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Best Picture: ‘American Fiction’ (2023) - Starting with the nominees for Best Picture, ‘American Fiction’ tells the story of an underappreciated writer whose elaborate ruse to expose the discrimination in the publishing industry reaps unexpected results. Jeffrey Wright stars as Thelonious Ellison, or "Monk," as the character is known.

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Best Picture: ‘American Fiction’ (2023) -

‘American Fiction’ is the directorial debut of screenwriter Cord Jefferson and is based on the 2001 novel 'Erasure' by Percival Everett. According to The New York Times, the film "wades into thorny issues of race, authenticity and what white audiences demand from Black artists—and has great satirical fun doing it." It was nominated for five Oscars in total, with nods in the acting, writing, and music categories.

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Best Picture: ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ (2023) - Justine Triet’s ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ has already won the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. The riveting thriller follows the trial of a woman accused of murdering her husband. Their blind son was the only other person present at the death.

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Best Picture: ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ (2023) - The tense legal drama focuses on the court case that unfolds and the ethical concerns about involving the couple’s young, visually impaired son as a witness. The film is quietly thrilling and offers an uncomfortably familiar view of a relationship in trouble. ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ was nominated for five awards in total, including categories for acting, directing, editing, and writing.

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Best Picture: ‘Barbie’ (2023) - The year 2023 was the year of Barbie. Greta Gerwig's feminist anthropomorphization of the iconic doll deserves an award purely for its masterful promotion, but the film itself was widely acclaimed by critics and viewers alike.

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Best Picture: ‘Barbie’ (2023) -

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling played the perfect Barbie and Ken, while America Ferrera was the relatable contrast to their absurd 'perfection.' Greta Gerwig didn't earn a nomination for directing, which may be because of the hot competition this year, but she did get a nod in the screenplay category. It was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Actress, Costume Design, Music, and more, gathering eight nominations in total.

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Best Picture: ‘The Holdovers’ (2023) - 'The Holdovers' was the surprise nominee this year. A heartwarming Christmas movie, it focuses on a curmudgeonly teacher, his troubled student, and a grieving cafeteria manager who all choose to spend the Christmas holidays at the private school that ties them together.

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Best Picture: ‘The Holdovers’ (2023) - The film is full of heart and plays out without any major flaws, but is it really the stuff Oscar winners are made of? Apparently so, as it received five nominations across the acting, writing, and editing categories, in addition to Best Picture.

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Best Picture: ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ (2023) - Master filmmaker Martin Scorsese’s historical crime drama sees the director reunite with two of his favorites: Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio. The sprawling tale focuses on the Osage murders of the 1920s in Oklahoma. Oil discovered within the reservation territories of the Osage Nation led to the Native American population amassing great wealth, in stark comparison to their white neighbors.

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Best Picture: ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ (2023) -

This rare and unusual power dynamic infuriates the white ranchers, who start killing off members of the Osage Nation in an attempt to seize their oil rights. During the inevitably excessive three hours and 26-minute feature, we focus on the true story of a gold-digging rancher (De Niro) who pushes his naive nephew (DiCaprio) to marry Mollie, a wealthy Osage heiress played by Lily Gladstone. It was nominated a whopping 10 times for acting, directing, cinematography, costume design, and more.

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Best Picture: ‘Maestro’ (2023) - 'Maestro' is a biopic about the life of the great 20th-century composer Leonard Bernstein, whose work includes the iconic musical ‘West Side Story.’ Bradley Cooper stars as the musical genius, but the film takes us deeper into his personal life rather than his music.

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Best Picture: ‘Maestro’ (2023) - Carey Mulligan stars as his wife, Felicia Montealegre, and we see the tensions his alcoholism and affairs with men create in their marriage. The film has been noted for its exceptional cinematography and nostalgic score filled with Bernstein’s music. It was nominated for cinematography, acting, writing, and more, with a total of seven nominations.

