Oscars 2022: Shortlists provide glimpse into potential nominees

Take a look at the 2022 Oscars shortlists so you know what to expect when nominations are announced for the 94th Academy Awards.

We are getting closer to Oscar nominations and The Academy has now narrowed down the list of potential nominees for certain categories.

Preliminary voting for certain categories was held Dec. 10-15 by various branches of The Academy. This voting helped whittle down some of the 23 Academy Awards categories to shortlists, which were announced Tuesday. 

Nominations voting begins on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022, and concludes on Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022. 

Take a look below so you know what to expect come Tuesday morning, Feb. 8, when nominations are announced for the 94th Academy Awards. Stay tuned to The Gold Knight for full coverage.

Best Documentary Feature
Fifteen films advanced in the Documentary Feature category, out of 138 films submitted (100 less than last year). Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

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

• “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 Documentary Short Subject
Fifteen films advanced in the Documentary Short Subject category (up from 10 advancing last year), out of 82 films that qualified (down from 114 last year). Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

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

• “Águilas”
• “Audible”
• “A Broken House”
• “Camp Confidential: America’s Secret Nazis”
• “Coded: The Hidden Love of J. C. Leyendecker”
• “Day of Rage”
• “The Facility”
• “Lead Me Home”
• “Lynching Postcards: “Token of a Great Day””
• “The Queen of Basketball”
• “Sophie & the Baron”
• “Takeover”
• “Terror Contagion”
• “Three Songs for Benazir”
• “When We Were Bullies”

Best International Feature Film
Fifteen films advanced to the next round of voting in the International Feature Film category, from 92 countries. 

As part of a rule change in 2020, all eligible Academy members from all branches were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting for this category and had to meet a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category. In previous years, the number of films on the shortlist was 10 and was augmented by the Academy’s International Feature Film Award Executive Committee.

In the nominations round, Academy members from all branches are invited to opt-in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films in order to cast a ballot.

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

• Austria, “Great Freedom”
• Belgium, “Playground”
• Bhutan, “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom”
• Denmark, “Flee”
• Finland, “Compartment No. 6”
• Germany, “I’m Your Man”
• Iceland, “Lamb”
• Iran, “A Hero”
• Italy, “The Hand of God”
• Japan, “Drive My Car”
• Kosovo, “Hive”
• Mexico, “Prayers for the Stolen”
• Norway, “The Worst Person in the World”
• Panama, “Plaza Catedral”
• Spain, “The Good Boss”

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Ten films advanced in the Makeup and Hairstyling category. All members of the Academy’s Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch will be invited to view seven-minute excerpts and interviews with artists from each of the 10 shortlisted films on Sunday, Jan. 30. Members vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

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

• “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
Fifteen scores advanced in the Original Score category, out of 136 eligible (same number as last year). Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

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

• “Being the Ricardos”
• “Candyman”
• “Don’t Look Up”
• “Dune”
• “Encanto”
• “The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun”
• “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
Fifteen songs advanced in the Original Song category, out of 84 eligible songs (down from 105 last year). 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:

• “So May We Start?” from “Annette”
• “Down To Joy” from “Belfast”
• “Right Where I Belong” from “Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road”
• “Automatic Woman” from “Bruised”
• “Dream Girl” from “Cinderella”
• “Beyond The Shore” from “CODA”
• “The Anonymous Ones” from “Dear Evan Hansen”
• “Just Look Up” from “Don’t Look Up”
• “Dos Oruguitas” from “Encanto”
• “Somehow You Do” from “Four Good Days”
• “Guns Go Bang” from “The Harder They Fall”
• “Be Alive” from “King Richard”
• “No Time To Die” from “No Time to Die”
• “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” from “Respect”
• “Your Song Saved My Life” from “Sing 2”

Best Short Film – Animated
Fifteen films advanced in the Animated Short Film category (up from 10 last year), out of 82 films that qualified (down from 96 last year). 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:

• “Affairs of the Art”
• “Angakusajaujuq: The Shaman’s Apprentice”
• “Bad Seeds”
• “Bestia”
• “Boxballet”
• “Flowing Home”
• “Mum Is Pouring Rain”
• “The Musician”
• “Namoo”
• “Only a Child”
• “Robin Robin”
• “Souvenir Souvenir”
• “Step into the River”
• “Us Again”
• “The Windshield Wiper”

Best Short Film – Live Action
Fifteen films advanced in the Live Action Short Film category (up from 10 last year), out of 145 films that qualified (down from 174 last year). 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:

• “Ala Kachuu - Take and Run”
• “Censor of Dreams”
• “The Criminals”
• “Distances”
• “The Dress”
• “Frimas”
• “Les Grandes Claques”
• “The Long Goodbye”
• “On My Mind”
• “Please Hold”
• “Stenofonen”
• “Tala’vision”
• “Under the Heavens”
• “When the Sun Sets”
• “You’re Dead Helen”

Best Sound – New! 
Ten films advanced in the Sound category. This is the first time for the shortlist. Members of the Sound Branch determined the shortlist. All members of the Sound Branch will be invited to view eight-minute excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films beginning Friday, Jan. 28. Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.n.

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

• “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
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 and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, Jan. 29.  Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

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

• “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”

Nominations voting begins on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022, and concludes on Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022. Nominations for the 94th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022.

The 94th Academy Awards, for outstanding film achievements of 2021, will be presented on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 225 countries worldwide.