90th Oscar Nominations Are Here – THE SHAPE OF WATER Leads Oscar Race With 13 Nominations

By Michelle McCue | January 23, 2018

Countdown to the Oscars and the BIGGEST show in Hollywood happened Tuesday morning as the nominations for the 90th Academy Awards were announced from AMPAS headquarters at the Samuel Goldwyn theater.

This year’s most nominated film, The Shape of Water, is the tenth film in Oscar history to earn thirteen nominations. The current record of fourteen nominations is held by three films, All about Eve (1950), Titanic (1997) and La La Land (2016). Dunkirk received eight nods, Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri seven nominations, Darkest Hour and Phantom Thread saw 6 nominations each, with Lady Bird and Blade Runner 2049 each earning five nods.

Actress-comedian Tiffany Haddish and actor-director Andy Serkis, joined by
Academy President John Bailey, announced the 90th Academy Awards nominations today.

Haddish and Serkis announced the nominees in 11 categories at 5:22 a.m. PT, with pre-taped category introductions by Academy members Priyanka Chopra, Rosario Dawson, Gal Gadot, Salma Hayek, Michelle Rodriguez, Zoe Saldana, Molly Shannon, Rebel Wilson and Michelle Yeoh. Haddish and Serkis announced the remaining 13 categories at 5:38 a.m. PT.

NOMINATIONS BY CATEGORY – 90TH AWARDS

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Timothée Chalamet in “Call Me by Your Name” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Daniel Day-Lewis in “Phantom Thread” (Focus Features)
Daniel Kaluuya in “Get Out” (Universal)
Gary Oldman in “Darkest Hour” (Focus Features)
Denzel Washington in “Roman J. Israel, Esq.” (Sony Pictures Releasing)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Willem Dafoe in “The Florida Project” (A24)
Woody Harrelson in “Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri” (Fox Searchlight)
Richard Jenkins in “The Shape of Water” (Fox Searchlight)
Christopher Plummer in “All the Money in the World” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Sam Rockwell in “Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri” (Fox Searchlight)

Performance by an actress in a leading role

Sally Hawkins in “The Shape of Water” (Fox Searchlight)
Frances McDormand in “Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri” (Fox Searchlight)
Margot Robbie in “I, Tonya” (Neon/30 West)
Saoirse Ronan in “Lady Bird” (A24)
Meryl Streep in “The Post” (20th Century Fox)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

Mary J. Blige in “Mudbound” (Netflix)
Allison Janney in “I, Tonya” (Neon/30 West)
Lesley Manville in “Phantom Thread” (Focus Features)
Laurie Metcalf in “Lady Bird” (A24)
Octavia Spencer in “The Shape of Water” (Fox Searchlight)

Best animated feature film of the year

“The Boss Baby” (20th Century Fox) Tom McGrath and Ramsey Naito
“The Breadwinner” (GKIDS) Nora Twomey and Anthony Leo
“Coco” (Walt Disney) Lee Unkrich and Darla K. Anderson
“Ferdinand” (20th Century Fox) Carlos Saldanha
“Loving Vincent” (Good Deed Entertainment) Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman and Ivan Mactaggart

Achievement in cinematography

“Blade Runner 2049” (Warner Bros.) Roger A. Deakins
“Darkest Hour” (Focus Features) Bruno Delbonnel
“Dunkirk” (Warner Bros.) Hoyte van Hoytema
“Mudbound” (Netflix) Rachel Morrison
“The Shape of Water” (Fox Searchlight) Dan Laustsen

Achievement in costume design

“Beauty and the Beast” (Walt Disney) Jacqueline Durran
“Darkest Hour” (Focus Features) Jacqueline Durran
“Phantom Thread” (Focus Features) Mark Bridges
“The Shape of Water” (Fox Searchlight) Luis Sequeira
“Victoria & Abdul” (Focus Features) Consolata Boyle

Achievement in directing

“Dunkirk” (Warner Bros.) Christopher Nolan
“Get Out” (Universal) Jordan Peele
“Lady Bird” (A24) Greta Gerwig
“Phantom Thread” (Focus Features) Paul Thomas Anderson
“The Shape of Water” (Fox Searchlight) Guillermo del Toro

Best documentary feature

“Abacus: Small Enough to Jail” (PBS Distribution) A Mitten Media/Motto Pictures/Kartemquin Educational Films/WGBH/FRONTLINE Production Steve James, Mark Mitten and Julie Goldman
“Faces Places” (Cohen Media Group) A Ciné Tamaris Production Agnès Varda, JR and Rosalie Varda
“Icarus” (Netflix) A Netflix Documentary in association with Impact Partners, Diamond Docs, Chicago Media Project and Alex Production Bryan Fogel and Dan Cogan
“Last Men in Aleppo” (Grasshopper Film) A Larm Film and Aleppo Media Center Production Feras Fayyad, Kareem Abeed and Søren Steen Jespersen
“Strong Island” (Netflix) A Yanceville Films and Louverture Films Production Yance Ford and Joslyn Barnes