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Best Picture: 'Oppenheimer' (2023) - 'Oppenheimer' is Christopher Nolan's three-hour epic about the development of the first nuclear bomb, led by the enigmatic physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer. Starring Cillian Murphy in the titular role, the biopic has been nominated for 13 different awards, more than any other movie.

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Best Picture: 'Oppenheimer' (2023) -

The film included an ensemble cast of incredible actors such as Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Matt Damon, Gary Oldman, Josh Hartnett, Kenneth Branagh, Rami Malek, and many more. 'Oppenheimer' is the favorite contender predicted to win Best Picture.

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Best Picture: 'Past Lives' (2023) - 'Past Lives' tells the story of Nora, played by Greta Lee, who is separated from her childhood friend and crush when her family emigrates from South Korea to Canada. They are reunited as adults when their lives have taken them on very different paths, giving them pause to reflect on what could have been.

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Best Picture: ‘Past Lives’ (2023) -

'Past Lives' asks the painful questions we're often too afraid to answer: am I where I'm supposed to be? Have I settled in life? Would I be happier if my life had taken a different path? It was nominated just twice, for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.

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Best Picture: ‘Poor Things’ (2023) - Yorgos Lanthimos' 'Poor Things' is perhaps the boldest and most visually ambitious film nominated this year. The director, known for other strange titles such as 'The Lobster' (2015) and 'The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017), created this fantastical dreamscape based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Alasdair Gray.

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Best Picture: ‘Poor Things’ (2023) - The somewhat disturbing premise is that a pregnant woman who killed herself is brought back to life with the brain of her unborn baby. Played by Emma Stone, the protagonist develops from an infant to a child to a teen, all while living in an adult woman's body. The film reads as a feminist arthouse comedy, complemented by stunning visual effects and sets. It earned 11 nominations, including Best Actress, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Production Design.

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Best Picture: ‘The Zone of Interest’ (2023) -

Jonathan Glazer's disquieting drama looks at a part of history we rarely consider. ‘The Zone of Interest’ follows the daily lives of a Nazi officer who works at the infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp and his family who live in a picturesque house just outside the camp's walls.

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Best Picture: ‘The Zone of Interest’ (2023) -

The camera never takes us into the horrors of the camp, and we are only given a few subtle reminders of the atrocities being committed a stone's throw away. This choice by the director gives us an insight into the chilling indifference of the family as they read bedtime stories to their children and casually divide up the valuables taken from the Jewish prisoners sent to their deaths. ‘The Zone of Interest’ was nominated five times, with nods in the directing, acting, writing, and international feature film categories.

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Best Director: Justine Triet, ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ (2023) - Moving on to the Best Director category, Justine Triet became the eighth woman ever to be nominated in the directing category for her film ‘Anatomy of a Fall.' The French filmmaker also wrote the screenplay, which earned her another nomination. She was previously known for her 2019 film 'Sybil.'

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Best Director: Martin Scorsese, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ (2023) - Martin Scorsese is an Oscars veteran at this point. The 81-year-old has been nominated over 20 times since his first nomination for the film 'Raging Bull' in 1981. Ten of these nominations were for directing, which he won for the first and only time in 2006 for his film 'The Departed,' which also starred his golden boy, Leonardo DiCaprio.

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Best Director: Christopher Nolan, ‘Oppenheimer’ (2023) - Prior to the 2024 nominations, Christopher Nolan had been nominated five times for his films 'Memento' (2000), 'Inception' (2010), and 'Dunkirk' (2017). He has yet to win an Oscar, but this year may well be his year, as 'Oppenheimer' is the favorite in many categories.

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Best Director: Yorgos Lanthimos, ‘Poor Things’ (2023) - Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director once before, in 2019, for his hilarious historical drama 'The Favourite.' The movie also involved a successful collaboration with Emma Stone, and the pair are set to team up yet again in another feature following the success of 'Poor Things.'

