2021 Oscar Shortlists: ‘Birds of Prey’ in Makeup and VFX, ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ out

The shortlists are in for the 93rd Academy Awards and what would they be without some great surprises and equally shocking snubs.

It was hard to know how the branches were going to respond to Birds of Prey since Warner Bros made the strange choice to leave the film off its official FYC page for awards but it didn’t matter as it landed on both the Makeup and Hairstyling and Visual Effects shortlists. Ironically, it was Wonder Woman 1984 (which they were pushing) that found itself off both. That means no chance for Hans Zimmer this year.

Speaking of Zimmer, his co-compositions in Hillbilly Elegy didn’t make the Original Score cut. Two surprising selections in that category were Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey and the Latvian war drama Blizzard of Souls. The film’s composer, Lolita Ritmanis, is an American born and LA-based Latvian-American, co-founder of Alliance for Women Film Composers, multiple Emmy and Annie nominee and Daytime Emmy winner. No surprise that The Little Things is here (it’s Thomas Newman, after all) but it’s also in Makeup and Hairstyling.

In Original Song, the Golden Globe-nominated “Tigress & Tweed” from The United States vs Billie Holiday didn’t make it (nor did it show up in Makeup and Hairstyling); neither did “Poverty Porn” from The Forty-Year Old Version and “Wear Your Crown” from The Prom. but “Green” from Sound of Metal. Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey also found itself here with “Make It Work,” as well as Makeup and Hairstyling, marking what could be a contender in the production design and costume design categories.

Diane Warren, as expected, takes up two spots with “Io Sì (Seen)” from the Sophia Loren film The Life Ahead and “Free” from the Disney film The One and Only Ivan. With 11 nominations to date without a win, she is certain to score a 12th and possibly 13th nomination when Oscar nominations are announced March 15.

The tense documentary Welcome to Chechnya landed on the Visual Effects shortlist, an inspired choice. The film uses face altering technology to disguise LGBTQ refugees as they escape the horrors of the country’s brutal gay purge.

A big surprise snub in Visual Effect was Sonic the Hedgehog. When the first trailer for the 2019 film was released it was met with an overwhelmingly negative response as audiences didn’t like how Sonic looked; from his eyes, hands, teeth. A massive redesign of the film was undertaken and then released in early 2020, becoming one of the year’s few box office hits before the coronavirus pandemic closed theaters.

The heavily competitive International Feature Film category consisted of most of the heavily predicted films like Another Round (Denmark) but also found room for The Man Who Sold His Skin (Tunisia) and Better Days (Hong Kong). An interesting miss was the The Auschwitz Report from Slovakia and Sudan’s You Will Die at Twenty, which many predicted to make the cut. The Academy recently eliminated the executive committee for the shortlist voting and expanded the overall number of films from 10 to 15. The list is comprised of six films from Europe, four from Asia, three from Central and South America and two from Africa.

One big takeaway from the shortlists today is the impressive performance from Black-led films. In Original Song, Original Score and Makeup & Hairstyling, films like One Night in Miami and Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey might be telling us the preamble for what overall Oscar nominations may look like on March 15.

Here are the full Oscar shortlists in Original Score, Original Song, Makeup and Hairstyling, Visual Effects, Documentary Feature, International Feature Film, Documentary Short Subject, Animated Short Film and Live Action Short Film.

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)

Fifteen scores will advance in the Original Score category for the 93rd Academy Awards.  One hundred thirty-six scores were eligible in the category.  Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The scores, listed in alphabetical order by film title, are:

“Ammonite”
“Blizzard of Souls”
“Da 5 Bloods”
“The Invisible Man”
“Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey”
“The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se)”
“The Little Things”
“Mank”
“The Midnight Sky”
“Minari”
“Mulan”
“News of the World”
“Soul”
“Tenet”
“The Trial of the Chicago 7”

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)

Fifteen songs will advance in the Original Song category for the 93rd Academy Awards.  One hundred five songs were eligible in the category.  Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

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:

“Turntables” from “All In: The Fight for Democracy”
“See What You’ve Done” from “Belly of the Beast”
“Wuhan Flu” from “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan”
“Husavik” from “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga”
“Never Break” from “Giving Voice”
“Make It Work” from “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey”
“Fight For You” from “Judas and the Black Messiah”
“lo Sì (Seen)” from “The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se)”
“Rain Song” from “Minari”
“Show Me Your Soul” from “Mr. Soul!”
“Loyal Brave True” from “Mulan”
“Free” from “The One and Only Ivan”
“Speak Now” from “One Night in Miami…”
“Green” from “Sound of Metal”
“Hear My Voice” from “The Trial of the Chicago 7”

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

Ten films will advance in the Makeup and Hairstyling category for the 93rd Academy Awards.  All members of the Academy’s Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch will be invited virtually to view seven-minute excerpts from each of the 10 shortlisted films on Saturday, March 6, 2021.  Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

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

“Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn”
“Emma”
“The Glorias”
“Hillbilly Elegy”
“Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey”
“The Little Things”
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”
“Mank”
“One Night in Miami…”
“Pinocchio”

VISUAL EFFECTS

Ten films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 93rd Academy Awards.  The Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the shortlist.  All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited virtually to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, March 6, 2021.  Following the screenings, members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

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

“Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn”
“Bloodshot”
“Love and Monsters”
“Mank”
“The Midnight Sky”
“Mulan”
“The One and Only Ivan”
“Soul”
“Tenet”
“Welcome to Chechnya”

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Fifteen films will advance in the Documentary Feature category for the 93rd Academy Awards.  Two hundred thirty-eight films were eligible 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:

“All In: The Fight for Democracy”
“Boys State”
“Collective”
“Crip Camp”
“Dick Johnson Is Dead”
“Gunda”
“MLK/FBI”
“The Mole Agent”
“My Octopus Teacher”
“Notturno”
“The Painter and the Thief”
“76 Days”
“Time”
“The Truffle Hunters”
“Welcome to Chechnya”

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

Fifteen films will advance to the next round of voting in the International Feature Film category for the 93rd Academy Awards.  Films from 93 countries were eligible in the category.

Academy members from all branches were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must have met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.

In the nominations round, Academy members from all branches are invited to opt in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote.

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

Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Quo Vadis, Aida?”
Chile, “The Mole Agent”
Czech Republic, “Charlatan”
Denmark, “Another Round”
France, “Two of Us”
Guatemala, “La Llorona”
Hong Kong, “Better Days”
Iran, “Sun Children”
Ivory Coast, “Night of the Kings”
Mexico, “I’m No Longer Here”
Norway, “Hope”
Romania, “Collective”
Russia, “Dear Comrades!”
Taiwan, “A Sun”
Tunisia, “The Man Who Sold His Skin”

ANIMATED SHORT FILM

Ten films will advance in the Animated Short Film category for the 93rd Academy Awards.  Ninety-six films 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:

“Burrow”
“Genius Loci”
“If Anything Happens I Love You”
“Kapaemahu”
“Opera”
“Out”
“The Snail and the Whale”
“To Gerard”
“Traces”
“Yes-People”

DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

Ten films will advance in the Documentary Short Subject category for the 93rd Academy Awards.  One hundred fourteen films 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:

“Abortion Helpline, This Is Lisa”
“Call Center Blues”
“Colette”
“A Concerto Is a Conversation”
“Do Not Split”
“Hunger Ward”
“Hysterical Girl”
“A Love Song for Latasha”
“The Speed Cubers”
“What Would Sophia Loren Do?”

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

Ten films will advance in the Live Action Short Film category for the 93rd Academy Awards.  One hundred seventy-four films 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:

“Bittu”
“Da Yie”
“Feeling Through”
“The Human Voice”
“The Kicksled Choir”
“The Letter Room”
“The Present”
“Two Distant Strangers”
“The Van”
“White Eye”

Nominations voting begins on Friday, March 5, 2021, and concludes on Wednesday, March 10, 2021.

Nominations for the 93rd Academy Awards will be announced on Monday, March 15, 2021.

The 93rd Oscars will be held on Sunday, April 25, 2021, and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.