2020 Oscar Nominations: ‘Joker’ leads with 11; women shut out of directing again

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who put on the Oscars, have revealed the nominations for the 92nd Academy Awards and Joker leads the field with 11 nods, followed closely by the trio of 1917, The Irishman and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood with 10 apiece.

The comic book film earned nominations in Best Picture, Director, Lead Actor (Joaquin Phoenix), Adapted Screenplay, Film Editing, both Sound categories, Costume Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, Cinematography and Original Score.

People of color were almost completely ignored in the acting categories with only Cynthia Erivo’s Best Actress nomination for Harriet representing the sole non-white nomination. The overwhelming critics’ favorite Lupita Nyong’o (Us) was snubbed as was Awkwafina in The Farewell. Awkwafina’s co-star Zhao Shuzhen was snubbed in supporting actress for an all-white lineup that included previous nominees and winners Kathy Bates (Richard Jewell), Laura Dern (Marriage Story) and Margot Robbie (Bombshell). Scarlett Johansson was nominated in both lead and supporting, her first two nominations ever.

Despite a stellar year of women filmmakers and all out snubs by the Golden Globes and BAFTA for their work, the Oscars’ directing branch once again went with an all male lineup, one that mirrored BAFTA exactly.

Throughout Oscars’ 92-year history, only five women have been nominated for Best Director: Lina Wertmüller (1976’s Seven Beauties), Jane Campion (1993’s The Piano), Sofia Coppola (2003’s Lost in Translation), Kathryn Bigelow (2009’s The Hurt Locker) and Greta Gerwig (2017’s Lady Bird). Had Gerwig received a nomination for Little Women, as many predicted, she would have been the only woman ever to be nominated twice. Bigelow remains the only female winner ever.

“Congratulations to those men,” said Issa Rae, channeling a bit of Natalie Portman and Keke Palmer at the Golden Globes after reading the all-male nominees with John Cho on Monday morning that included Martin Scorsese for The Irishman, Quentin Tarantino for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Bong Joon Ho for Parasite, Sam Mendes for 1917 and Todd Phillips for Joker.

On the positive side for women filmmakers, the Best Picture category saw a record number of female producers nominated in a single year including two for Emma Tillinger Koskoff, who produced The Irishman and Joker. Other female producers included Amy Pascal (Little Women), Jenno Topping (Ford v Ferrari), Jane Rosenthal (The Irishman), Pippa Harris and Jayne-Ann Tenggren (1917) and Shannon McIntosh (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood).

Honeyland, the North Macedonian film about a beekeeper trying to save her bees from an infringing neighbor while taking care of her aged mother, was shortlisted for both International Feature Film and Documentary Feature, became the first film to ever be nominated in both categories.

One big snub that came in was critics favorite Apollo 11 in Documentary Feature (a snub I called). The doc branch has historically been adverse to frontrunners in their category but also aren’t a big fan of films made of entirely archival footage, as Apollo 11 was. Another was in Animated Feature where Frozen II, the most successful animated film of all time, was left out in the cold.

Here is the full list of nominations for the 92nd Academy Awards, which will be held on Sunday, February 9 live on ABC and go hostless once again.

BEST PICTURE

“Ford v Ferrari” (Walt Disney) Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping and James Mangold, Producers
“The Irishman” (Netflix) Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Producers
“Jojo Rabbit” (Fox Searchlight) Carthew Neal and Taika Waititi, Producers
“Joker” (Warner Bros.) Todd Phillips, Bradley Cooper and Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Producers
“Little Women” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Amy Pascal, Producer
“Marriage Story” (Netflix) Noah Baumbach and David Heyman, Producers
“1917” (Universal/Amblin Partners) Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Jayne-Ann Tenggren and Callum McDougall, Producers
“Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood” (Sony Pictures Releasing) David Heyman, Shannon McIntosh and Quentin Tarantino, Producers
“Parasite” (Neon) Kwak Sin Ae and Bong Joon Ho, Producers

