The nominee shortlist for the 2012 Academy Awards were announced earlier this week by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and as expected, films about films led the way. Unfortunately, no African movie or actor makes the cut.
A total of 124 films met the Academy's requirements for Oscars eligibility for 2012, from which the selection committee chose the final fifteen films on the shortlist.
"The Artist," the silent, black and white tribute to old Hollywood, earned a nod for Best Picture, and, after a series of recent wins and favourable reviews, is considered favorite in this category. Writer/director Michel Hazanavicius will contest with Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese for Best Director.
Jean Dujardin who won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy earlier this month gets the nod for Best Actor for his turn as George Valentin. Bérénice Bejo, for her role as starlet Peppy Miller, earned a nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
"Hugo," Martin Scorsese's 3D family homage to film preservation, earned 11 nominations.
"The Descendants," the Alexander Payne-directed dramedy considered the other top awards contender, was also nominated for Best Picture; Payne equally got a nomination for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, the latter of which he shares with writers Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. George Clooney, Golden Globe winner for Best Actor in a Drama is nominated in the same category for this one.
"The Help," the tale of domestic workers in segregated Mississippi at the beginning of the Civil Rights era, also earned a Best Picture nod, as well as a nomination for Viola Davis for Best Actress and nods for Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer for Best Supporting Actress.
Newcomer Rooney Mara earned a nomination for Best Actress for her role in "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo,".
Here's the entire list of nominees below.
BEST PICTURE
"The Artist"
"The Descendants"
"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"
"Hugo"
"Midnight in Paris"
"The Help"
"Moneyball"
"War Horse"
"The Tree of Life"
BEST ACTOR
Demian Bichir, "A Better Life"
George Clooney, "The Descendants"
Jean Dujardin, "The Artist"
Gary Oldman, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
Brad Pitt, "Moneyball"
BEST ACTRESS
Glenn Close, "Albert Nobbs"
Viola Davis, "The Help"
Rooney Mara, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady"
Michelle Williams, "My Week With Marilyn"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh, "My Week With Marilyn"
Jonah Hill, "Moneyball"
Nick Nolte, "Warrior"
Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"
Max Von Sydow, "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Berenice Bejo, "The Artist"
Jessica Chastain, "The Help"
Melissa McCarthy, "Bridesmaids"
Janet McTeer, "Albert Nobbs"
Octavia Spencer, "The Help"
BEST DIRECTOR
Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"
Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Terrence Malick, "The Tree of Life"
Alexander Payne, "The Descendants"
Martin Scorsese, "Hugo"
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"
JC Chandor, "Margin Call"
Asghar Farhadi, "A Separation"
Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, "Bridesmaids"
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxton, Jim Rash, "The Descendants"
John Logan, "Hugo"
George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon, "The Ides of March"
Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian, "Moneyball"
Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughn, "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
"A Cat In Paris"
"Chico & Rita"
"Kung Fu Panda 2"
"Puss in Boots"
"Rango"
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
Bullhead (Belgium)
Footnote (Israel)
In Darkness (Poland)
Monsieur Lazhar (Canada)
A Separation (Iran)
ORIGINAL SCORE
"The Adventures of Tintin," John Williams
"The Artist," Ludovic Bource
"Hugo," Howard Shore
"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," Alberto Iglesias
"War Horse," John Williams
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Man or Muppet," The Muppets; Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
"Real in Rio," Rio; Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown, Lyric by Siedah Garrett
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION
"The Artist"
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
"Hugo"
"Midnight in Paris"
"War Horse"
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
"The Artist"
"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
"Hugo"
"The Tree of Life"
"War Horse"
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
"Anonymous"
"The Artist"
"Hugo"
"Jane Eyre"
"W.E."
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
"Hell and Back Again"
"If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front"
"Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory"
"Pina"
"Undefeated"
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
"The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement?"
"God Is the Bigger Elvis"
"Incident in New Baghdad"
"Saving Face"
"The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom"
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING
"The Artist"
"The Descendants"
"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
"Hugo"
"Moneyball"
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP
"Albert Nobbs"
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
"The Iron Lady"
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Dimanche/Sunday
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
La Luna
A Morning Stroll
Wild Life
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
"Pentecost"
"Raju"
"The Shore"
"Time Freak"
"Tuba Atlantic"
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
"Drive"
"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
"Hugo"
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
"War Horse"
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING
"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
"Hugo"
"Moneyball"
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
"War Horse"
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
"Hugo"
"Real Steel"
"Rise of the Planet of the Apes"
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
TEXT: EROMO EGBEJULE