
for O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000). Joel Coen received a Directing nomination for Fargo, and Ethan Coen received a Best
Picture nomination for that film. Joel and Ethan Coen have also been nominated for Film Editing under the pseudonym Roderick
Jaynes, for Fargo and No Country for Old Men.
BlacKkKlansman – Written by Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee (based on the book by Ron
Stallworth). – This is the first nomination for Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott.
This is the second Writing nomination for Spike Lee and his fifth overall, including his Best Picture and Directing nominations
this year. He was previously nominated for his original screenplay for Do the Right Thing (1989) and for the documentary feature
4 Little Girls (1997). Lee was the recipient of an Honorary Award in 2015.
Can You Ever Forgive Me? – Screenplay by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty (based on the book by Lee Israel). – This is the first
nomination for both.
If Beale Street Could Talk – Written for the screen by Barry Jenkins (based on the book by James Baldwin). – This is his third
nomination and second in this category. He won the award in 2016 for the adapted screenplay for Moonlight, for which he also
received a Directing nomination.
A Star Is Born – Screenplay by Eric Roth and Bradley Cooper & Will Fetters (based on the 1954 screenplay by Moss Hart and the
1976 screenplay by John Gregory Dunne & Joan Didion and Frank Pierson; based on a story by William Wellman and Robert
Carson). – This is the fifth nomination for Eric Roth. He won the award for his adapted screenplay for Forrest Gump (1994), and
was nominated for the adapted screenplays for The Insider (1999), Munich (2005) and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
(2008).
This is the first nomination in this category for Bradley Cooper and his seventh overall. He is also nominated for his leading role
and in the Best Picture category this year. He was nominated for his leading roles in Silver Linings Playbook (2012) and
American Sniper (2014) and for his supporting role in American Hustle (2013). He was also nominated in the Best Picture
category for American Sniper.
This is the first nomination for Will Fetters.
Original Screenplay:
The Favourite – Written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara. – This is the first nomination for both.
First Reformed – Written by Paul Schrader. – This is his first nomination.
Green Book – Written by Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly. – This is the first nomination in this category for all three.
They are also nominated in the Best Picture category this year
Roma – Written by Alfonso Cuarón. – This is his third nomination for Writing and his tenth overall, including his Best Picture,
Cinematography and Directing nominations this year. He was nominated for the original screenplay for Y Tu Mamá También
(2002) and in the Film Editing and Adapted Screenplay categories for Children of Men (2006). In 2013 he won Oscars in the
Directing and Film Editing categories for Gravity, for which he also received a Best Picture nomination.
Vice – Written by Adam McKay. – This is his second nomination for Writing and his fifth overall, including his Best Picture and
Directing nominations this year. He won for the adapted screenplay for The Big Short (2015), for which he was also nominated
for Directing.
Best Foreign Language Film:
Capernaum (Lebanon) [Directed by Nadine Labaki.] – This is the second nomination for Lebanon. Its previous nomination was for
last year’s The Insult.
Cold War (Poland) [Directed by Paweł Pawlikowski.] – This is the eleventh nomination for Poland. Previous nominations were for
Knife in the Water (1963), Pharaoh (1966), The Deluge (1974), Land of Promise (1975), Nights and Days (1976), The Maids of
Wilko (1979), Man of Iron (1981), Katyń (2007), In Darkness (2011) and Ida, which won the award for 2014.
Never Look Away (Germany) [Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck.] – This is the eleventh nomination for Germany.
Previous nominations were for The Nasty Girl (1990), Schtonk! (1992), Beyond Silence (1997), Nowhere in Africa, which won the
Oscar for 2002, Downfall (2004), Sophie Scholl – The Final Days (2005), The Lives of Others, which won the Oscar for 2006, The
Baader Meinhof Complex (2008), The White Ribbon (2009) and Toni Erdmann (2016). Prior to reunification in 1990, the Federal
Republic of Germany received a total of eight nominations. They were for The Captain of Kopenick (1956), The Devil Came at
Night (1957), Arms and the Man (1958), The Bridge (1959), The Pedestrian (1973), The Glass Cell (1978), The Tin Drum (1979),
which won the Oscar, and Angry Harvest (1985). Also prior to reunification, the German Democratic Republic received one
nomination, for Jacob, the Liar (1976).
Roma (Mexico) [Directed by Alfonso Cuarón.] – This is the ninth nomination for Mexico. Previous nominations were for Macario
(1960), The Important Man (1961), Tlayucan (1962), Letters from Marusia (1975), Amores Perros (2000), El Crimen del Padre
Amaro (2002), Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) and Biutiful (2010).
Shoplifters (Japan) [Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda.] – This is the thirteenth nomination for Japan. Previous nominations were for
Harp of Burma (1956), Immortal Love (1961), Twin Sisters of Kyoto (1963), Woman in the Dunes (1964), Kwaidan (1965),
Portrait of Chieko (1967), Dodes’ka-Den (1971), Sandakan No. 8 (1975), Kagemusha (The Shadow Warrior) (1980), Muddy
River (1981), The Twilight Samurai (2003) and Departures, which won the award for 2008. Prior to the establishment of the
award category, Japan received three Honorary Foreign Language Film Awards for Rashomon (1951), Gate of Hell (1954) and
Samurai, The Legend of Musashi (1955).
