Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs, who had led efforts to diversify the academy’s memberships, acknowledged she was “disappointed”.
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Fox’s The Revenant, The Martian, and Brooklyn all received best picture nods, with The Revenant picking up an Oscar-leading 12 total nominations. It sets up director Alejandro Inarritu for a possible back-to-back win following his sweep of best picture, director and screenplay for “Birdman” previous year.
“I am so grateful to the Academy for their recognition of this film”.
“Champagne and mezcal will run tonight!” said Inarritu in a statement from London.
George Miller’s “Mad Max: Fury Road” on the heels of “The Revenant” with 10 nominations.
Old Etonian Eddie Redmayne, 34, is up for Best Actor for a second time for his portrayal of transgender artist Lili Elbe in The Danish Girl.
Charlotte Rampling, 69, secured a best actress nomination for 45 Years, as did Irish actress Saoirse Ronan, 21, for Brooklyn. Financial crisis narrative The Big Short, Cold War tale Bridge Of Spies and investigative journalism drama Spotlight all received six nominations, including best picture.
“Carol”, the film about a lesbian relationship in 1950s NY, picked up acting nods for stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara but didn’t receive nominations for picture or directing.
“What is important is that this entire conversation of diversity is here and that we are talking about it”, said Isaacs. In fact, it seems like that he is far from done with the “Mad Max” universe and with earlier reports that he had multiple movies already planned out, it seems to me like we’re about to go on a couple more roller coaster rides of fun.
Alongside DiCaprio and Damon, the best actor nominees are: Michael Fassbender (“Steve Jobs”), Eddie Redmayne (“The Danish Girl”) and Bryan Cranston (“Trumbo”).
While it’s a surprise that Michael B. Jordan’s turn in Creed failed to be recognised, Johnny Depp’s Best Actor nomination for Black Mass must’ve been on the other side of the page.
Two-time Oscar victor Cate Blanchett has a shot at number three with a Best Actress nomination for “Carol”.
Also nominated for best supporting actor were Mark Rylance, best known for his stage work, for “Bridge of Spies” and Christian Bale (“The Big Short”). He was the first African American to be nominated.
In the acting categories, I predict history will be made a few times.
“The Academy people don’t vote by race or gender but it’s the studios that need to fix this by better reflecting the population”, Gray told AFP.
The director nominees might be a sign that there’s no gold on the surface of The Martian, as Ridley Scott was somehow left off the list. Instead, Lenny Abrahamson for “Room” was the unexpected addition along with Adam McKay, known best for his broader Will Ferrell comedies, for “The Big Short”.
Films nominated for best animated feature include writer/director Charlie Kaufman’s downbeat stop motion drama “Anomalisa”, “Boy and the World”, Disney’s “Inside Out”, “Shaun the Sheep Movie” and “When Marnie Was There”.
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” didn’t get a nomination in a major category, but composer John Williams did for best score. The film’s nomination for best picture is Spielberg’s ninth in that category, the most for any individual producer. 20th Century Fox had an especially good day, led by “The Revenant” and “The Martian”.
Also competing in the best original screenplay category are Bridge Of Spies, Inside Out, Spotlight and Straight Outta Compton.
Netflix, which has previously scored nominations for documentaries, fell short in its first bid for fiction film nods.
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“Cartel Land”, “What Happened, Miss Simone?”, “The Look of Silence”, and “Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom”.
