The Only Guide You'll Need For 2024’s Oscar ® Nominees

Christopher Nolan’s magnum opus, Oppenheimer, earned the most nominations this year with a  total of 13 and will most likely be crowned the winner of the night. Oppenheimer and Barbie proved that audiences still love an epic night at the movies, so seeing them both recognized for their respective achievements at this year's Oscars is marvelous. While Barbie has plenty of nominations, the second most Oscar-nominated film of 2024 is Yorgos Lanthimos’s Poor Things with 11. This fascinating dark comedy about a woman resurrected by a mad scientist (Willem Dafoe) features what is arguably Emma Stone’s best performance to date. It is definitely one to watch before the show.  

 

Last on the podium, is Killers of the Flower Moon. Martin Scorsese’s devastating true crime film, chronicling the Osage County Murders from the early 1900s, received ten nominations. Lily Gladstone is going toe-to-toe with Stone as they’re both nominated for Actress in a Leading Role, and it could go to either of them. Gladstone’s nomination is historic in and of itself. It marks the first time the Academy has recognized an Indigenous American actor’s performance despite being a part of Hollywood since its inception.  

 

Even though Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie were unfortunately snubbed from Best Director and Actress in a Leading Role, respectively, Barbie still earned an impressive eight nominations, including Best Picture. This would be a significant win for Robbie as she produced the film with Warner Brothers Discovery. The Holdovers has been sweeping acting awards throughout the season, and it’s not stopping now. With 7 Academy Award nominations, the film will be a serious contender on Oscar night. 

 

Many other incredible films received recognition as well, like American Fiction. The moving film about an author (Jeffrey Wright) hiding his true identity picked up five nominations after premiering at TIFF, where it won the coveted People’s Choice Award. The Zone of Interest (Germany) and Anatomy of a Fall (France) earned five nominations each, including Best Picture for both. This marks another significant moment in Oscar history as it’s the first time two international films have snagged Best Picture nominations in the same year.  

These are just the highlights! There are so many movies to break down, so keep reading for more on this year's major nominees. All the potential winners are available to watch either in theatres or at home. Make sure to watch as many as possible before the 96th Academy Awards which air Sunday, March 10th at 7 PM! 

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  

 

This year’s best picture lineup is easily one of the Academy’s most diverse genre-wise. Past Lives will speak to all the hopeless romantics in the audience as the film follows Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo), two childhood best friends who lose touch but reconnect after 12 long years. Bradley Cooper’s unconventional biopic about acclaimed composer Leonard Bernstein, Maestro, is nominated for Best Picture. Since Steven Spielberg produced the film, he’s also earned another nomination in the category. This latest addition increases Spielberg’s record for the most Best Picture nominations held by a single person to an astounding 13. If comfort is what you’re after, watching The Holdovers is like sleeping with the world’s softest blanket. Set in 1970s New England during the holidays, Paul Giamatti stars as a grumpy professor at a boarding school who is stuck watching the few kids left over Christmas break. While things indicate that Oppenheimer will take home the most significant award of the evening, the only way for you to decide which one should win is to watch them all! 

 

Achievement in Directing 

 

Justine Triet – Anatomy of a Fall 

Martin Scorsese – Killers of the Flower Moon 

Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer 

Yorgos Lanthimos – Poor Things 

Jonathan Glazer – The Zone of Interest 

 

This year’s Oscar race for Best Director was tight, with only five slots and so much talent to be recognized. Christopher Nolan has personally been nominated for eight Academy Awards throughout his career but has yet to win a single one. Fortunately, Nolan is expected to win his first with Best Director - a well-deserved achievement for a director of his stature. Martin Scorsese received his 10th nomination in this category, officially making him the most nominated director alive. Justine Triet earned her first nomination for Anatomy of a Fall, a harrowing legal thriller about a writer (Sandra Hüller) put on trial after her husband mysteriously dies, along with Jonathan Glazer for his challenging Holocaust film, The Zone of Interest. It would be a shock if Yorgos Lanthimos wins for Poor Things, but certainly a welcome one for most cinephiles (unless you’re Nolan).  

