Noticeably missing from the nominations: African-American performers.
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In the year since an all-white crop of acting nominees brought heaps of criticism on the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs has redoubled efforts to diversify the academy’s membership.
“The Revenant” was directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, who also helmed last year’s big Oscars victor “Birdman”, which earned four golden statuettes including for best picture and director. In a statement, DiCaprio, who’s expected to land his first Oscar in his fifth nomination, called making “The Revenent” “one of the most rewarding and collaborative experiences of my life”. The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016, at 5:30 a.m. PST in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, Calif. The Oscars will be presented on February 28, 2016, in Los Angeles.
In the best actress category, previous Oscar winners Cate Blanchett and Jennifer Lawrence return to the race this year.
The strong showing Thursday for “The Revenant”, including a best actor nod for Leonardo DiCaprio and best supporting actor for Tom Hardy, follows its win at the Golden Globes. Three of those are for the aforementioned Russell movies, too.
Other surprise omissions from the list include Idris Elba (Beasts of No Nation), Oscar Isaac (Ex Machina), Will Smith (Concussion), Jason Mitchell (Straight Outta Compton) and Benicio Del Toro (Sicario). Netflix’s documentaries “What Happened, Miss Simone” and “Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom” were nominated. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and hip-hop movie “Straight Outta Compton” were among those not making the cut. A best picture nomination may have been a bit of a long shot for the highest-grossing film in USA history, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a bit of a disappointment considering how well the film has been received.
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“So to have something not only do as good as it’s been doing in the box office, but to get having this movie recognised by our peers, it does feel fantastic because I’ve never been a part of a film this experimental”. Some pundits projected the film as a possible best picture nominee. These took the spots of more favored hits like Wiz Khalifa’s “Furious 7” song “See You Again”, Brian Wilson’s “One Kind of Love” from “Love & Mercy” and the “Fifty Shades of Grey” breakout “Love Me Like You Do”.
