‘Top Gun,’ ‘Black Panther’ advance in Oscars shortlist

Blockbusters like ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ and ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ and pop stars like Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and Rihanna just got one step closer to getting Oscar nominations.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Wednesday announced shortlists in 10 categories for the 95th Oscars, including documentary feature, international film, makeup and hairstyling, score, original song, sound, visual effects and shorts.

Alejandro González Iñárritu’s ‘Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths’ was along the 15 films shortlisted in the international film category, one of the most competitive. The category also includes already decorated films like ‘Holy Spider’ (Denmark), ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ (Germany), ‘Saint Omer’ (France), ‘Corsage’ (Austria), ‘EO’ (Poland), ‘Return to Seoul’ (Cambodia), ‘Decision to Leave’ (South Korea), ‘Close’ (Belgium) and ‘Argentina, 1985’ (Argentina).

The inclusion of ‘Joyland’ marks the first time Pakistan has ever made the shortlist. Most of the directors are first-timers on the shortlist too, with the exception being Iñárritu.

India’s official submission was not S.S. Rajamouli’s popular action epic ‘RRR’ but rather Pan Nalin’s ‘Last Film Show’ which made the cut becoming the first film from the country to do so in over 20 years. ‘RRR’ could get nominations in other categories, including for the shortlisted original song ‘Naatu Naatu’.

Jafar Panâhi was also not put forward to represent Iran, whose selection was not among the 15 and Russia did not submit a film this year.

Documentaries advancing to the next stage of voting include Laura Poitras’s Venice-winning ‘All the Beauty and the Bloodshed’, about photographer Nan Goldin’s work and activism, Brett Morgen’s David Bowie film ‘Moonage Daydream’, Daniel Roher’s ‘Navalny’, about the Russian opposition leader, ‘The Janes’ about pre-Roe v. Wade activists, ‘All that Breathes’, ‘Descendant’, ‘Fire of Love’ and ‘Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song’. It is a rather diverse group of stories and filmmakers: Eight were directed by women and four by people of color.

With many below-the-line categories at hand, big budget sequels like ‘Avatar’, ‘Top Gun’, and ‘Black Panther’ were well represented in the effects and sound categories, as well as original song which included Gaga’s ‘Hold My Hand’, The Weeknd’s ‘Nothing is Lost’ from ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ and Rihanna’s ‘Lift Me Up’ from ‘Black Panther’. 

Nominations for all categories will be announced on Jan. 24. The 95th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 12 and broadcast live on ABC.