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Best Director: Jonathan Glazer, ‘The Zone of Interest’ (2023) - British director Jonathan Glazer is a newcomer at the Oscars. He had previous successes with films like 'Sexy Beast' (2000) and 'Under the Skin' (2013), but 2024 marks his first Academy Award nomination. ‘The Zone of Interest’ has already won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival.

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Best Actor: Bradley Cooper, ‘Maestro’ (2023) - Now let's take a look at the stars in the Best Actor category. Bradley Cooper has been an increasingly noteworthy presence at the Oscars in recent years. His performances in movies like 2012's 'Silver Linings Playbook' and 2019's 'A Star Is Born' have earned him many nominations, but he has yet to take home an award. Will 2024 be his year?

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Best Actor: Colman Domingo, ‘Rustin’ (2023) -

Colman Domingo is another first-time nominee for his starring role in the biopic 'Rustin.' He plays the activist Bayard Rustin, who was a close advisor to Martin Luther King Jr. but has largely been erased from the history of the civil rights movement due to his open homosexuality. Domingo previously appeared in 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' in 2020, but wasn't nominated. Along with Jeffrey Wright, Domingo is now one of only six Black men to ever be nominated in the Best Actor category.

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Best Actor: Paul Giamatti, ‘The Holdovers’ (2023) -

The lovable Paul Giamatti has long played memorable supporting roles in comedies and dramas alike. He was previously nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 2005 film 'Cinderella Man,' but 2024 marks his first nomination for a leading role. Many felt he should have been nominated for his leading performance in the 2004 comedy 'Sideways,' so perhaps this will be his year to take home the long-awaited statue.

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Best Actor: Cillian Murphy, ‘Oppenheimer’ (2023) -

Irish actor Cillian Murphy has been a household name in Hollywood for many years now, but 'Oppenheimer' was the first film to earn him an Oscar nomination. Murphy has already won the Best Actor award at the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs. He is considered the frontrunner for the Oscars as well.

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Best Actor: Jeffrey Wright, ‘American Fiction’ (2023) - Jeffrey Wright, previously known for his starring role in the hit series 'Westworld' and his performance in 2022's 'The Batman,' received his first-ever acting nod at the Oscars this year. Wright is known as a chameleon in the acting world, adapting himself expertly to a wide variety of roles in which he renders himself almost unrecognizable.

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Best Actress: Annette Bening, ‘Nyad’ (2023) - In the Best Actress category, we have Annette Bening in 'Nyad,' a Netflix biopic about the famed marathon swimmer who set out to be the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the use of a shark cage, this at the age of 64. Bening has been nominated for her acting five times in the past, but has yet to take an award home.

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Best Actress: Lily Gladstone, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ (2023) - According to some, the race for Best Actress has come down to two clear front-runners: Emma Stone and Lily Gladstone. Gladstone's breakout performance in ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ made her the first-ever Native American woman to be nominated for Best Actress. On January 8, Gladstone became the first Native American woman to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture.

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Best Actress: Sandra Hüller, ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ (2023) - Sandra Hüller appears in two of this year's Best Picture nominees, ‘The Zone of Interest’ and ‘Anatomy of a Fall,’ but it was the latter that earned her the Best Actress nomination. Hüller is a German actress and has proven her acting skills in multiple languages this year, speaking German, French, and English across the two films.

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Best Actress: Carey Mulligan, ‘Maestro’ (2023) -

Carey Mulligan has been nominated for Best Actress twice before. She plays Felicia Montealegre, the wife of Bradley Cooper's Leonard Bernstein. While one might expect the film to focus on the maestro himself, Montealegre is equally as important in a story that is very much about their decades-long relationship.

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Best Actress: Emma Stone, ‘Poor Things’ (2023) - In a few short years, Emma Stone has gone from comedy love interest to indie darling, showcasing incredible growth as an artist. She has been nominated for several acting Oscars since 2015, and won Best Actress in 2017 for 'La La Land' when she was just 28. She has now been nominated once again for her incredible performance in 'Poor Things,' and is considered the favorite to win by many.

