This Academy Awards Ballot is thanks to the contributions from Justin Angebrandt, Max Bolen, Josh Brown, Ethan Chamberlain, Patrick Dickerson, seanjdillon, Ashley Durante, RJ Durante, Danielle MacMath, Dan McMahon, Kate McGowan, and Jon Scott.
What a year for movies, folks! There’s a lot to celebrate in film this year: the double WGA/SAG-AFTRA strikes, Barbenheimer, and some pretty incredible releases across the board. Now that the 96th Academy Awards are upon us, there is plenty to celebrate here: historic nominations in best picture with two international feature films nominated and a notable number of comedies/dramadies, historic nominations for Lily Gladstone and Scott George, notable first nominations in director and the acting categories, and a diverse range of films and individuals nominated across the categories. Of course, the Oscars could do better, and ideally there would be more women nominees, more BIPOC nominees, an award for stunts, and other significant changes; but compared to #OscarsSoWhite, they have come a long way.
That being said, it’s time for what you’re here for: the Official GateCrashers Selections for the 96th Academy Awards!
Best Visual Effects
And the nominees are…
- The Creator – Jay Cooper, Ian Comley, Andrew Roberts, Neil Corbould
- Godzilla Minus One – Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahasi, Tatsuji Nojima
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – Stepane Ceretti, Alexis Wajsbrot, Guy Williams, Theo Balek
- Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One – Alex Wuttke, Simone Coco, Jeff Sutherland, Neil Corbould
- Napoleon – Charley Henley, Luc-Ewen Martin-Fenouillet, Simone Coco, Neil Corbould
And the winner is…
First Place: Godzilla Minus One
Second Place: Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Listen Godzilla is our king, and it is time that we give him (and the amazing team behind the effects that bring him to life) their due.
Best Film Editing
And the nominees are…
- Anatomy of a Fall – Laurent Sénéchal
- The Holdovers – Kevin Tent
- Killers of the Flower Moon – Thelma Schoonmaker
- Oppenheimer – Jennifer Lame
- Poor Things – Yorgos Mavropsaridis
And the winner is…
First Place: Oppenheimer
Second Place: Killers of the Flower Moon
You heard it here first folks: GateCrashers love 3+ hour films! There’s no denying how important the editing was in both Oppenheimer and Killers, but the incredible editing between and within scenes in Oppenheimer has pushed it into the winner’s spot.
Best Costume Design
And the nominees are…
- Barbie – Jacqueline Durran
- Killers of the Flower Moon – Jacqueline West
- Napoleon – Janty Yates, Dave Crossman
- Oppenheimer – Ellen Mirojnick
- Poor Things – Holly Waddington
And the winner is…
First Place: Poor Things
Second Place: Barbie
Poor Things tells as much of its story through the visual presentation on the screen as it does in its script and acting. Holly Waddington’s incredible costume design is a huge part of that. Likewise, Barbie’s costumes contribute to the visual storytelling. Both films gave us iconic looks that we know will influence runways at fashion weeks and drag shows for years to come.
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
And the nominees are…
- Golda – Karen Hartley Thomas, Suzi Battersby, Ashra Kelly-Blue
- Maestro – Kazu Hiro, Kay Georgiou, Lori McCoy-Bell
- Oppenheimer – Luisa Abel
- Poor Things – Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier, Josh Weston
- Society of the Snow – Ana López-Puigcerver, David Martí, Montse Ribé
And the winner is…
First Place: Poor Things
Second Place: Maestro
Listen, is Poor Things absolutely wild? Yes. Is the makeup and hairstyling just incredible? Also yes. A note to Hollywood: Willem Dafoe’s prosthetics good, fat suits bad (just in case you’re thinking about doing that again *grumble* The Whale *shakes fist*).
Best Cinematography
And the nominees are…
- El Conde – Edward Lachman
- Killers of the Flower Moon – Rodrigo Prieto
- Maestro – Matthew Libatique
- Oppenheimer – Hoyte van Hoytema
- Poor Things – Robbie Ryan
And the winner is…
First Place: Oppenheimer
Second Place: Killers of the Flower Moon, Poor Things (tie)
Oppenheimer’s most memorable shots have dominated the internet since the release of Nolan’s biopic. Gifs, memes, and videos have entered van Hoytema’s cinematography into the cultural zeitgeist. That is a credit to how impressive this film’s cinematography is. Each shot in Oppenheimer is so well crafted and essential to the movement of the story, influenced by Nolan’s directing and inspiring Lame’s editing.
Best Production Design
And the nominees are…
- Barbie – Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer
- Killers of the Flower Moon – Jack Fisk, Adam Willis
- Napoleon – Arthur Max, Elli Griff
- Oppenheimer – Ruth De Jong, Claire Kaufman
- Poor Things – James Price, Shona Heath, Zsuzsa Mihalek
And the winner is…
First Place: Poor Things
Second Place: Barbie
The ceramics covering God’s walls, the wood paneling of Bella and Duncan’s cabin on the ship, the byzantine severity of the Blessington manor. Production design oozes through Poor Things’s veins, defining the picture. Price, Heath, and Mihalek are at another level in their design and set dressing, only really matched here in achievement by Barbie (and how can we not acknowledge the worldwide shortage in pink paint).
