Oscars 2024: Shortlists provide glimpse into potential nominees

Take a look at the 2024 Oscars shortlists so you know what to expect when nominations are announced for the 96th Academy Awards.

We are getting closer to Oscar nominations and The Academy has narrowed down the list of potential nominees for certain categories.

Preliminary voting for certain categories was held in December by various branches of The Academy. This voting helped whittle down some of the 23 Academy Awards categories to shortlists, which were announced Dec. 21. 

Nominations voting begins next week, on Thursday, Jan. 11, and concludes on Tuesday, Jan. 16. 

Take a look below so you know what to expect come Tuesday morning, Jan. 23, when nominations are announced for the 96th Academy Awards. Stay tuned to The Gold Knight for full coverage.

Best Documentary Feature
Fifteen films advanced in the Documentary Feature category, out of 167 films submitted (24 more than last year, but 68 less than three years ago). Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

• “American Symphony”
• “Apolonia, Apolonia”
• “Beyond Utopia”
• “Bobi Wine: The People’s President”
• “Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy”
• “The Eternal Memory”
• “Four Daughters”
• “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project”
• “In the Rearview”
• “Stamped from the Beginning”
• “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie”
• “A Still Small Voice”
• “32 Sounds”
• “To Kill a Tiger”
• “20 Days in Mariupol”

Best Documentary Short Subject
Fifteen films advanced in the Documentary Short Subject category (up from 10 advancing three years ago), out of 114 films that qualified (up from 98 last year and 82 two years ago). Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

• “The ABCs of Book Banning”
• “The Barber of Little Rock”
• “Bear”
• “Between Earth & Sky”
• “Black Girls Play: The Story of Hand Games”
• “Camp Courage”
• “Deciding Vote”
• “How We Get Free”
• “If Dreams Were Lightning: Rural Healthcare Crisis”
• “Island in Between”
• “The Last Repair Shop”
• “Last Song from Kabul”
• “Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó”
• “Oasis”
• “Wings of Dust”

Best International Feature Film
Fifteen films advanced to the next round of voting in the International Feature Film category, from 88 countries and regions (down from 92 last year).

As part of a rule change in 2020, 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. In previous years, the number of films on the shortlist was 10 and was augmented by the Academy’s International Feature Film Award Executive Committee.

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:

• Armenia, “Amerikatsi”
• Bhutan, “The Monk and the Gun”
• Denmark, “The Promised Land”
• Finland, “Fallen Leaves”
• France, “The Taste of Things”
• Germany, “The Teachers’ Lounge”
• Iceland, “Godland”
• Italy, “Io Capitano”
• Japan, “Perfect Days”
• Mexico, “Totem”
• Morocco, “The Mother of All Lies”
• Spain, “Society of the Snow”
• Tunisia, “Four Daughters”
• Ukraine, “20 Days in Mariupol”
• United Kingdom, “The Zone of Interest”

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Ten films advanced in the Makeup and Hairstyling category. All members of the Academy’s Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch will be invited to view excerpts and interviews with artists from each of the 10 shortlisted films on Sunday, Jan. 14. Branch members vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

• “Beau Is Afraid”
• “Ferrari”
• “Golda”
• “Killers of the Flower Moon”
• “The Last Voyage of the Demeter”
• “Maestro”
• “Napoleon”
• “Oppenheimer”
• “Poor Things”
• “Society of the Snow”

Best Music – Original Score
Fifteen scores advanced in the Original Score category, out of 148 eligible (one more than last year and 12 more than two years ago). Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The scores, listed in alphabetical order by film title, are:

• “American Fiction”
• “American Symphony”
• “Barbie”
• “The Boy and the Heron”
• “The Color Purple”
• “Elemental”
• “The Holdovers”
• “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”
• “Killers of the Flower Moon”
• “Oppenheimer”
• “Poor Things”
• “Saltburn”
• “Society of the Snow”
• “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
• “The Zone of Interest”

Best Music – Original Song
Fifteen songs advanced in the Original Song category, out of 94 eligible songs (up from 81 last year and from 84 two years ago). 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:

• “It Never Went Away” from “American Symphony”
• “Dear Alien (Who Art In Heaven)” from “Asteroid City”
• “Dance The Night” from “Barbie”
• “I’m Just Ken” from “Barbie”
• “What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie”
• “Keep It Movin’” from “The Color Purple”
• “Superpower (I)” from “The Color Purple”
• “The Fire Inside” from “Flamin’ Hot”
• “High Life” from “Flora and Son”
• “Meet In The Middle” from “Flora and Son”
• “Can’t Catch Me Now” from “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes”
• “Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)” from “Killers of the Flower Moon”
• “Quiet Eyes” from “Past Lives”
• “Road To Freedom” from “Rustin”
• “Am I Dreaming” from “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”

Best Short Film – Animated
Fifteen films advanced in the Animated Short Film category (up from 10 three years ago), out of 93 films that qualified (up from 82 last year and 82 two years ago). 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:

• “Boom”
• “Eeva”
• “Humo (Smoke)”
• “I’m Hip”
• “A Kind of Testament”
• “Koerkorter (Dog Apartment)”
• “Letter to a Pig”
• “Ninety-Five Senses”
• “Once upon a Studio”
• “Our Uniform”
• “Pachyderme”
• “Pete”
• “27”
• “War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko”
• “Wild Summon”

Best Short Film – Live Action
Fifteen films advanced in the Live Action Short Film category (up from 10 three years ago), out of 187 films that qualified (down from 200 last year and up from 145 two years ago). 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:

• “The After”
• “The Anne Frank Gift Shop”
• “An Avocado Pit”
• “Bienvenidos a Los Angeles”
• “Dead Cat”
• “Good Boy”
• “Invincible”
• “Invisible Border”
• “Knight of Fortune”
• “The One Note Man”
• “Red, White and Blue”
• “The Shepherd”
• “Strange Way of Life”
• “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar”
• “Yellow”

Best Sound
Ten films advanced in the Sound category. This is the third year for the shortlist. Members of the Sound Branch determined the shortlist. All members of the Sound Branch will be invited to view excerpts from each of the shortlisted films beginning Thursday, Jan. 11, in various cities. Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

• “Barbie”
• “The Creator”
• “Ferrari”
• “The Killer”
• “Killers of the Flower Moon”
• “Maestro”
• “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”
• “Napoleon”
• “Oppenheimer”
• “The Zone of Interest”

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 will be invited to view excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, Jan. 13.  Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

• “The Creator”
• “Godzilla Minus One”
• “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”
• “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”
• “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”
• “Napoleon”
• “Poor Things”
• “Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire”
• “Society of the Snow”
• “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”

Nominations voting begins on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024, and concludes on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024. Nominations for the 96th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024.

The 96th Academy Awards, for outstanding film achievements of 2023, will be presented on Sunday, March 10, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.