'Joker' leads Oscar nods with 11 as women miss out

Dark comic book tale "Joker" topped the Oscar nominations Monday, picking up 11 nods including best picture and best director, as women and ethnic minorities were largely shut out once again.

The pre-dawn Academy Award announcement capped months of ceaseless campaigning by A-listers and studios, revealing which stars and movies have a shot at Hollywood's ultimate prize next month.

Todd Phillips's "Joker," a bleak, arthouse take on the comic book villain starring Joaquin Phoenix, was just ahead of three films.

Quentin Tarantino's 1960s Tinseltown homage "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood," Sam Mendes's World War I odyssey "1917" and Martin Scorsese's "The Irishman" each earned 10 nominations, including best picture as well as best director.

South Korean class satire "Parasite," from Bong Joon-ho, secured the final best director slot, meaning once again no female directors made the shortlist.

Much of the focus so far this award season has been on the lack of women and ethnic minority filmmakers honored.

Greta Gerwig's acclaimed "Little Women" adaptation has been notably absent in several award nominations announcements, although it was one of nine films nominated for the best picture Oscar.

"Unfortunately there are just five nominees" for best director in an "incredibly strong year," one Academy voter who asked not to be named told AFP, pointing to the revered track records of the likes of Scorsese, Tarantino and Mendes.

Controversy over those omissions, in an industry criticized for its lack of diversity, was fueled at last week's BAFTA nominations, which were also condemned for overlooking ethnic minorities.

- Showbiz legend -

The Oscars picked only one non-white actor -- British star Cynthia Erivo, who plays US anti-slavery icon Harriet Tubman in "Harriet."

Notable snubs included Eddie Murphy for blaxploitation biopic "Dolemite Is My Name," Jennifer Lopez for "Hustlers," Awkwafina for "The Farewell" and Lupita Nyong'o for "Us."

Last year, three of the four acting Oscars went to non-white performers.

Voting for Oscar nominees ended last Tuesday, two days after the Golden Globes.

But Taron Egerton's Globe-winning turn as Elton John in "Rocketman" was not enough to earn an Oscar nomination in an outrageously competitive best actor field.

Renee Zellweger, who has swept the best actress nominations so far during this awards season, headed the best actress Oscar shortlist thanks to her acclaimed turn as showbiz legend Judy Garland in "Judy."

Some 9,000 Academy members vote for the Oscars.

In the nominations round of voting, members were asked to rank their top choices only for best picture, and for the categories corresponding with the specific Academy branch to which they belong.

Voting for winners -- in which members can vote in every category -- begins January 30, closing five days later.

The Oscars will be handed out in Hollywood on February 9.

Here are the nominees in key categories for the 92nd Academy Awards, to be handed out on February 9 in Hollywood.

"Joker" leads the nominations with 11, followed by "The Irishman," "1917" and "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood," tied in joint second, with 10 nominations each.

Best picture:

"Ford v Ferrari"

"The Irishman"

"Jojo Rabbit"

"Joker"

"Little Women"

"Marriage Story"

"1917"

"Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"

"Parasite"

Best director:

Bong Joon-ho, "Parasite"

Todd Phillips, "Joker"

Sam Mendes, "1917"

Martin Scorsese, "The Irishman"

Quentin Tarantino, "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"

Best actor:

Antonio Banderas, "Pain and Glory"

Leonardo DiCaprio, "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"

Adam Driver, "Marriage Story"

Joaquin Phoenix, "Joker"

Jonathan Pryce, "The Two Popes"

Best actress:

Cynthia Erivo, "Harriet"

Saoirse Ronan, "Little Women"

Scarlett Johansson, "Marriage Story"

Charlize Theron, "Bombshell"

Renee Zellweger, "Judy"

Best supporting actor:

Tom Hanks, "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood"

Anthony Hopkins, "The Two Popes"

Al Pacino, "The Irishman"

Joe Pesci, "The Irishman"

Brad Pitt, "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood"

Best supporting actress:

Laura Dern, "Marriage Story"

Scarlett Johansson, "Jojo Rabbit"

Florence Pugh, "Little Women"

Margot Robbie, "Bombshell"

Kathy Bates "Richard Jewell"

Best foreign language film:

"Corpus Christi" (Poland)

"Honeyland" (North Macedonia)

"Les Miserables" (France)

"Pain and Glory" (Spain)

"Parasite" (South Korea)

Best animated feature:

"How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World"

"I Lost My Body"

"Klaus"

"Missing Link"

"Toy Story 4"

Best documentary feature:

"American Factory"

"The Cave"

"The Edge of Democracy"

"For Sama"

"Honeyland"

Best original screenplay

"Knives Out" - Rian Johnson

"Marriage Story" - Noah Baumbach

"1917" - Sam Mendes & Krysty Wilson-Cairns

"Once upon a Time... in Hollywood" - Quentin Tarantino

"Parasite" - Bong Joon-ho, Han Jin-won

Best adapted screenplay

The Irishman" - Steven Zaillian

"Jojo Rabbit" - Taika Waititi

"Joker" - Todd Phillips & Scott Silver

"Little Women" - Greta Gerwig

"The Two Popes" - Anthony McCarten

Best original score

"Joker" - Hildur Guonadottir

"Little Women" - Alexandre Desplat

"Marriage Story" - Randy Newman

"1917" - Thomas Newman

"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" - John Williams

Best original song

"I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away" from "Toy Story 4"

"(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" from "Rocketman"

"I'm Standing With You" from "Breakthrough"

"Into The Unknown" from "Frozen II"

"Stand Up" from "Harriet"

Films with more than five nominations:

"Joker" - 11

"The Irishman" - 10

"1917" - 10

"Once upon a Time... in Hollywood" - 10

"Jojo Rabbit" - 6

"Little Women" - 6

"Marriage Story" - 6

"Parasite" - 6

© 2020 AFP