2019 Oscar Shortlists: The Snubs (Paddington 2, Incredibles 2) and the Surprises (Ayka, Annihilation)

 The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced shortlists in consideration for the 91st Oscars^® in nine categories: Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, Foreign Language Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, Music (Original Score), Music (Original Song), Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film and Visual Effects. 

To download shortlists by category, visit Oscars.org/91st-oscars-shortlists.

Check updated Oscar predictions, including December charts, starting tomorrow. See how I fared with today’s list from my Frontrunner Friday predictions from last week.

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Fifteen films will advance in the Documentary Feature category for the 91st Academy Awards.  One hundred sixty-six films were originally submitted in the category.  Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees. 

The only big snub here is Bisbee ’17. I was also predicting Reversing Roe to show up. In their place are Charm City and Communion. Every major doc of the year, in the year of the doc, made the first cut. I went 13/15 here.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“Charm City”
“Communion”
“Crime + Punishment”
“Dark Money”
“The Distant Barking of Dogs”
“Free Solo”
“Hale County This Morning, This Evening”
“Minding the Gap”
“Of Fathers and Sons”
“On Her Shoulders”
“RBG”
“Shirkers”
“The Silence of Others”
“Three Identical Strangers”
“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”

DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Ten films will advance in the Documentary Short Subject category for the 91st Academy Awards.  One hundred four films had originally qualified in the category.  Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“Black Sheep”
“End Game”
“Lifeboat”
“Los Comandos”
“My Dead Dad’s Porno Tapes”
“A Night at the Garden”
“Period. End of Sentence.”
“’63 Boycott”
“Women of the Gulag”
“Zion”

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Nine films will advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for the 91st Academy Awards.  Eighty-seven films had originally been considered in the category.

Los Angeles-based Academy members from all branches screened the original submissions in the category between mid-October and December 10.  The group’s top six choices, augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy’s Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee, constitute the shortlist.  Academy members eligible to participate in the Nominations round of voting will view the shortlisted films.  Members must see all nine films before casting their ballots.

The big surprise here is Ayka from Kazakhstan. I don’t know anyone who had that on their list, despite that it has a Best Actress Cannes winner in it. That and Colombia’s Birds of Passage make it over Sweden’s Border, Belgium’s Girl and Paraguay’s The Heiresses. Although neither were heavily predicted, no France or Italy is a big blow to the two most-nominated and most-winning countries in this category. I went 7/9 with Girl and The Heiresses in over Ayka and Birds of Passage. AW’s Mina Takla went 7/9 as well.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:

Colombia, “Birds of Passage”
Denmark, “The Guilty”
Germany, “Never Look Away”
Japan, “Shoplifters”
Kazakhstan, “Ayka”
Lebanon, “Capernaum”
Mexico, “Roma”
Poland, “Cold War”
South Korea, “Burning”

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING 
Seven films will advance in the Makeup and Hairstyling category for the 91st Academy Awards.  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 on Saturday, January 5, 2019.  Members will vote to nominate three films for final Oscar® consideration.

There was only room for one period piece here and Mary Queen of Scots made it over The Favourite. Fat suits for Vice and Stan & Ollie will go head to head and Border does show up here despite missing its shot in Foreign Language Film. Bohemian Rhapsody making the cut might be the insight we need to see how well it’s going to do with the Academy’s other branches. I went 6/7 here (The Favourite over Stan & Ollie).

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“Black Panther”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“Border”
“Mary Queen of Scots”
“Stan & Ollie”
“Suspiria”
“Vice”

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
Fifteen scores will advance in the Original Score category for the 91st Academy Awards.  One hundred fifty-six scores were eligible in the category.  Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

Some big misses here for Incredibles 2 and Widows, both from Oscar-winning composers, not making the 15-film cut in the first Original Score shortlist since 1979. Some pleasant surprises though for Annihilation (after it missed out on VFX) and Crazy Rich Asians. Oscar-nominee Nicholas Britell is a double contender here with If Beale Street Could Talk and Vice.

Avengers: Infinity War and The Death of Stalin making it in was unexpected. Misses for Mary Queen of Scots and Suspiria are a bummer. I went a weak 9/15 here. 

The scores listed in alphabetical order by film title are:

“Annihilation”
“Avengers: Infinity War”
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”
“Black Panther”
“BlacKkKlansman”
“Crazy Rich Asians”
“The Death of Stalin”
“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”
“First Man”
“If Beale Street Could Talk”
“Isle of Dogs”
“Mary Poppins Returns”
“A Quiet Place”
“Ready Player One”
“Vice”

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
Fifteen songs will advance in the Original Song category for the 91st Academy Awards.  Ninety songs were eligible in the category.  Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

This, like Original Score, sees a shortlist for the first time since 1979 and gives a lot to work with for predictions. A few minor surprises in the form of “Treasure” from Beautiful Boy and “OYAHYTT” from Sorry to Bother You. 

The only Documentary songs to make the cut were “I’ll Fight” from RBG (it is Diane Warren, after all) and “Keep Reachin'” from Quincy. I went 11/15 here, missing the two mentioned above and “Suspirium” from Suspiria and “The Big Unknown” from Widows (which I had in earlier predictions. 

The original songs, along with the motion picture in which each song is featured, are listed below in alphabetical order by film title and song title:

“When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings” from “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”
“Treasure” from “Beautiful Boy”
“All The Stars” from “Black Panther”
“Revelation” from “Boy Erased”
“Girl In The Movies” from “Dumplin’”
“We Won’t Move” from “The Hate U Give”
“The Place Where Lost Things Go” from “Mary Poppins Returns”
“Trip A Little Light Fantastic” from “Mary Poppins Returns”
“Keep Reachin’” from “Quincy”
“I’ll Fight” from “RBG”
“A Place Called Slaughter Race” from “Ralph Breaks the Internet”
“OYAHYTT” from “Sorry to Bother You”
“Shallow” from “A Star Is Born”
“Suspirium” from “Suspiria”
“The Big Unknown” from “Widows”

ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Ten films will advance in the Animated Short Film category for the 91st Academy Awards.  Eighty-one films had originally qualified in the category.  Members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“Age of Sail”
“Animal Behaviour”
“Bao”
“Bilby”
“Bird Karma”
“Late Afternoon”
“Lost & Found”
“One Small Step”
“Pépé le Morse”
“Weekends”

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
Ten films will advance in the Live Action Short Film category for the 91st Academy Awards.  One hundred forty films had originally qualified in the category.  Members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“Caroline”
“Chuchotage”
“Detainment”
“Fauve”
“Icare”
“Marguerite”
“May Day”
“Mother”
“Skin”
“Wale”

VISUAL EFFECTS
Ten films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 91st Academy Awards.  The Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the shortlist.  All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, January 5, 2019.  Following the screenings, members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

First of all, no Paddington 2. Rude. Especially when the lesser bear movie Christopher Robin makes it in. Missed Solo: A Star Wars Story, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Christopher Robin for Bumblebee, Mission: Impossible – Falloutand Paddington 2.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“Ant-Man and the Wasp”
“Avengers: Infinity War”
“Black Panther”
“Christopher Robin”
“First Man”
“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”
“Mary Poppins Returns”
“Ready Player One”
“Solo: A Star Wars Story”
“Welcome to Marwen”

Nominations voting begins on Monday, January 7, 2019 and concludes on Monday, January 14, 2019.

Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 22, 2019.

The 91st Oscars^® will be held on Sunday, February 24, 2019, at the Dolby Theatre^® at Hollywood & Highland Center^® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network.  The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.