Film enthusiasts might have skipped over the Super Bowl, but they’re certainly showing up for the 96th Academy Awards.
The year started off strong with films like “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” Barbenheimer exploded onto the scene during July, and the year ended with strong entries like “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Poor Things.” Additional highlights from the year were “Napoleon,” “The Zone of Interest” and “The Creator.”
For a little over nine decades, the Oscars have been an opportunity for films and their respective crews to be recognized for their artistic capabilities.
Two major nominations will compete this year: Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” (nominated for 11 Oscars) and Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” (nominated for 10 Oscars). Both films are similar on scale, being three-hour historic epics centered around controversial figures from the past.
Scorsese has been nominated for Best Director 10 times, winning once in 2007 for “The Departed,” whereas Nolan has been nominated for Best Director twice and has yet to win.
“I really want to see it go to Nolan,” JP Susantio, a junior film and media arts major, said. “He really crushed it with ‘Oppenheimer.’”
While “Killers of the Flower Moon” achieved a greater narrative scope, the story of “Oppenheimer” was deep and confounding, while also being a technological achievement.
Thane Syswerda, a junior film and media arts major, agreed, commenting that he too would like to see Christopher Nolan win the Oscar for Best Director.
“He has been nominated so many times, and we always think he is going to get it, but he never does,” Syswerda said.
Syswerda also shared his prediction that “Anatomy of a Fall” will win Best Original Screenplay, while Susantio believed “The Boy and the Heron” will win Best Animated Feature Film.
The new diversity parameters required for film nominations have impacted the Academy Awards. In 2020, the Academy introduced a new set of guidelines that would require a movie to have a certain number of cast and crew members from an underrepresented people group.
As a result, the primarily white cast of “Oppenheimer” will pose a risk to its ability to win. Comparatively, Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” — a film centering around Native Americans and their past oppression — may have a higher chance for more major categories.
“A film like ‘Saving Private Ryan' wouldn't have been able to win nowadays due to the new parameters,” Steve Bailey, professor of film and media arts, said. “I don’t think that’s very fair.”
Some argue that a film should be judged based on its’ artistic dedication to the craft rather than a forced inclusion initiative. The Academy’s decision has caused a stir since its inception, and it continues to do so among film enthusiasts.
The 96th Academy Awards show has also been criticized for its lack of “Barbie” nominations. Director Greta Gerwig and lead actress Margot Robbie were not nominated for either Best Director or Lead Actress; however, Ryan Gosling as Ken was nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
Despite this, “Barbie” has still been nominated for eight Oscars, with only one actress from the film being nominated: America Ferrera as Best Supporting Actress.
“There is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally celebrated film,” Gosling said in an interview with CNN.
Despite the controversy, the Oscars are still a widely viewed event across the world. This year, the 96th Academy Awards will take place at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Mar. 10.
