Australia has all but one chance of bagging an Oscar after Margot Robbie became the only Aussie-born superstar nominated for Hollywood’s most prestigious awards.
Supervillain origin story Joker was the dark horse, leading the field with 11 nominations including Best Picture (Todd Phillips) and Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix).
But amid the celebrations came criticism as a noticeable trend emerged: The list of names was very white and very male.
“Congratulations to those men,” nominations announcer Issa Rae said, as many believed directors such as Greta Gerwig (Little Women) and Lulu Wang (The Farewell) were a sure thing.
Australia’s hopes had been set on big names Nicole Kidman, Toni Collette, Eliza Scanlen and Lee Smith – but all fell short of joining Robbie who is nominated for her performance in Bombshell which premiered in Australia this week.
The 29-year-old is up for Best Supporting Actress for her impressive role as Kayla Pospisil in the biographical drama which tells the story of two former Fox News anchors accusing then-Fox CEO Roger Ailes of sexual harassment.
Following close behind Joker with 10 nominations a piece were Netflix gangster movie The Irishman, Quentin Tarantino’s nostalgic Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Sam Mendes’ World War One film 1917.
Those movies, along with racecar drama Ford v Ferrari, Nazi satire Jojo Rabbit, classic novel Little Women, divorce drama Marriage Story and South Korean movie Parasite will compete for the top prize.
Streaming service Netflix got 24 nominations, including for The Irishman, as well as for Marriage Story, The Two Popes and documentary American Factory.
The nods for Joker, which was controversial for its terrifying portrayal of an isolated loner but took more than $US1 billion at the global box office, covered all the major fields, including for director Todd Phillips, adapted screenplay, film editing and sound editing.
In acting races, other nominees included Once Upon a Time in Hollywood stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, Marriage Story stars Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson, and Little Women actresses Saoirse Ronan and Florence Pugh.
Only two of the acting nominees were not white: Cynthia Erivo for her lead role as anti-slavery activist Harriet Tubman in Harriet and Spaniard Antonio Banderas for drama Pain and Glory.
All the nominated directors were men, dashing the hopes of Greta Gerwig in the traditionally male club for Little Women, although she did get a best adapted screenplay nod.
Off the top of my head: Greta Gerwig; Lulu Wang; Olivia Wilde all directed excellent films. The Academy is continually taking the piss.
— Hannah Jane Parkinson (@ladyhaja) January 13, 2020
However, a record 62 women were nominated, almost one-third of the field, said the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, whose 8,000 members vote on the nominees and the winners.
Social satire Parasite became the first South Korean movie to be nominated in both the best picture and best international film categories.
Director Bong Joon Ho also received a nod for best director.
Notable snubs included Robert De Niro, star of The Irishman, Jennifer Lopez for Hustlers, Eddie Murphy for comedy Dolemite is My Name and Disney blockbusters The Lion King and Frozen 2 – both of which were omitted in the animated feature film category.
Stars will hit the red carpet in Hollywood on February 9 to celebrate the Oscars winners.
-with AAP
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