Oscars 2021: Shortlists provide glimpse into potential nominees

Take a look at the 2021 Oscars shortlists so you know what to expect when nominations are announced for the 93rd Academy Awards.

We are just over a month away from Oscar nominations and The Academy has now narrowed down the list of potential nominees for certain categories.

Preliminary voting for certain categories was last week, Feb. 1-5. This voting helped whittle down some of the 23 Academy Awards categories to shortlists, which were announced Tuesday. 

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

Take a look below so you know what to expect come Monday morning, March 15, when nominations are announced for the 93rd Academy Awards. Stay tuned to The Gold Knight for full coverage.


Best Documentary Feature
Fifteen films advanced in the Documentary Feature category, out of 238 films submitted. 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”

Best Documentary Short Subject
Ten films advanced in the Documentary Short Subject category, out of 114 films that qualified. 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?”

Best International Feature Film
Fifteen films advanced to the next round of voting in the International Feature Film category (formerly known as Foreign Language Film), out of 93 eligible films. 

As part of a rule change, all eligible Academy members from all branches were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting for this category and had to meet a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category. 

The number of films on the shortlist is up from 10 in previous years. In the past, seven choices, augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy’s International Feature Film Award Executive Committee, constituted the shortlist.

In the nominations round, Academy members from all branches are invited to opt-in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films in order to cast a ballot.

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”

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Ten films advanced in the Makeup and Hairstyling category. All members of the Academy’s Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch were invited to virtually view seven-minute excerpts from each of the 10 shortlisted films on Saturday, March 6. Members 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”

Best Music – Original Score
Fifteen scores advanced in the Original Score category, out of 136 eligible. 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”

Best Music – Original Song
Fifteen songs advanced in the Original Song category, out of 105 eligible songs. 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”

Best Short Film – Animated
Ten films advanced in the Animated Short Film category, out of 96 films that qualified. 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”

Best Short Film – Live Action
Ten films advanced in the Live Action Short Film category, out of 174 films that qualified. 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” 

Best Visual Effects
Ten films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category. The Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the shortlist. All members of the Visual Effects Branch were invited to virtually view 10-minute excerpts from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, March 6.  Following the screenings, members 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”

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 Academy Awards, for outstanding film achievements of 2020, will be presented on Sunday, April 25, 2021, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 225 countries worldwide.