2018 Oscars: ‘Bright,’ ‘Victoria and Abdul,’ ‘I, Tonya’ among finalists in Makeup and Hairstyling Oscar race

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced today that seven films remain in competition for the Makeup and Hairstyling Oscar, among them are a few eye-openers.

Netflix’s Bright, which debuts on the streaming service December 22nd made a surprise showing here. The $90M dollar blockbuster is pushing the boundaries for the streamer and certainly features some classically Oscar creature makeup. Could this mean the Academy is warming to Netflix a bit?

Darkest Hour was an expected contender here (and probably a winner) and Victoria and Abdul features the only representation of the period piece wigs that this category has nominated before. Put those alongside the wigs, mustaches and fat suit in I, Tonya and you have a really fun race. It certainly doesn’t hurt that half the team behind Dallas Buyers Club‘s win is Team I, Tonya as well.

Among the missing? The Shape of Water most certainly stands out. The film’s fishman is a combination of costume, makeup and CGI (where it qualified as a finalist) but this miss is a bit of a shock. Also, Blade Runner 2049 and The Greatest Showman (guess that beard didn’t pass muster).

The films are listed below in alphabetical order:

“Bright”
“Darkest Hour”
“Ghost in the Shell”
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”
“I, Tonya”
“Victoria & Abdul”
“Wonder”

On Saturday, January 6, 2018, all members of the Academy’s Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch will be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the seven shortlisted films. Following the screenings, members will vote to nominate three films for final Oscar^® consideration.

Nominations for the 90th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 23, 2018.

The 90th Oscars^® will be held on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre^® at Hollywood & Highland Center^® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT. The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

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Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.

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