BEST DIRECTOR

“The Irishman” (Netflix) Martin Scorsese
“Joker” (Warner Bros.) Todd Phillips
“1917” (Universal/Amblin Partners) Sam Mendes
“Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Quentin Tarantino
“Parasite” (Neon) Bong Joon Ho

BEST ACTOR

Antonio Banderas in “Pain and Glory” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Leonardo DiCaprio in “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Adam Driver in “Marriage Story” (Netflix)
Joaquin Phoenix in “Joker” (Warner Bros.)
Jonathan Pryce in “The Two Popes” (Netflix)

BEST ACTRESS

Cynthia Erivo in “Harriet” (Focus Features)
Scarlett Johansson in “Marriage Story” (Netflix)
Saoirse Ronan in “Little Women” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Charlize Theron in “Bombshell” (Lionsgate)
Renée Zellweger in “Judy” (LD Entertainment and Roadside Attractions)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Tom Hanks in “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Anthony Hopkins in “The Two Popes” (Netflix)
Al Pacino in “The Irishman” (Netflix)
Joe Pesci in “The Irishman” (Netflix)
Brad Pitt in “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood” (Sony Pictures Releasing)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Kathy Bates in “Richard Jewell” (Warner Bros.)
Laura Dern in “Marriage Story” (Netflix)
Scarlett Johansson in “Jojo Rabbit” (Fox Searchlight)
Florence Pugh in “Little Women” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Margot Robbie in “Bombshell” (Lionsgate)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

“The Irishman” (Netflix) Screenplay by Steven Zaillian
“Jojo Rabbit” (Fox Searchlight) Screenplay by Taika Waititi
“Joker” (Warner Bros.) Written by Todd Phillips & Scott Silver
“Little Women” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Written for the screen by Greta Gerwig
“The Two Popes” (Netflix) Written by Anthony McCarten

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

“Knives Out” (Lionsgate) Written by Rian Johnson
“Marriage Story” (Netflix) Written by Noah Baumbach
“1917” (Universal/Amblin Partners) Written by Sam Mendes & Krysty Wilson-Cairns
“Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Written by Quentin Tarantino
“Parasite” (Neon) Screenplay by Bong Joon Ho, Han Jin Won; Story by Bong Joon Ho

BEST FILM EDITING

“Ford v Ferrari” (Walt Disney) Michael McCusker and Andrew Buckland
“The Irishman” (Netflix) Thelma Schoonmaker
“Jojo Rabbit” (Fox Searchlight) Tom Eagles
“Joker” (Warner Bros.) Jeff Groth
“Parasite” (Neon) Yang Jinmo

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

“The Irishman” (Netflix) Rodrigo Prieto
“Joker” (Warner Bros.) Lawrence Sher
“The Lighthouse” (A24) Jarin Blaschke
“1917” (Universal/Amblin Partners) Roger Deakins
“Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Robert Richardson

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

“The Irishman” (Netflix) Production Design: Bob Shaw, Set Decoration: Regina Graves
“Jojo Rabbit” (Fox Searchlight) Production Design: Ra Vincent, Set Decoration: Nora Sopková
“1917” (Universal/Amblin Partners) Production Design: Dennis Gassner, Set Decoration: Lee Sandales
“Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Production Design: Barbara Ling, Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh
“Parasite” (Neon) Production Design: Lee Ha Jun, Set Decoration: Cho Won Woo

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

“The Irishman” (Netflix) Sandy Powell and Christopher Peterson
“Jojo Rabbit” (Fox Searchlight) Mayes C. Rubeo
“Joker” (Warner Bros.) Mark Bridges
“Little Women” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Jacqueline Durran
“Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Arianne Phillips

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

“Joker” (Warner Bros.) Hildur Guðnadóttir
“Little Women” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Alexandre Desplat
“Marriage Story” (Netflix) Randy Newman
“1917” (Universal/Amblin Partners) Thomas Newman
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” (Walt Disney) John Williams

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away” from “Toy Story 4” (Walt Disney) Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
“(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from “Rocketman” (Paramount) Music by Elton John, Lyric by Bernie Taupin
“I’m Standing With You” from “Breakthrough” (Walt Disney) Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
“Into The Unknown” from “Frozen II” (Walt Disney) Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
“Stand Up” from “Harriet” (Focus Features) Music and Lyric by Joshuah Brian Campbell and Cynthia Erivo

