Malayalam hit ‘2018’ out of Oscars race as Academy announces shortlists in multiple categories

Malayalam hit film ‘2018: Everyone Is a Hero’, which was India’s official entry to the Oscars in the Best Foreign Language Film category, is out of the race for the 96th Academy Awards. The Jude Anthany Joseph directorial was based on the unprecedented rains and flood that hit Kerala in 2018.

The Academy of Motion Picture Art and Sciences announced its shortlist of films for Oscars 2024 on December 22. The list featured contenders in 10 categories including best original song, documentary feature, international feature, original score, visual effects, and sound.

Mstyslav Chernov's ‘20 Days in Mariupol’ made the shortlist for both documentary and international feature categories, representing Ukraine in the latter.

Greta Gerwig's ‘Barbie,’ Christopher Nolan's ‘Oppenheimer,’ and Martin Scorsese's ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ were prominently featured in several categories like score and sound, along with Jonathan Glazer's ‘The Zone of Interest.’

Yorgos Lanthimos' ‘Poor Things’ advanced in makeup, visual effects, and score, while ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ earned recognition in visual effects, song, and score.

Among the 15 international features moving forward are ‘The Zone of Interest’ (United Kingdom), Trần Anh Hùng’s ‘The Taste of Things’ (France), Lila Avilés’ ‘Tótem’ (Mexico), and Aki Kaurismäki’s ‘Fallen Leaves’ (Finland). However, Justine Triet's acclaimed ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ wasn't chosen to represent France and was consequently ineligible in the category.

For the most part, shortlists are determined by members in their respective categories, although the specifics of the process vary from branch to branch. Some branches have committees, while others have minimum viewing requirements.

Final nominations in all categories will be announced on Jan. 23. The 96th Oscars, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will be held on March 10, broadcasting live on ABC from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The show will begin one hour earlier than usual, at 7 p.m. ET.

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