Best Sound
And the nominees are…
- The Creator – Ian Voigt, Erik Aadahl, Ethan Van der Ryn, Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic
- Maestro – Steven A. Morrow, Richard King, Jason Ruder, Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic
- Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One – Chris Munro, James H. Mather, Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor
- Oppenheimer – Willie Burton, Richard King, Gary A. Rizzo, Kevin O’Connell
- The Zone of Interest – Tarn Willers, Johnnie Burns
And the winner is…
First Place: Oppenheimer
Second Place: The Zone of Interest
Oppenheimer’s pounding score, incredible sound effects, and impactful dialogue mix together in an amazing sound effect that keeps the audience on edge for all 180 minutes. It’s biggest competitor, though, is The Zone of Interest who uses an aural horrorscape to portray the genocide happening around the Auschwitz commandant and his family.
Best Original Song
And the nominees are…
- “The Fire Inside” from Flamin’ Hot – Diane Warren
- “I’m Just Ken” from Barbie – Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt
- “It Never Went Away” from American Symphony – Jon Batiste, Dan Wilson
- “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” from Killers of the Flower Moon – Scott George
- “What Was I Made For?” from Barbie – Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell
And the winner is…
First Place: “What Was I Made For?”, “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” (tie)
While Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell’s incredible number from Barbie seems to be a runaway winner here, we feel like it is necessary to acknowledge the incredible traditional piece from Osage Nation member Scott George that features in Killers as well. Hopefully Scott George is the beginning of Hollywood recognizing indigenous artists’ contributions to our cultural landscape.
Best Original Score
And the nominees are…
- American Fiction – Laura Karpman
- Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny – John Williams
- Killers of the Flower Moon – Robbie Robertson
- Oppenheimer – Ludwig Göransson
- Poor Things – Jerskin Fendrix
And the winner is…
First Place: Oppenheimer
Second Place: Killers of the Flower Moon
Göransson’s score, part classic scifi soundtrack and part Adam’s Nixon in China, will be remembered along the other great film scores of the first quarter of the 21st century, including Zimmer’s Interstellar and Dune and Guðnadóttir’s Joker.
Best Animated Short Film
And the nominees are…
- Letter to a Pig
- Ninety-Five Senses
- Our Uniform
- Pachyderme
- War is Over! Inspired by the Music of John and Yoko
And the winner is…
First Place: Pachyderme
Second Place: Letter to a Pig
Pachyderme, concerning a young child’s abuse, blends animation styles to discuss a heavy topic in a way that is thoughtful and acknowledging of the trauma of abuse.
Best Live Action Short Film
And the nominees are…
- The After
- Invincible
- Knight of Fortune
- Red, White and Blue
- The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
And the winner is…
First Place: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
Second Place: The After, Knight of Fortune (tie)
Is it finally time for Wes Anderson to bring home a personal Oscar?
Best Documentary Short Film
And the nominees are…
- The ABCs of Book Banning
- The Barber of Little Rock
- Island in Between
- The Last Repair Shop
- Năi Nai & Wài Pó
And the winner is…
First Place: The ABCs of Book Banning
Second Place: The Last Repair Shop
Incredibly timely, The ABCs of Book Banning looks at the terrible trend of removing content from our schools because they contain “questionable” or “offensive” content (read: content about queer folk, BIPOC folk, women, really anything that fascists don’t like) through the eyes of the people it affects the most: the students.
Best Documentary Feature Film
And the nominees are…
- Bobi Wine: The People’s President
- The Eternal Memory
- Four Daughters
- To Kill a Tiger
- 20 Days in Mariupol
And the winner is…
First Place: 20 Days in Mariupol, To Kill a Tiger (tie)
Notably, all five nominees for Best Documentary are foreign films. This was one of the most competitive categories among GateCrashers, speaking to the depth of this particular field. Two rose to the top: 20 Days in Mariupol (about the opening days of the Russian-Ukraine War) and To Kill a Tiger (about a family’s insistence on standing with their daughter after she is sexually assaulted). Both contain powerful narratives on important issues in well-crafted films. Really this category is anyone’s game.
Best International Feature Film
And the nominees are…
- Io Capitano – Italy
- Perfect Days – Japan
- Society of the Snow – Spain
- The Teachers’ Lounge – Germany
- The Zone of Interest – United Kingdom
And the winner is…
First Place: The Zone of Interest, Perfect Days (tie)
It is hard to vote against a Best Picture nominee here, but is Perfect Days situated for the upset of a lifetime? Both the film from Japan and UK’s The Zone of Interest are incredible films, but all signs point to the UK bringing home their first ever International Feature trophy!
Best Animated Feature
And the nominees are…
- The Boy and the Heron
- Elemental
- Nimona
- Robot Dreams
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
And the winner is…
First Place: The Boy and the Heron
Second Place: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
While Spider-Verse seemed like a shoe-in earlier this year, the late finish from the last(-ish) Miyazaki might just have enough momentum to overcome the competition and take home the trophy. Really the determining factor here is how much did the stellar English voice cast performance in The Boy and the Heron influence the votes?