Best Animated Feature Film:
Incredibles 2 (Walt Disney) – Brad Bird, John Walker and Nicole Paradis Grindle – This is the fifth nomination and third in this
category for Brad Bird. He won Oscars for the animated feature films The Incredibles (2004) and Ratatouille (2007), and was also
nominated for the original screenplays for both films.
This is the first nomination for John Walker.
This is the second nomination and first in this category for Nicole Paradis Grindle. She was nominated for the animated short film
Sanjay’s Super Team (2015).
Isle of Dogs (Fox Searchlight) – Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales and Jeremy Dawson – This is the seventh nomination
and second in this category for Wes Anderson. He was nominated for the original screenplays for The Royal Tenenbaums (2001),
Moonrise Kingdom (2012) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), for which he also received Directing and Best Picture
nominations. In 2009 he was nominated for the animated feature film Fantastic Mr. Fox.
This is the second nomination and first in this category for both Steven Rales and Jeremy Dawson, who were nominated in the
Best Picture category for The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014).
This is the tenth nomination and first in this category for Scott Rudin, who won the Best Picture award in 2007 for No Country for
Old Men. His other Best Picture nominations are for The Hours (2002), The Social Network (2010), True Grit (2010), Extremely
Loud & Incredibly Close (2011), Captain Phillips (2013), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), Fences (2016), and last year’s Lady
Bird.
Mirai (GKIDS) – Mamoru Hosoda and Yuichiro Saito – This is the first nomination for both.
Ralph Breaks the Internet (Walt Disney) – Rich Moore, Phil Johnston and Clark Spencer – This is the third nomination in this
category for Rich Moore and the second for Clark Spencer. Together, they won the award in 2016 for the animated feature film
Zootopia. Moore was also nominated in 2012 for Wreck-It Ralph.
This is the first nomination for Phil Johnston.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures Releasing) – Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, Phil Lord and
Christopher Miller – This is the first nomination for all five.
About the Oscar Statuette:
THE MOST RECOGNIZED TROPHY IN THE WORLD, THE OSCAR STATUETTE HAS STOOD ON THE MANTELS OF THE GREATEST FILMMAKERS IN HISTORY SINCE 1929.
Shortly after the formation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1927, the fledgling organization held a dinner in the Crystal Ballroom of the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles to set out its goals. Among the topics discussed that night was how best to honor outstanding moviemaking achievements and thereby encourage excellence in all facets of motion picture production.
Agreeing to institute an annual award, the group turned its attention to creating a suitably majestic trophy. MGM art director Cedric Gibbons designed a statuette of a knight standing on a reel of film gripping a crusader’s sword. The Academy tapped Los Angeles sculptor George Stanley to realize the design in three dimensions – and the world-renowned statuette was born.
A KNIGHT CALLED OSCAR
Since the initial awards banquet on May 16, 1929, in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel’s Blossom Room, more than 3,000 statuettes have been presented. Each January, additional new golden statuettes are cast by Polich Tallix fine art foundry in New York’s Hudson Valley.
Oscar stands 13½ inches tall and weighs in at a robust 8½ pounds. The film reel features five spokes, signifying the five original branches of the Academy: actors, directors, producers, technicians and writers. Although the statuette remains true to its original design, the size of the base varied until 1945, when the current standard was adopted.
Officially named the Academy Award of Merit, the statuette is better known by its nickname, Oscar. While the origins of the moniker aren’t clear, a popular story has it that upon seeing the trophy for the first time, Academy librarian (and eventual executive director) Margaret Herrick remarked that it resembled her Uncle Oscar. The Academy didn’t adopt the nickname officially until 1939, but it was widely known enough by 1934 that Hollywood columnist Sidney Skolsky used it in a piece referring to Katharine Hepburn’s first Best Actress win.
THE STUFF THAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF
The statuettes are solid bronze and plated in 24-karat gold. Due to a metal shortage during World War II, Oscars were made of painted plaster for three years. Following the war, the Academy invited recipients to redeem the plaster figures for gold-plated metal ones.
Achievements in up to 25 regular categories will be honored on February 24, 2019, at the 91th Academy Awards presentation at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center. However, the Academy won’t know how many statuettes it will hand out until the envelopes are opened on Oscar Night. Although the number of categories are known in advance, the possibility of ties and of multiple recipients sharing the prize in some categories makes it impossible to predict the exact number of statuettes to be awarded. As in previous years, any surplus awards will be housed in the Academy’s vault until next year’s event.
More than 80 years after that auspicious gathering in Hollywood, Oscar’s success as a symbol of filmmaking achievement would probably amaze those who attended the dinner, as it would its designer, Cedric Gibbons.