 

Actor in a Leading Role  

Bradley Cooper – Maestro  

Colman Domingo – Rustin  

Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers  

Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer  

Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction  

 

Performances were phenomenal across the board this year. In this category specifically, it’s great to see actors like Colman Domingo, Jeffrey Wright and Cillian Murphy, who’ve been in the industry for decades, finally recognized for their talent and dedication. Domingo is nominated for his authentic performance as Bayard Rustin in Netflix’s Rustin, highlighting the gay civil rights activist’s critical role in organizing the 1963 March on Washington. Paul Giamatti received his 2nd nomination for his role in The Holdovers after he won Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes earlier this year. Will Giamatti cause a last-minute upset and snag the award away from Murphy, the current frontrunner? Or, will Bradley Cooper finally win his first Oscar after receiving an astounding 12 nominations throughout his career?  

 

Actress in a Leading Role  

 

Annette Bening – Nyad  

Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon  

Sandra Hüller – Anatomy of a Fall 

Carey Mulligan – Maestro  

Emma Stone – Poor Things  

 

Unless something shocking happens on Oscar night, this award is most likely going to either Lily Gladstone or Emma Stone, and neither could be more fitting of the title. Sandra Hüller, Annette Bening, and Carey Mulligan also shine in their respective films, but this award is not theirs to lose. It would be unbelievably powerful to see Gladstone take the prize and make Oscar history, especially since Emma Stone previously won for her performance in La La Land. However, the complex performance Emma Stone gives as the Frankenstein-like creature she portrays in Poor Things might be enough to propel the young star to her second Academy Award.  

 

Actor in a Supporting Role  

 

Sterling K. Brown – American Fiction 

Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon 

Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer  

Ryan Gosling – Barbie  

Mark Ruffalo – Poor Things  

 

When it comes to these performances, every single one is worthy of their nomination. It’s been pretty clear that Robert Downey Jr. will snatch this award for his performance in Oppenheimer. So far, he’s received a nomination from every acting association and has already won the Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award for the role. For everyone else, it’s just lovely to be nominated. Mark Ruffalo and Ryan Gosling were perfectly outlandish, playing similar roles in two movies that surprisingly have a lot in common thematically. It’s also great to see "This is Us" star Sterling K. Brown join the ranks of accomplished blockbuster actors like Robert De Niro and Downey Jr. for his charming performance in American Fiction.  

 

Actress in a Supporting Role  

 

Emily Blunt – Oppenheimer  

Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple  

America Ferrera – Barbie  

Jodie Foster – Nyad  

Da'Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers  

 

Speaking of beloved performers who don’t get the recognition they should, Emily Blunt has finally gotten an Oscar nomination! This was a long time coming, and while she isn’t likely to win, we know there will be many more nominations in her future. Danielle Brooks also scored her first nomination in the film adaptation of The Color Purple stage musical as Sofia, the exact role Oprah was nominated for in 1985 after Spielberg’s original film was released. Brooks is a powerhouse in the movie, and her star will only continue to grow. America Ferrera’s performance in Barbie spoke to millions of women worldwide and would be a well-deserved but unlikely win. It’s nice to see Jodie Foster collect her first Oscar nomination in almost 30 years, but we can let this award go to the predicted winner, Da’Vine Joy Randolph. Randolph, another seasoned actor relegated to minor roles, blew audiences and critics away last year after witnessing her heartbreaking performance in The Holdovers. 

 

Animated Feature Film 

 

The Boy and the Heron  

Elemental  

Nimona  

Robot Dreams  

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse  

 

Moving on from the acting categories, we’ve now arrived at Animated Feature Film, and it’s just as varied as Best Picture. Studio Ghibli’s beautifully hand-drawn film The Boy and the Heron follows a boy who loses his mother during the Pacific War. After following a talking heron, he uncovers a magical portal to a fantastical world beyond belief. Studio Ghibli hasn’t won an Oscar since 2003 (Spirited Away). Twenty years later, The Boy and the Heron will likely earn the beloved Japanese animation house its second win. The next frontrunner is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, a comic-book extravaganza that blew audiences away upon its release. Sony/Marvel’s epic sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse utilizes different animation styles to mirror its multiversal setting and continues the story of Miles Morales seamlessly. After the first film won in 2019, Across the Spider-Verse could also easily take this home.  