Best Adapted Screenplay
And the nominees are…
- American Fiction – Cord Jefferson
- Barbie – Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach
- Oppenheimer – Christopher Nolan
- Poor Things – Tony McNamara
- The Zone of Interest – Jonathan Glazer
And the winner is…
First Place: Oppenheimer
Second Place: Barbie
Oppenheimer’s winning streak is likely to go all night, so don’t be surprised if Christopher Nolan’s first ever Oscar is for Adapted Screenplay. There are certainly a number of strong contenders here, but the biggest rivalry seems to be between both halves of Barbenheimer. If the award goes the way of Barbie, Greta Gerwig will also become a first-ever Oscar winner. Regardless, an important award for a group of important filmmakers.
Best Original Screenplay
And the nominees are…
- Anatomy of a Fall – Justine Triet, Arthur Harari
- The Holdovers – David Hemingson
- Maestro – Bradley Cooper, Josh Singer
- May December – Samy Burch, Alex Mechanik
- Past Lives – Celine Song
And the winner is…
First Place: Anatomy of a Fall
Second Place: Maestro
French courtroom drama Anatomy of a Fall seems likely to bring the Best Original Screenplay back to Europe, a perfect reward for Justine Triet after her film was snubbed for submission by France’s committee for International Feature as political retribution. A fitting way for the Academy to respond to an incredible film. And Triet and Harari’s script is more than deserving of the award.
Best Supporting Actress
And the nominees are…
- Emily Blunt – Oppenheimer
- Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple
- America Ferrera – Barbie
- Jodie Foster – Nyad
- Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers
And the winner is…
First Place: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
Second Place: Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer
Very rarely is an award as guaranteed going into Oscars night as Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s win in Supporting Actress. Randolph’s absolute powerhouse performance as Mary Lamb in The Holdovers is a role that dreams are made of. She’s funny, emotional, endearing, complex. A deserving win all around!
Best Supporting Actor
And the nominees are…
- Sterling K. Brown – American Fiction
- Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon
- Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer
- Ryan Gosling – Barbie
- Mark Ruffalo – Poor Things
And the winner is…
First Place: Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer; Ryan Gosling, Barbie (tie)
While Robert Downey Jr. has had a successful awards season so far, us here at GateCrashers think the race is still pretty close. Ultimately, don’t be shocked if Ryan Gosling is a surprise upset here, as long as the Academy isn’t too worried about the optics of handing Gosling a trophy…
Best Actress
And the nominees are…
- Annette Bening – Nyad
- Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon
- Sandra Hüller – Anatomy of a Fall
- Carey Mulligan – Maestro
- Emma Stone – Poor Things
And the winner is…
First Place: Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Second Place: Emma Stone, Poor Things
Lily Gladstone’s nuanced performance as Mollie Burkhart is the kind of performance you watch and go “they’re going to win everything”. But then you watch Emma Stone, Carey Mulligan, Sandra Hüller, and Annette Bening and think the same thing. The Best Actress race is always one of, if not the, most competitive contests every year, and this year is certainly no different. While it would not be surprising for Stone to walk home with her second Oscar this year, there seems to be just enough momentum behind Lily Gladstone for them to secure the historic win. We hope that she is just the first of many Indigenous American winners.
Best Actor
And the nominees are…
- Bradley Cooper – Maestro
- Colman Domingo – Rustin
- Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
- Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer
- Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction
And the winner is…
First Place: Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Second Place: Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy’s best actor win here would be one of many crowning achievements during a great night for Oppenheimer. Murphy’s impressive performance as the Father of the Atomic Bomb is the thread that keeps the non-chronological biopic connected. The consistency of the performance is a huge strength, especially considering the length of the film. An upset might occur here with Paul Giamatti’s hilarious and heartfelt turn in The Holdovers, but Oppenheimer’s force is likely too strong here.
Best Director
And the nominees are…
- Justine Triet – Anatomy of a Fall
- Martin Scorsese – Killers of the Flower Moon
- Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer
- Yorgos Lanthimos – Poor Things
- Jonathan Glazer – The Zone of Interest
And the winner is…
First Place: Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Second Place: Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall
Nolan’s magnum opus is almost certainly going to be on a hot streak Sunday night. Expect Nolan to finally get his Oscar for Best Director, as much a lifetime achievement award as it is deservedly for achievement in directing among 2023 movies. There is plenty to reward for Nolan’s directing this year and the statuette going to the Nolan household is all but ensured.
Best Picture
And the nominees are…
And the winner is…
First Place: Oppenheimer
Second Place: Killers of the Flower Moon
What else is there to do at the end of the 96th Academy Awards but to hand the Oscar for Best Picture to Oppenheimer? It is almost inevitable at this point who the winner is. There is still a possibility for an upset, but the energy behind this film, the beauty in its filmmaking craft, and the continued relevance of the message will almost certainly propel it to the top prize. And we here at GateCrashers agree that it is deserving of the trophy of the night.
All-in-all, a good slate of winners here. Happy awards season!
The Academy Awards will air at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Sunday, March 10, 2024 on ABC.