The nominations for the 98th Academy Awards were announced this morning, revealing a mix of expected contenders and surprising omissions. Ryan Coogler's "Sinners," a critically acclaimed supernatural thriller, leads the pack with a record-breaking 16 nominations, surpassing the previous record of 14 held by "All About Eve," "Titanic," and "La La Land".
"Sinners" received nominations in a wide range of categories, including Best Picture, Best Director for Ryan Coogler, Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan (his first Oscar nomination), Best Supporting Actor for Delroy Lindo, Best Supporting Actress for Wunmi Mosaku, and the inaugural Best Casting award. The film also earned nods for its cinematography, costume design, original screenplay, visual effects, and more. Autumn Durald Arkapaw's cinematography nomination marks only the fourth time a woman has been nominated in that category. Ruth E. Carter's nomination for costume design makes her the most-nominated Black woman in Oscars history with five nominations.
Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another" also had a strong showing, securing 13 nominations. The film is a contender in categories such as Best Picture, Best Director for Anderson, Best Actor for Leonardo DiCaprio, and Best Supporting Actor for Benicio Del Toro and Sean Penn.
Other films receiving multiple nominations include "Marty Supreme," "Frankenstein," and "Sentimental Value". "Sentimental Value," a Norwegian film, garnered nine nominations, a notable achievement for a non-English language film. Both "Sentimental Value" and Brazil's "The Secret Agent" continue the trend of foreign language films competing for Best Picture, marking the eighth consecutive year this has occurred.
A notable absence from the nominations is India's "Homebound," which failed to secure a nomination in the Best International Feature Film category despite being shortlisted. The film, directed by Neeraj Ghaywan and starring Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa, was based on a New York Times article by Basharat Peer and produced by Karan Johar. The last Indian film to be nominated in this category was "Lagaan" in 2002. The nominees for Best International Feature Film are "The Secret Agent" (Brazil), "It Was Just an Accident" (France), "Sentimental Value" (Norway), "Sirât" (Spain), and "The Voice of Hind Rajab" (Tunisia).
Among the surprises was Delroy Lindo's nomination for Best Supporting Actor for "Sinners," while Paul Mescal ("Hamnet") was surprisingly overlooked. The nominations also saw a newcomer in the form of the "Achievement in Casting" category, with nominees including Nina Gold ("Hamnet"), Jennifer Venditti ("Marty Supreme"), Cassandra Kulukundis ("One Battle After Another"), Gabriel Domingues ("The Secret Agent"), and Francine Maisler ("Sinners").
The 98th Academy Awards ceremony, hosted by Conan O'Brien, is scheduled to take place on March 15.