Best documentary short subject

“Edith+Eddie” (Kartemquin Films) A Heart is Red/Kartemquin Films Production Laura Checkoway and Thomas Lee Wright
“Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405” A Stiefel & Co. Production Frank Stiefel
“Heroin(e)” (Netflix) A Netflix Original Documentary in association with The Center for Investigative Reporting/Requisite Media Production Elaine McMillion Sheldon and Kerrin Sheldon
“Knife Skills” A TFL Films Production Thomas Lennon
“Traffic Stop” (HBO Documentary Films) A Q-Ball Production Kate Davis and David Heilbroner

Achievement in film editing

“Baby Driver” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Paul Machliss and Jonathan Amos
“Dunkirk” (Warner Bros.) Lee Smith
“I, Tonya” (Neon/30 West) Tatiana S. Riegel
“The Shape of Water” (Fox Searchlight) Sidney Wolinsky
“Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri” (Fox Searchlight)

Best foreign language film of the year

“A Fantastic Woman” A Fabula Production –  Chile
“The Insult” A Douri Film Production –  Lebanon
“Loveless” A Non-Stop Production  – Russia
“On Body and Soul” An Inforg-M&M Film Production – Hungary
“The Square” A Plattform Production  – Sweden

Achievement in makeup and hairstyling

“Darkest Hour” (Focus Features) Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick
“Victoria & Abdul” (Focus Features) Daniel Phillips and Lou Sheppard
“Wonder” (Lionsgate) Arjen Tuiten

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

“Dunkirk” (Warner Bros.) Hans Zimmer
“Phantom Thread” (Focus Features) Jonny Greenwood
“The Shape of Water” (Fox Searchlight) Alexandre Desplat
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” (Walt Disney) John Williams
“Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri” (Fox Searchlight) Carter Burwell

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

“Mighty River” from “Mudbound” (Netflix) Music and Lyric by Mary J. Blige, Raphael Saadiq and Taura Stinson
“Mystery Of Love” from “Call Me by Your Name” (Sony Pictures Classics) Music and Lyric by Sufjan Stevens
“Remember Me” from “Coco” (Walt Disney) Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
“Stand Up For Something” from “Marshall” (Open Road Films) Music by Diane Warren Lyric by Lonnie R. Lynn and Diane Warren
“This Is Me” from “The Greatest Showman” (20th Century Fox) Music and Lyric by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

Best motion picture of the year

“Call Me by Your Name” (Sony Pictures Classics) A Frenesy Film/La Cinéfacture/Memento Films International/RT Features Production Peter Spears, Luca Guadagnino, Emilie Georges and Marco Morabito, Producers
“Darkest Hour” (Focus Features) A Working Title Films Production Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce, Anthony McCarten and Douglas Urbanski, Producers
“Dunkirk” (Warner Bros.) A Syncopy Pictures Production Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers
“Get Out” (Universal) A Blumhouse Productions/QC Entertainment/Monkeypaw Production Sean McKittrick, Jason Blum, Edward H. Hamm Jr. and Jordan Peele, Producers
“Lady Bird” (A24) A Mission Films Production Scott Rudin, Eli Bush and Evelyn O’Neill, Producers
“Phantom Thread” (Focus Features) An Annapurna Pictures Production JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson, Megan Ellison and Daniel Lupi, Producers
“The Post” (20th Century Fox) A 20th Century Fox/DreamWorks Pictures Production Amy Pascal, Steven Spielberg and Kristie Macosko Krieger, Producers
“The Shape of Water” (Fox Searchlight) A Double Dare You Production Guillermo del Toro and J. Miles Dale, Producers
“Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri” (Fox Searchlight) A Blueprint Pictures Production Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin and Martin McDonagh, Producers

Achievement in production design

“Beauty and the Beast” (Walt Disney) Production Design: Sarah Greenwood, Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
“Blade Runner 2049” (Warner Bros.) Production Design: Dennis Gassner, Set Decoration: Alessandra Querzola
“Darkest Hour” (Focus Features) Production Design: Sarah Greenwood, Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
“Dunkirk” (Warner Bros.) Production Design: Nathan Crowley, Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
“The Shape of Water” (Fox Searchlight) Production Design: Paul Denham Austerberry, Set Decoration: Shane Vieau and Jeff Melvin

Best animated short film

“Dear Basketball” (Verizon go90) A Glen Keane Production Glen Keane and Kobe Bryant
“Garden Party” A MOPA Production Victor Caire and Gabriel Grapperon
“Lou” (Walt Disney) A Pixar Animation Studios Production Dave Mullins and Dana Murray
“Negative Space” An Ikki Films Production Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata
“Revolting Rhymes” A Magic Light Pictures Production Jakob Schuh and Jan Lachauer

Best live action short film

“DeKalb Elementary” A UCLA Production Reed Van Dyk
“The Eleven O’Clock” A FINCH Production Derin Seale and Josh Lawson
“My Nephew Emmett” A New York University Production Kevin Wilson, Jr.
“The Silent Child” A Slick Films Production Chris Overton and Rachel Shenton
“Watu Wote/All of Us” A Hamburg Media School Production Katja Benrath and Tobias Rosen

