The nominees for the 89th annual Academy Awards are finally in.
As expected, La La Land was the big story from the nominations announcement for the 89th Academy Awards, garnering 14 nominations, tying Titanic and All About Eve for the most of any movie.
But Moonlight, with its nine nominations, could still come away winning big at the show.
The film is up for eight awards, including best picture, director (Barry Jenkins) and supporting awards for Mahershala Ali and Naomie Harris.
Adapted from a play by Tarell Alvin McCraney, Moonlight follows Chiron, a boy growing up in Liberty City. The city of Miami is the backdrop as Chiron struggles with his fraught relationship with his drug-addicted mother; threats and fights with school bullies; and the secret of his sexuality.
The film has been praised by critics and LGBT community alike for its “exploration of gay black masculinity… managing to do so without ever diminishing the lives full of complex humanity that black gay men still manage to have in America while navigating that reality”.
In contrast to last year’s #OscarsSoWhite controversy – when the academy put forward all-white rosters of acting nominees – Oscar voters chose to foster and better recognize diversity in filmmaking.
That effort shows in the nominations, which went to a number of actors and directors of colour.
Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Dev Patel, and Ruth Negga also got nods for their performances.
Finally, Ava Duvernay’s 13th, Raoul Peck’s I Am Not Your Negro, and Ezra Edelman’s OJ: Made in America are all up for Best Documentary, and all deal with the spectre of racism in America.
This year’s effort is by no means perfect, but it’s a welcome start as the Academy improves going forward.
Here is the list of nominees.
Best Picture
Arrival
Fences
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Lion
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight
Best Director
Damien Chazelle, La La Land
Denis Villeneuve, Arrival
Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge
Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea
Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
Best Original Screenplay
Hell or High Water
La La Land
The Lobster
Manchester by the Sea
20th Century Women
Best Adapted Screenplay
Arrival
Fences
Hidden Figures
Lion
Moonlight
Best Actor
Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Ryan Gosling, La La Land
Denzel Washington, Fences
Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic
Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge
Best Actress
Emma Stone, La La Land
Isabelle Huppert, Elle
Ruth Negga, Loving
Natalie Portman, Jackie
Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins
Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water
Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals
Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea
Dev Patel, Lion
Best Supporting Actress
Nicole Kidman, Lion
Viola Davis, Fences
Naomie Harris, Moonlight
Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures
Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary
Fire at Sea
I Am Not Your Negro
Life Animated
OJ: Made in America
13th
Best Documentary Short Subject
The White Helmets
Extremis
Watani: My Homeland
4.1 Miles
Joe’s Violin
Best Live Action Short Film
Timecode
Sing (Mindenki)
Silent Nights
Ennemis Interieurs
La Femme et le TGV
Best Animated Film
Zootopia
Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
My Life as a Zucchini
The Red Turtle
Best animated short film
Piper
Pearl
Borrowed Time
Pear Cider and Cigarettes
Blind Vaysha
Best Foreign Language Film
Land of Mine
A Man Called Ove
The Salesman
Tana
Toni Erdmann
Best Cinematography
Arrival
Silence
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Best Production Design
Arrival
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Hail Caesar
La La Land
Passengers
Best Visual Effects
Deepwater Horizon
Doctor Strange
Jungle Book
Kubo and the Two Strings
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Best Film Editing
La La Land
Moonlight
Hacksaw Ridge
Arrival
Hell or High Water
Best Costume Design
Allied
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Florence Foster Jenkins
Jackie
La La Land
Best Makeup and Hair
A Man Called Ove
Star Trek Beyond
Suicide Squad
Best Original Score
Jackie
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Passengers
Best Original Score
La La Land, Justin Hurwitz
Moonlight, Nicholas Britell
Lion, Dustin O’Halloran and Hauschka
Jackie, Mica Levi
Passengers, Thomas Newman
Best Original Song
“Audition,” La La Land
“Can’t Stop the Feeling,” Trolls
“City of Stars,” La La Land
“The Empty Chair,” Jim: The James Foley Story
“How Far I’ll Go,” Moana
Best sound editing
La La Land
Hacksaw Ridge
Arrival
Sully
Deepwater Horizon
Best Sound Mixing
La La Land
Hacksaw Ridge
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Arrival
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