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Best Supporting Actor: Sterling K. Brown, ‘American Fiction’ (2023) -

In the category for supporting actors, we have Sterling K. Brown who plays the brother to Jeffrey Wright's "Monk" in 'American Fiction.' His character is a recently divorced, newly out gay man who Brown brilliantly brings to life. This is his first Oscar nomination, although he already has several Primetime Emmys under his belt.

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Best Supporting Actor: Robert De Niro ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ (2023) -

As you'd expect of the legend, Robert De Niro gives a powerful performance as the manipulative and calculating William King Hale in Martin Scorsese's ‘Killers of the Flower Moon.’ De Niro previously won Best Actor in 1981 for Scorsese's 'Raging Bull,' and this is his ninth nomination for acting over the years.

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Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr., 'Oppenheimer' (2023) -

Robert Downey Jr. is a tenured actor who has long skirted success at the Oscars, but his chances are better than ever in 2024. The high profile of 'Oppenheimer' further highlights his impressive performance as Lewis Strauss, which some critics argue was his best in 15 years.

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Best Supporting Actor: Ryan Gosling, ‘Barbie’ (2023) -

Ryan Gosling earned his third Oscar nomination for his supporting role as Ken in 'Barbie,' which came as a surprise considering that Margot Robbie was not nominated in the category for Best Actress. Regardless, he is one of the strongest contenders in his category. His performance of the hit original song 'I'm Just Ken' has boosted his chances even further!

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Best Supporting Actor: Mark Ruffalo, ‘Poor Things’ (2023) -

Mark Ruffalo's hilarious performance as Duncan in 'Poor Things' has created even more buzz around the already-hyped film, and it landed him his fourth Oscar nomination. Ruffalo has only ever been nominated in the supporting category, but has yet to take home an award.

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Best Supporting Actress: Emily Blunt, 'Oppenheimer' (2023) -

Rounding off with a look at the Best Supporting Actress category, we have Emily Blunt in 'Oppenheimer.' The film is undoubtedly this year's Oscars juggernaut and seems likely to sweep up awards across many different categories. Blunt's subtle and restrained performance as Katherine Oppenheimer has made her a top contender to win Best Supporting Actress.

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Best Supporting Actress: Danielle Brooks, 'The Color Purple' (2023) -

Danielle Brooks took on the role of Sofia in the new screen adaptation of 'The Color Purple,' but not for the first time. Brooks also played Sofia in the Broadway musical based on Alice Walker's seminal novel, and earned a Tony nomination for her performance. She has now earned her first Oscars nod, beating co-star Taraji P. Henson for the nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category. Brooks was also nominated for several other major awards, but has yet to take one home.

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Best Supporting Actress: America Ferrera, ‘Barbie’ (2023) -

America Ferrera stole the show in Greta Gerwig's 'Barbie.' Her touching performance and iconic speech earned the actress her first Oscar nomination. The Oscars were actually the only major awards ceremony to nominate Ferrera for 'Barbie,' apart from the Critics Choice Awards.

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Best Supporting Actress: Jodie Foster, ‘Nyad’ (2023) -

Jodie Foster has earned her fifth Oscar nomination for her performance in 'Nyad.' Foster plays athlete Bonnie Stoll, the best friend of swimmer Diana Nyad and her main support in her mission to swim from Cuba to Florida. Foster has already won two Oscars in her career, but it's been 29 years since her last nomination.

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Best Supporting Actress: Da'Vine Joy Randolph, 'The Holdovers’ (2023) -

Da'Vine Joy Randolph is another breakout star from this year's Oscar picks. Her career has picked up speed in recent years, with major roles in 'Only Murders in the Building' and 'Dolemite Is My Name' (2019), and 2024 marks her first Oscar nomination. Her performance in 'The Holdovers' has already earned her wins at the Critics Choice Awards, Golden Globes, and several other awards shows, suggesting she's all but secured her victory at the Academy Awards!

Sources: (The New York Times)

See also: The best (and worst) Oscar moments of the past 20 years

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