The new convention of the Oscar shortlist dump in one single announcement has turned into a bit of an event around Film Twitter parts, and so it is that today's arrival of the contenders for nomination across 10 categories has been met with some excitement. Fans of big-budget tentpole cinema will likely be enthused, as blockbuster fare leads the way: No Time to Die impresses with mentions in five categories, while Dune nearly matches it with four. Marvel lands all four of its 2021 releases in the Visual Effects shortlist, and Billie Eilish has seemingly proved popular with the Academy as both her Bond theme song and the documentary about her appear. Surprises include Candyman for Original Score, Plaza Catedral for International Feature, and a total Cyrano shut-out from the music branch. The International category is unfortunately Euro-centric this year - again! - and finds space for not a single African title, though nods for Hive, Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom and Prayers for the Stolen are nothing to be sniffed at. Seven weeks today, the 8th of February, the actual nominations across these 10 and a further 13 Oscar categories will be declared.
Best Sound
BELFAST
DUNE
LAST NIGHT IN SOHO
THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS
NO TIME TO DIE
THE POWER OF THE DOG
A QUIET PLACE PART II
SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME
TICK, TICK...BOOM!
WEST SIDE STORY
Best Visual Effects
BLACK WIDOW
DUNE
ETERNALS
FREE GUY
GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE
GODZILLA VS KONG
THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS
NO TIME TO DIE
SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS
SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
COMING 2 AMERICA
CRUELLA
CYRANO
DUNE
THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE
HOUSE OF GUCCI
NIGHTMARE ALLEY
NO TIME TO DIE
THE SUICIDE SQUAD
WEST SIDE STORY
Best Music (Original Score)
BEING THE RICARDOS
CANDYMAN
DON'T LOOK UP
DUNE
ENCANTO
THE FRENCH DISPATCH
THE GREEN KNIGHT
THE HARDER THEY FALL
KING RICHARD
THE LAST DUEL
NO TIME TO DIE
PARALLEL MOTHERS
THE POWER OF THE DOG
SPENCER
THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH
Best Music (Original Song)
"The Anonymous Ones" (DEAR EVAN HANSEN)
"Automatic Woman" (BRUISED)
"Be Alive" (KING RICHARD)
"Beyond the Shore" (CODA)
"Dos Oruguitas" (ENCANTO)
"Down to Joy" (BELFAST)
"Dream Girl" (CINDERELLA)
"Guns Go Bang" (THE HARDER THEY FALL)
"Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)" (RESPECT)
"Just Look Up" (DON'T LOOK UP)
"No Time to Die" (NO TIME TO DIE)
"Right Where I Belong" (BRIAN WILSON: LONG PROMISED ROAD)
"So May We Start" (ANNETTE)
"Somehow You Do" (FOUR GOOD DAYS)
"Your Song Saved My Life" (SING 2)
Best Documentary (Feature)
ASCENSION
ATTICA
BILLIE EILISH: THE WORLD'S A LITTLE BLURRY
FAYA DAYI
THE FIRST WAVE
FLEE
IN THE SAME BREATH
JULIA
PRESIDENT
PROCESSION
THE RESCUE
SIMPLE AS WATER
SUMMER OF SOUL (...OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED)
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND
WRITING WITH FIRE
Best International Feature Film
COMPARTMENT NUMBER 6 - Finland
DRIVE MY CAR - Japan
FLEE - Denmark
THE GOOD BOSS - Spain
GREAT FREEDOM - Austria
THE HAND OF GOD - Italy
A HERO - Iran
HIVE - Kosovo
I'M YOUR MAN - Germany
LAMB - Iceland
LUNANA: A YAK IN THE CLASSROOM - Bhutan
PLAYGROUND - Belgium
PLAZA CATEDRAL - Panama
PRAYERS FOR THE STOLEN - Mexico
THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD - Norway
Best Live Action Short Film
ALA KACHUU - TAKE AND RUN
CENSOR OF DREAMS
THE CRIMINALS
DISTANCES
THE DRESS
FRIMAS
LIKE THE ONES I USED TO KNOW
THE LONG GOODBYE
ON MY MIND
PLEASE HOLD
STENOFONEN
TALA'VISION
UNDER THE HEAVENS
WHEN THE SUN SETS
YOU'RE DEAD HELENE
Best Animated Short Film
AFFAIRS OF THE ART
BAD SEEDS
BEAST
BOXBALLET
FLOWING HOME
MUM IS POURING RAIN
THE MUSICIAN
NAMOO
ONLY A CHILD
ROBIN ROBIN
THE SHAMAN'S APPRENTICE
SOUVENIR SOUVENIR
STEP INTO THE RIVER
US AGAIN
THE WINDSHIELD WIPER
Best Documentary (Short Subject)
AUDIBLE
A BROKEN HOUSE
CAMP CONFIDENTIAL: AMERICA'S SECRET NAZIS
CODED
DAY OF RAGE: HOW TRUMP SUPPORTERS TOOK THE U.S. CAPITOL
EAGLES
THE FACILITY
LEAD ME HOME
LYNCHING POSTCARDS: 'TOKEN OF A GREAT DAY'
THE QUEEN OF BASKETBALL
SOPHIE AND THE BARON
TAKEOVER
TERROR CONTAGION
THREE SONGS FOR BENAZIR
WHEN WE WERE BULLIES