Achievement in sound editing

“Baby Driver” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Julian Slater
“Blade Runner 2049” (Warner Bros.) Mark Mangini and Theo Green
“Dunkirk” (Warner Bros.) Richard King and Alex Gibson
“The Shape of Water” (Fox Searchlight) Nathan Robitaille and Nelson Ferreira
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” (Walt Disney) Matthew Wood and Ren Klyce

Achievement in sound mixing

“Baby Driver” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Julian Slater, Tim Cavagin and Mary H. Ellis
“Blade Runner 2049” (Warner Bros.) Ron Bartlett, Doug Hemphill and Mac Ruth
“Dunkirk” (Warner Bros.) Mark Weingarten, Gregg Landaker and Gary A. Rizzo
“The Shape of Water” (Fox Searchlight) Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern and Glen Gauthier
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” (Walt Disney) David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Stuart Wilson

Achievement in visual effects

“Blade Runner 2049” (Warner Bros.) John Nelson, Gerd Nefzer, Paul Lambert and
Richard R. Hoover
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” (Walt Disney) Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Jonathan Fawkner and Dan Sudick
“Kong: Skull Island” (Warner Bros.) Stephen Rosenbaum, Jeff White, Scott Benza and Mike Meinardus
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” (Walt Disney) Ben Morris, Mike Mulholland, Neal Scanlan and Chris Corbould
“War for the Planet of the Apes” (20th Century Fox) Joe Letteri, Daniel Barrett, Dan Lemmon and Joel Whist

Adapted screenplay

“Call Me by Your Name” (Sony Pictures Classics) Screenplay by James Ivory
“The Disaster Artist” (A24) Screenplay by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber
“Logan” (20th Century Fox) Screenplay by Scott Frank & James Mangold and Michael Green, Story by James Mangold
“Molly’s Game” (STXfilms) Written for the screen by Aaron Sorkin
“Mudbound” (Netflix) Screenplay by Virgil Williams and Dee Rees

Original screenplay

“The Big Sick” (Amazon Studios) Written by Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani
“Get Out” (Universal) Written by Jordan Peele
“Lady Bird” (A24) Written by Greta Gerwig
“The Shape of Water” (Fox Searchlight) Screenplay by Guillermo del Toro & Vanessa Taylor, Story by Guillermo del Toro
“Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri” (Fox Searchlight) Written by Martin McDonagh

Jordan Peele is the third person to receive Best Picture, Directing and Writing nominations for his first feature film as a director for Get Out. Warren Beatty did so with Heaven Can Wait (1978), followed by James L. Brooks with Terms of Endearment (1983). (Beatty shared the Directing and Writing nominations with Buck Henry.)

Greta Gerwig is the fifth woman nominated for Directing. The other nominated directors are Lina Wertmüller for Seven Beauties (1976), Jane Campion for The Piano (1993), Sofia Coppola for Lost in Translation (2003), and Kathryn Bigelow, who won the award for The Hurt Locker (2009). Lady Bird is the 13th film directed by a woman to be nominated for Best Picture. It is the fourth film written and directed solely by women to receive nominations for Best Picture and Writing. The earlier films were The Piano (1993), Lost in Translation (2003) and Winter’s Bone (2010).

Logan is the first comic-book adaptation ever nominated for screenplay.

Steven Spielberg extends his record total of Best Picture nominations for an individual producer with 10 for The Post. He has also directed 11 Best Picture-nominated films, the most of any living person, and second only to William Wyler’s total of 13.

Rachel Morrison, nominated for Mudbound, is the first woman to receive a nomination for Cinematography.

With Blade Runner 2049, Roger A. Deakins has the most nominations for Cinematography of any living person. Charles B. Lang, Jr. and Leon Shamroy share the all-time record with 18 nominations each.

Meryl Streep increases her lead as the most nominated performer with her 21st nomination for The Post.

At 88 years old, Christopher Plummer becomes the oldest acting nominee to date. He remains the oldest acting winner, having won for his supporting role in Beginners (2011) at the age of 82.

John Williams adds to his record number of music scoring nominations with his 46th. His overall total of 51 nominations (including five for Original Song) is the most for any living person, and second only to Walt Disney at 59.

Mary H. Ellis, nominated for Baby Driver, is the sixth woman to be nominated for Sound Mixing. The others are Deb Adair (one nomination), Anna Behlmer (10 nominations), Pud Cusack (one nomination), Lora Hirschberg (two nominations,
including one award) and Ai-Ling Lee (one nomination in the category).

Academy members from each of the 17 branches vote to determine the nominees in their respective categories – actors nominate actors, film editors nominate film editors, etc. In the Animated Feature Film and Foreign Language Film categories, nominees are selected by a vote of multi-branch screening committees. All voting members are eligible to select the Best Picture nominees.

Active members of the Academy are eligible to vote for the winners in all 24 categories beginning Tuesday, February 20 through Tuesday, February 27.

The 90th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT. The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

WAMG was among the 785 press organizations requesting credentials
for 90th Oscars and once again we will be in the pressroom as the winners arrive for questions with their statuettes.

Last year 299 outlets were issued credentials for the 89th Oscars with WAMG being on that list.