Finally, the time has come for Academy voters all around the globe to review all of the latest film content from over the last 12 months and decide on which are their favourite pieces of directing, writing, acting and just pure filmmaking.
Of course, the Academy Awards hold a special place in the hearts of the people of Hollywood, as it gives a chance for creative people within the film industry to award and recognise their fellow colleague's work over the past year.
Actors vote for actors, writers vote for writers, directors vote for directors and so on. The most prestigious award of them all, Best Picture, is determined by all Academy members from screenwriters to costume designers.
This year, it is Christopher Nolan's blockbuster biopic 'Oppenheimer' that leads the way with a total of 13 nominations. These 13 nominations include three from the acting branches, one for directing and one for best picture, for which 'Oppenheimer' is an early favourite to win.
Yorgos Lanthimos' 'Poor Things' was a close second when it came to racking up nominations, as the unique and entertaining fantasy/comedy picked up a total of 11. Amongst these 11 were recognitions for Mark Ruffalo in the Supporting Actor category, and Emma Stone in the Lead Actress category, an award that Stone took home back in 2017 for her performance in 'La La land'.
One of the most surprising, yet delightful, moments of the nominations announcement was when it was revealed that America Ferrara would receive recognition within the Best Supporting Actress category for her work in Greta Gerwig's 'Barbie'.
Throughout the entire awards season, Ferrara had been an outside shout for a nomination at the Academy Awards, but the 39-year-old inevitably became one of the many first-time nominated actors at this years Oscars.
However, it was Barbie herself that missed the cut in the Lead Actress category when the time came around as Margot Robbie received no recognition from the Academy for her performance in Greta Gerwig's cultural hit.
In the build-up to the announcement, Robbie was a member of a small club of actors to have received a Golden Globe, SAG and Critic's Choice nomination, so when her name was left unread by the time the Leading Actress category came around it was quite the surprise.
Robbie's co-star in this film Ryan Gosling, the Ken to her Barbie, has recently spoken out about the lack of inclusion for the actress, as well as 'Barbie' director, Greta Gerwig:
But there is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally-celebrated film. - Ryan Gosling
Regardless of this, the pop-cultural phenomenon that is 'Barbie', still received an impressive 8 nominations, including recognition within categories such as Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor and Actress, and Best Picture.
One word that was on nobodies mouths during the time of the nominations announcement was 'Saltburn'. Following a very impressive showing at the recent BAFTA nominations, it was predicted that Emerald Fennell's psychological thriller would make multiple appearances at this years Oscars, however the film failed to receive a single nomination from the Academy.
With Gerwig snubbed of a nomination from the Best Director category, there was still some room for female filmmakers to be recognised amongst a male-dominated category as France's Justine Triet holds the title as the only woman to be nominated for directing this year.
All though they are minuscular, steps are being taken in the right direction by the Academy to allow the Best Director category to become more inclusive of both men and women. The category is historically known for including all men, but over the last few annual events, women have began to receive the recognition they deserve in filmmaking.
2024 marks the year that, for the first time, three of the Best Picture nominations were directed by women (Barbie, Anatomy Of A Fall, Past Lives).
Within the Best Actress category, Lily Gladstone become the first Native American person to receive recognition, for her performance in Martin Scorsese's 'Killers Of The Flower Moon'. The actress did an excellent job of portraying Mollie Burkhart, a Native American woman who is being infiltrated by her husband (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his family to sign over the rights to her land and oil.
Both Lily Gladstone and Robert De Niro received a nomination for their work in this film, it was legendary actor Leonardo DiCaprio himself that received no recognition from the Academy, despite this being hailed as Leo's 'best performance of his career'.
However, room had to be made for this years very impressive lead actor nominees as Colman Domingo (Rustin), Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer) and Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction) all became first-time nominees. This trio are joined by previous Academy nominees, Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers) and Bradley Cooper (Maestro).
Click here to view the full list of nominations for the 2024 Annual Academy Awards.
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