Oscars 2020: Shortlists provide glimpse into potential nominees

Take a look at the 2020 Oscars shortlists so you know what to expect when nominations are announced for the 92nd Academy Awards.

We are less than a week until Oscar nominations and The Academy has already narrowed down the list of potential nominees for certain categories.

Take a look below so you know what to expect come Monday morning, Jan. 13, when nominations are announced for the 92nd Academy Awards. Stay tuned to The Gold Knight for full coverage.


Best Picture
From "Abominable" to "Zombieland: Double Tap," there are more than 300 films eligible for Best Picture. Take a look at our printable guide and see how many of the 344 films you've seen.

If it's not on the list, it is not eligible for Best Picture consideration. According to Academy rules, feature-length films must open "for paid admission in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County" by midnight, Dec. 31, and begin a minimum run of seven consecutive days to be eligible for Best Picture at the Oscars.

Among the hundreds of eligible films, we know there will be between five and 10 nominees, based on a system The Academy implemented in 2011 for that next year's Oscars.

We can expect to some — if not all — of the following films from the Producers Guild Awards nominations, which came out on Tuesday, to be on the Oscars' list next week: "1917," "Ford v Ferrari," "The Irishman," "Jojo Rabbit," "Joker," "Knives Out," "Little Women," "Marriage Story," "Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood" and "Parasite."


Best Documentary Feature
Fifteen films advanced in the Documentary Feature category, out of 159 films submitted.  Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

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

• “Advocate”
• “American Factory”
• “The Apollo”
• “Apollo 11”
• “Aquarela”
• “The Biggest Little Farm”
• “The Cave”
• “The Edge of Democracy”
• “For Sama”
• “The Great Hack”
• “Honeyland”
• “Knock Down the House”
• “Maiden”
• “Midnight Family”
• “One Child Nation”

Best Documentary Short Subject
Ten films advanced in the Documentary Short Subject category, out of 96 films that qualified.  Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

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

• “After Maria”
• “Fire in Paradise”
• “Ghosts of Sugar Land”
• “In the Absence”
• “Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)”
• “Life Overtakes Me”
• “The Nightcrawlers”
• “St. Louis Superman”
• “Stay Close”
• “Walk Run Cha-Cha”

Best International Feature Film
Ten films advanced to the next round of voting in the International Feature Film category (formerly known as Foreign Language Film), out of 91 eligible films.

Academy members from all branches were invited to participate in the preliminary round.  They must have viewed the submitted films theatrically and met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.  Their seven choices, augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy’s International Feature Film Award Executive Committee, constitute the shortlist.

In the nominations round, Academy members from all branches are invited to opt-in to participate and must view all 10 shortlisted films in order to cast a ballot.

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

• Czech Republic, “The Painted Bird”
• Estonia, “Truth and Justice”
• France, “Les Misérables”
• Hungary, “Those Who Remained”
• North Macedonia, “Honeyland”
• Poland, “Corpus Christi”
• Russia, “Beanpole”
• Senegal, “Atlantics”
• South Korea, “Parasite”
• Spain, “Pain and Glory”

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Ten films advanced in the Makeup and Hairstyling category.  All members of the Academy’s Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch were invited to view seven-minute excerpts from each of the 10 shortlisted films on Saturday, Jan. 4.  Members vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

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

• “Bombshell”
• “Dolemite Is My Name”
• “Downton Abbey”
• “Joker”
• “Judy”
• “Little Women”
• “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”
• “1917”
• “Once upon a Time…in Hollywood”
• “Rocketman”

Best Music – Original Score
Fifteen scores advanced in the Original Score category, out of 170 eligible.  Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

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

• “Avengers: Endgame”
• “Bombshell”
• “The Farewell”
• “Ford v Ferrari”
• “Frozen II”
• “Jojo Rabbit”
• “Joker”
• “The King”
• “Little Women”
• “Marriage Story”
• “Motherless Brooklyn”
• “1917”
• “Pain and Glory”
• “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”
• “Us”

Best Music – Original Song
Fifteen songs advanced in the Original Song category, out of 75 eligible songs.  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:

• “Speechless” from “Aladdin”
• “Letter To My Godfather” from “The Black Godfather”
• “I’m Standing With You” from “Breakthrough”
• “Da Bronx” from “The Bronx USA”
• “Into The Unknown” from “Frozen II”
• “Stand Up” from “Harriet”
• “Catchy Song” from “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part”
• “Never Too Late” from “The Lion King”
• “Spirit” from “The Lion King”
• “Daily Battles” from “Motherless Brooklyn”
• “A Glass of Soju” from “Parasite”
• “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from “Rocketman”
• “High Above The Water” from “Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am”
• “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away” from “Toy Story 4”
• “Glasgow” from “Wild Rose”

Best Short Film – Animated
Ten films advanced in the Animated Short Film category, out of 92 films that qualified.  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:

• “Dcera (Daughter)”
• “Hair Love”
• “He Can’t Live without Cosmos”
• “Hors Piste”
• “Kitbull”
• “Memorable”
• “Mind My Mind”
• “The Physics of Sorrow”
• “Sister”
• “Uncle Thomas: Accounting for the Days”

Best Short Film – Live Action
Ten films advanced in the Live Action Short Film category, out of 191 films that qualified.  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:

• “Brotherhood”
• “The Christmas Gift”
• “Little Hands”
• “Miller & Son”
• “Nefta Football Club”
• “The Neighbors’ Window”
• “Refugee”
• “Saria”
• “A Sister”
• “Sometimes, I Think about Dying”

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 were invited to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the shortlisted films online or attend satellite bake-off screenings earlier this month.  Following the screenings, members vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

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

• “Alita: Battle Angel”
• “Avengers: Endgame”
• “Captain Marvel”
• “Cats”
• “Gemini Man”
• “The Irishman”
• “The Lion King”
• “1917”
• “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”
• “Terminator: Dark Fate”

The 92nd Academy Awards, for outstanding film achievements of 2019, will be presented on Sunday, February 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 225 countries worldwide.