BEST SOUND EDITING

“Ford v Ferrari” (Walt Disney) Donald Sylvester
“Joker” (Warner Bros.) Alan Robert Murray
“1917” (Universal/Amblin Partners) Oliver Tarney and Rachael Tate
“Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Wylie Stateman
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” (Walt Disney) Matthew Wood and David Acord

BEST SOUND MIXING

“Ad Astra” (Walt Disney) Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson and Mark Ulano
“Ford v Ferrari” (Walt Disney) Paul Massey, David Giammarco and Steven A. Morrow
“Joker” (Warner Bros.) Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic and Tod Maitland
“1917” (Universal/Amblin Partners) Mark Taylor and Stuart Wilson
“Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Michael Minkler, Christian P. Minkler and Mark Ulano

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

“Bombshell” (Lionsgate) Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan and Vivian Baker
“Joker” (Warner Bros.) Nicki Ledermann and Kay Georgiou
“Judy” (LD Entertainment and Roadside Attractions) Jeremy Woodhead
“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” (Walt Disney) Paul Gooch, Arjen Tuiten and David White
“1917” (Universal/Amblin Partners) Naomi Donne, Tristan Versluis and Rebecca Cole

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

“Avengers: Endgame” (Walt Disney) Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Matt Aitken and Dan Sudick
“The Irishman” (Netflix) Pablo Helman, Leandro Estebecorena, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser and Stephane Grabli
“The Lion King” (Walt Disney) Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones and Elliot Newman
“1917” (Universal/Amblin Partners) Guillaume Rocheron, Greg Butler and Dominic Tuohy
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” (Walt Disney) Roger Guyett, Neal Scanlan, Patrick Tubach and Dominic Tuohy

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” (Universal) Dean DeBlois, Bradford Lewis and Bonnie Arnold
“I Lost My Body” (Netflix) Jérémy Clapin and Marc du Pontavice
“Klaus” (Netflix) Sergio Pablos, Jinko Gotoh and Marisa Román
“Missing Link” (United Artists Releasing) Chris Butler, Arianne Sutner and Travis Knight
“Toy Story 4” (Walt Disney) Josh Cooley, Mark Nielsen and Jonas Rivera

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

“American Factory” (Netflix) Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert and Jeff Reichert
“The Cave” (National Geographic) Feras Fayyad, Kirstine Barfod and Sigrid Dyekjær
“The Edge of Democracy” (Netflix) Petra Costa, Joanna Natasegara, Shane Boris and Tiago Pavan
“For Sama” (PBS Distribution/Channel 4/Frontline) Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts
“Honeyland” (Neon) Ljubo Stefan

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

“Corpus Christi” Poland
“Honeyland” North Macedonia
“Les Misérables” France
“Pain and Glory” Spain
“Parasite” South Korea

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

“Dcera (Daughter)” (Miyu Distribution) Daria Kashcheeva
“Hair Love” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Matthew A. Cherry and Karen Rupert Toliver
“Kitbull” (Walt Disney) Rosana Sullivan and Kathryn Hendrickson
“Memorable” Bruno Collet and Jean-François Le Corre
“Sister” Siqi Song

DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

“In the Absence” Yi Seung-Jun and Gary Byung-Seok Kam
“Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)” Carol Dysinger and Elena Andreicheva
“Life Overtakes Me” (Netflix) John Haptas and Kristine Samuelson
“St. Louis Superman” (MTV Documentary Films/AJE Witness) Smriti Mundhra and Sami Khan
“Walk Run Cha-Cha” (The New York Times Op-Docs) Laura Nix and Colette Sandstedt

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT

“Brotherhood” (Travelling, les films qui voyagent) Meryam Joobeur and Maria Gracia Turgeon
“Nefta Football Club” Yves Piat and Damien Megherbi
“The Neighbors’ Window” Marshall Curry
“Saria” Bryan Buckley and Matt Lefebvre
“A Sister” Delphine Girard

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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), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) 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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