Oscars 2023: Shortlists for the 95th Academy Awards

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled its shortlists for ten categories at the upcoming 2023 Oscars, including best documentary feature, documentary short, live-action short, international feature, music original score, makeup and hairstyling, original song, animated short, sound and visual effects. Hollywood's biggest night will return with the 95th Academy Awards, airing on ABC on Sunday March 12, 2023. Jimmy Kimmel is set to return as host.

The year has brought forth so many films that have already picked up critical acclaim and festival accolades. The shortlist voting period concluded on Dec. 16th, and the remaining films will move on to the phase one voting period with the nominations voting running from from Jan. 12-17. The nominees will be announced on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. The 95th Oscars are slated to be held March 12th at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,’ and ‘All Quiet On The Western Front’ are top mentions this year. The recently released 'Avatar: the Way of Water,' is already up for visual effects, original score, and original song. ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once,’ 'Elvis,' and 'Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio' are also among the movies to advance in various shortlisted categories. S.S. Rajamouli’s “RRR,” the international smash out of India that quickly developed word-of-mouth momentum is up for MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG) with “Naatu Naatu.” Rihanna and Taylor Swift are also among the music performers in the running for (ORIGINAL SONG) with their chart-topping hits.

Fifteen of the International features advanced out of the films from 92 eligible countries and regions, including Argentina, 1985 (Argentina), Close (Belgium), Decision to Leave (South Korea), All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany), Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Bardo (Mexico) and Joyland, which gives (Pakistan) its first shortlisted film in the category.

Fans are shocked as The ‘BATMAN’ did not make it onto the Best Original Score shortlist for the Oscars with Michael Giacchino’s fantastic score. However, it did make sound, visual effects, and Makeup and Hairstyling. It is note-worthy that two women were included in the lineup for Best Original Score, with Chanda Dancy’s “Devotion,” who could be the first Black woman ever nominated in the category, and Oscar-winner Hildur Guðnadóttir’s “Women Talking,” who would be the first woman to win the category twice.

Netflix’s “All Quiet on the Western Front” is the awards leading contender of the entire shortlist announcement. The German feature is up for INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM, MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING, MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE), sound and visual effects, and the mention of Volker Bertelmann’s beautiful score proves it. Most surprising ‘EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE’ did not make it onto the Best Visual Effects shortlist. The rather impressive effects in EEAAO didn’t make the VFX cut, but the very competitive lists does include some very impressive films including “Avatar: The Way of Water, ” “The Batman,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” “Nope” and more.

Here's the complete shortlists:

1. DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM

All That Breathes
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Bad Axe
Children of the Mist
Descendant
Fire of Love
Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song
Hidden Letters
A House Made of Splinters
The Janes
Last Flight Home
Moonage Daydream
Navalny
Retrograde
The Territory

2. DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM

American Justice on Trial: People v. Newton
Anastasia
Angola Do You Hear Us? Voices from a Plantation Prison
As Far as They Can Run
The Elephant Whisperers
The Flagmakers
Happiness Is £4 Million
Haulout
Holding Moses
How Do You Measure a Year?
The Martha Mitchell Effect
Nuisance Bear
Shut Up and Paint
Stranger at the Gate
38 at the Garden

3. INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

Argentina, Argentina, 1985
Austria, Corsage
Belgium, Close
Cambodia, Return to Seoul
Denmark, Holy Spider
France, Saint Omer
Germany, All Quiet on the Western Front
India, Last Film Show
Ireland, The Quiet Girl
Mexico, Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
Morocco, The Blue Caftan
Pakistan, Joyland
Poland, EO
South Korea, Decision to Leave
Sweden, Cairo Conspiracy

4. MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

All Quiet on the Western Front
Amsterdam
Babylon
The Batman
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Blonde
Crimes of the Future
Elvis
Emancipation
The Whale

5. MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)

All Quiet on the Western Front
Avatar: The Way of Water
Babylon
The Banshees of Inisherin
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Devotion
Don’t Worry Darling
Everything Everywhere All at Once
The Fabelmans
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Nope
She Said
The Woman King
Women Talking

6. MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)

“Time” from Amsterdam
“Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” from Avatar: The Way of Water
“Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
“This Is A Life” from Everything Everywhere All at Once
“Ciao Papa” from Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
“Til You’re Home” from A Man Called Otto
“Naatu Naatu” from RRR
“My Mind & Me” from Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me
“Good Afternoon” from Spirited
“Applause” from Tell It like a Woman
“Stand Up” from Till
“Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick
“Dust & Ash” from The Voice of Dust and Ash
“Carolina” from Where the Crawdads Sing
“New Body Rhumba” from White Noise

7. ANIMATED SHORT FILM

Black Slide
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
The Debutante
The Flying Sailor
The Garbage Man
Ice Merchants
It’s Nice in Here
More than I Want to Remember
My Year of Dicks
New Moon
An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It
Passenger
Save Ralph
Sierra
Steakhouse

8. LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM
Fifteen films will advance in the Live Action Short Film category for the 95th Academy Awards. Two hundred films qualified in the category. Members of the Short Films and Feature Animation, Directors, Producers and Writers Branches vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

All in Favor
Almost Home
An Irish Goodbye
Ivalu
Le Pupille
The Lone Wolf
Nakam
Night Ride
Plastic Killer
The Red Suitcase
The Right Words
Sideral
The Treatment
Tula
Warsha

9. SOUND

All Quiet on the Western Front
Avatar: The Way of Water
Babylon
The Batman
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Elvis
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Moonage Daydream
Top Gun: Maverick

10. VISUAL EFFECTS

All Quiet on the Western Front
Avatar: The Way of Water
The Batman
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
Jurassic World Dominion
Nope
Thirteen Lives
Top Gun: Maverick