By Sheila Mckenzie-
The nominations for the 94th annual Academy Awards were announced on Tuesday morning with The Power Of The Dog and Dune earning the most nods.
Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog, an intense Western starring Benedict Cumberbatch, leads this year’s Oscar nominations with 12 nominations for this year’s oscar awards.
Jane Campion becomes the first woman to have been nominated for best director twice, having been recognized for The Piano in 1993.
The riveting film, The Power of the Dog, is a slow western and suspense filled display of talent which also scored nominations for three of its supporting actors – Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Kirsten Dunst.
Marginally trailing her is Dune, which has 10, and Belfast and West Side Story, which have seven each.
West Side Story is one of the most memorable musicals and greatest love stories of all time. Young lovers are caught between prejudice and warring street gangs in one of the most important and powerful musicals of all time.
Arthur Laurents’ book remains as powerful, poignant and timely as ever. The score by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim are widely regarded as among the best ever written. The world’s greatest love story – based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet – takes to the streets in this landmark Broadway musical that is one of the theatre’s finest accomplishments.
Olivia Colman, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Andrew Garfield are among the UK acting nominees in the leading categories.
Dame Judi Dench and Ciarán Hinds are nominated for supporting roles.
Both appeared in Belfast, Sir Kenneth Branagh’s autobiographical black-and-white film about a family in Northern Ireland during The Troubles.
The nomination for Dame Judi Dench is for her performance in Belfast, while Sir Kenneth Branagh is up for best director. Sir Kenneth, who is also nominated for best director, said in a statement: “It’s a long way from the streets of Belfast to the Academy Awards.
“Today, I think of my mother and father, and my grandparents – how proud they were to be Irish, how much this city meant to them. They would have been overwhelmed by this incredible honour – as am I.
“Given a story as personal as this one, it’s a hell of a day for my family, and the family of our film. I thank Academy voters for their incredible and generous recognition.”
Sir Kenneth becomes the first person to be nominated in seven different Oscar categories throughout his career. He already has director, actor, supporting actor, adapted screenplay and live action short nominations, but can now add best original screenplay and best picture. He is yet to win, however.
“Be Alive” marked Beyoncé’s first new original music since her 2020 visual album Black Is King, written for the biopic about the father of Serena and Venus Williams. Last year, Beyoncé set a new record at the Grammys for most awards held by a woman, overtaking the singer and bluegrass artist Alison Krauss with her Best R&B Performance win for “Black Parade.”
Eilish’s “No Time to Die” took home the Golden Globe for Best Original Song earlier this year. In recent years, Best Original Song was won by H.E.R., Elton John, and Lady Gaga. The Coco song “Remember Me” won in 2018 over Sufjan Stevens’ Call Me by Your Name standout “Mystery of Love.” La La Land’s “City of Stars” won the award in 2017—the same year that film was erroneously
Tracee Ellis Ross and Leslie Jordan announced the nominations across 23 categories from an early morning virtual in Los Angeles ahead of the ceremony on March 27.
The Western drama is the film adaptation of Thomas Savage’s 1967 novel and was released in theatres as well as Netflix late last year.
The film’s stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee, who also both earned a Supporting Actor nomination on Tuesday, as secretive, psychologically dueling rivals on a 1920s Montana ranch.
Benedict will go head to head with Will Smith for King Richard, marking his third Oscar nomination and a strong chance at his first win for the biopic of Venus and Serena Williams’ father.
Also competing in the Leading Actor category are Javier Bardem for Being the Ricardos, Andrew Garfield for tick, tick… BOOM! and Denzel Washington for The Tragedy of Macbeth, marking his ninth Academy Awards nomination.
Meanwhile Denis Villeneuve’s star-studded sci-fi epic Dune, based on Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel, landed a slew of technical nods, along with a chance at the top prize of Best Picture bringing its total to 10.
Belfast landed seven nods including Best Picture, Judi Dench for Supporting Actress (marking her seventh acting nomination and a chance at a second win) and a nomination for Sir Kenneth Branagh in the Director category.