Netflix’s tense Western “The Power of the Dog” dominated the Oscar nominations on Tuesday with 12 nods, including a historic honor for Jane Campion, who’s now distinguished as the first woman with two Best Director nominations.
The film, which could give the streaming giant its long-awaited first Best Picture trophy, competes against the sci-fi epic “Dune,” trailing with 10 nods, and “West Side Story” and “Belfast,” which each received seven, when the 94th Academy Awards air in March. Other nominees for the Best Picture prize include “CODA,” “Don’t Look Up,” “King Richard,” “Licorice Pizza,” “Nightmare Alley” and the Japanese drama “Drive My Car,” one of the few foreign films to ever receive the accolade.
The 2022 Oscars ceremony aims to be a return to form, both in location ― Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre will once again host the show — and in the types of films it honors.
Last year’s COVID-impacted and delayed event last was missing much of the magic that has made past presentations sparkle. Sure, there were historic wins, moving speeches and water-cooler moments galore (how quickly we’ve all forgotten Glenn Close throwing it back to “Da Butt”). Yet it all amounted to a bit of a whimper. Apart from smaller, independent projects getting some shine, ultimately paving the way for a Best Picture win for the quiet drama “Nomadland,” no season in recent memory has ever been as muted and (mostly) forgotten.
But this year’s show isn’t hurting for star power, especially in the high-profile Best Actress race. Kristen Stewart bounced back from her Screen Actors Guild Awards snub for her bold performance in the unsettling Princess Diana biopic “Spencer” and will square off against Penelope Cruz (“Parallel Mothers”), Jessica Chastain (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”), Olivia Colman (“The Lost Daughter”) and Nicole Kidman (“Being the Ricardos”).
Lady Gaga’s exhaustive, headline-generating press tour after her role in “House of Gucci” failed to score her another nomination, resulting in one of this year’s most glaring snubs.
As for the Best Actor field, this year’s crop of stars brings some much-needed diversity to the proceedings. Both Will Smith and Denzel Washington will compete for their respective turns in “King Richard” and “The Tragedy of Macbeth.”
After past heartbreaks at the ceremony ― Smith lost the Best Actor award for “Ali” to Washington for “Training Day” two decades ago ― it might just be his year for his towering turn as Venus and Serena Williams’ father in the sports biopic. But Smith will also have to best front-runner Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Power of the Dog”), as well as Andrew Garfield (“Tick, Tick... Boom!”) and Javier Bardem, (“Being the Ricardos”) for Oscars gold.
Pandemic permitting, all will be revealed when the ceremony airs live on March 27 on ABC.
Check out the full list of nominees below.
Best Picture
“Belfast
“CODA”
“Don’t Look Up”
“Drive My Car”
“Dune”
“King Richard”
“Licorice Pizza”
“Nightmare Alley”
“The Power of the Dog”
“West Side Story”
Best Actress
Jessica Chastain, “The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Olivia Colman, “The Lost Daughter”
Penelope Cruz, “Parallel Mother”
Nicole Kidman, “Being the Ricardos”
Kristen Stewart, “Spencer”
Best Actor
Will Smith, “King Richard”
Denzel Washington, “The Tragedy of Macbeth”
Javier Bardem, “Being the Ricardos”
Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Power of the Dog”
Andrew Garfield, “Tick, Tick... Boom!”
Best Supporting Actress
Jessie Buckley, “The Lost Daughter”
Ariana DeBose, “West Side Story”
Kirsten Dunst, “The Power of the Dog”
Aunjanue Ellis, “King Richard”
Judi Dench, “Belfast”
Best Supporting Actor
Jesse Plemons, “The Power of the Dog”
J.K. Simmons, “Being the Ricardos”
Kodi Smit-McPhee, “The Power of the Dog”
Troy Kotsur, “CODA”
Ciaran Hinds, “Belfast”
Best Director
Kenneth Branagh, “Belfast”
Ryusuke Hamaguchi, “Drive My Car”
Paul Thomas Anderson, “Licorice Pizza”
Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog”
Steven Spielberg, “West Side Story”
Best Original Screenplay
“Belfast,” Kenneth Branagh
“Don’t Look Up,” Adam McKay, David Sirota
“King Richard,” Zach Baylin
“Licorice Pizza,” Paul Thomas Anderson
“The Worst Person in the World,” Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt
Best Adapted Screenplay
“CODA,” Siân Heder
“The Power of the Dog,” Jane Campion
“Drive My Car,” Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe
“Dune,” Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, Eric Roth
“The Lost Daughter,” Maggie Gyllenhaal
Best International Feature Film
“Drive My Car” (Japan)
“Flee” (Denmark)
“The Hand of God” (Italy)
“Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom” (Bhutan)
“The Worst Person in the World” (Norway)
Best Documentary Feature
“Ascension”
“Attica” “Flee”
“Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”
“Writing With Fire”
Best Animated Feature Film
“Encanto”
“Flee”
“Luca”
“The Mitchells vs. the Machines”
“Raya and the Last Dragon”
Best Animated Short
“Affairs of the Art”
“Bestia”
“Boxballet”
“Robin Robin”
“The Windshield Wiper”
Best Documentary Short Subject
“Audible”
“Lead Me Home”
“The Queen of Basketball”
“Three Songs for Benazir”
“When We Were Bullies”
Best Live Action Short
“Ala Kachuu ― Take and Run”
“The Dress”
“The Long Goodbye”
“On My Mind”
“Please Hold”
Best Cinematography
“Dune”
“Nightmare Alley”
“The Power of the Dog”
“The Tragedy of Macbeth”
“West Side Story”
Best Film Editing
“Don’t Look Up”
“Dune”
“King Richard”
“The Power of the Dog”
“Tick, Tick … Boom!”
Best Production Design
“Dune”
“Nightmare Alley”
“The Tragedy of Macbeth”
“West Side Story”
“The Power of the Dog”
Best Original Song
“Be Alive” (“King Richard”), Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Dixson
“Dos Oruguitas” (“Encanto”), Lin-Manuel Miranda
“Down to Joy” (“Belfast”), Van Morrison
“No Time to Die” (“No Time to Die”), Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell
“Somehow You Do” (“Four Good Days”), Diane Warren
Best Original Score
“Don’t Look Up,” Nicholas Britell
“Dune,” Hans Zimmer
“Encanto,” Germaine Franco
“Parallel Mothers,” Alberto Iglesias
“The Power of the Dog,” Jonny Greenwood
Best Sound
“Belfast”
“Dune”
“No Time to Die”
“The Power of the Dog”
“West Side Story”
Best Costume Design
“Cruella”
“Cyrano”
“Dune”
“Nightmare Alley”
“West Side Story”
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
“Coming 2 America”
“Cruella”
“Dune”
“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”
“House of Gucci”
Best Visual Effects
“Dune”
“Free Guy”
“No Time to Die”
“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”
“Spider-Man: No Way Home”