While Walt Disney Animation Studios was left out of the race this year, the Mouse House still picked up a nomination with Pixar’s Elemental. Netflix also got a nomination in this category for Nimona. Audiences and critics praised the medieval fantasy about a framed knight and a shape-shifting teen who can help prove his innocence. The same is true for Robot Dreams, a Spanish-French film that melted everyone’s hearts and forever changed the way people listen to Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” when it debuted at the 76th Cannes Film Festival.  

 

Writing (Original Screenplay)  

 

Anatomy of a Fall – Justine Triet and Arthur Harari 

The Holdovers – David Hemingson 

Maestro – Bradley Cooper and Josh Singer 

May December – Screenplay by Samy Burch; Story by Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik 

Past Lives – Celine Song 

 

The screenplay categories are two of the most important since the best movies usually start on the page. With Writing (Original Screenplay) specifically, it reminds audiences and Hollywood to value brand-new stories in a market saturated with sequels and remakes. Anatomy of a Fall is co-written by director Justine Triet and her husband, Arthur Harari, an ironic fact given the film’s plot. As a legal thriller, the script is the most vital aspect of Anatomy of a Fall, and its likely win is more than warranted. May December was expected to pick up a slew of nominations, but this was the only one it managed to get despite its success with critics. He probably won’t win Best Actor, but Bradley Cooper could prevail in this category for co-writing Maestro. However, if Anatomy of a Fall loses, it’s more likely to go to either David Hemingson or Celine Song for writing their pitch-perfect films, The Holdovers and Past Lives.  

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)  

 

American Fiction – Cord Jefferson 

Barbie – Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach 

Oppenheimer – Christopher Nolan 

Poor Things – Tony McNamara 

The Zone of Interest – Jonathan Glazer 

 

Unlike last year, the 2024 Oscar nominees weren’t too controversial except for the Writing (Adapted Screenplay) category. There was much debate among awards voters as to whether or not Barbie, co-written by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, qualified as original or adapted for the screenplay category, as some viewed the project as something based on pre-existing material. Others argued that the film is Barbie in name only and should be considered an original work. Ultimately, it landed in Writing (Adapted Screenplay), where Gerwig was previously nominated for her Little Women remake. Will this be Gerwig’s chance to reclaim the same category she lost only a few years ago? It seems she’ll win this time, but like they did at the box office, Barbie and Oppenheimer are once again competing against each other. Also nominated and worthy of the win are American Fiction, Poor Things, and The Zone of Interest. 

 

Music (Original Song)  

 

"The Fire Inside" from Flamin' Hot – Music and lyrics by Diane Warren 

"I'm Just Ken" from Barbie – Music and lyrics by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt 

"It Never Went Away" from American Symphony – Music and lyrics by Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson 

"Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)" from Killers of the Flower Moon – Music and lyrics by Scott George 

"What Was I Made For?" from Barbie – Music and lyrics by Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell 

 

One of the best parts of every Oscars ceremony is seeing all the nominees for Music (Original Song) perform throughout the evening. Who could ever forget Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s steamy performance of “Shallow”? Or, John Travolta introducing Idina Menzel as ‘Adele Dazim’ before she sang ‘Let It Go’? This category never fails to leave an impression, and this year should be no different, especially if Ryan Gosling hits the stage to sing “I’m Just Ken” from Barbie. It’s not confirmed, but it would be a highlight of the night. Billie Eilish will likely perform her emotional ballad from Barbie, “What Was I Made For?” and win for an impressive 2nd time in only two years.  

 

“Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” from Killers of the Flower Moon made history as Scott George became the first Osage Nation member to earn an Academy Award nomination for composing the song. American Symphony is a biographical documentary about multi-award-winning composer/singer Jon Batiste, so it’s only fitting that he’s nominated and gets to perform his original song “It Never Went Away” on the big night. Lastly, we’re pleased to see music legend Diane Warren nominated for the 15th time, even if it’s for a movie about the invention of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.