24 Jan 2018

Shape of Water leads Oscar nominations

5:57 am on 24 January 2018

The nominations for the 90th Academy Awards have been announced, with The Shape of Water leading the field.

Sally Hawkins, left, and Octavia Spencer star in the film 'The Shape of Water'.

Sally Hawkins, left, and Octavia Spencer star in the film 'The Shape of Water'. Photo: Supplied / Fox

Guillermo del Toro's fantasy romance received 13 nominations, including best picture.

World War II drama Dunkirk follows with eight nominations, while Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri receives seven.

Stars shortlisted include Gary Oldman, Sally Hawkins and a pair of Daniels - Day-Lewis and Kaluuya.

Greta Gerwig got a best director nomination for Lady Bird, one of nine films shortlisted for the best picture award.

Others include Steven Spielberg's The Post, gay romance Call Me By Your Name and Winston Churchill drama Darkest Hour.

Oldman's performance as Churchill has already won the British actor a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild award.

To win the Oscar, though, he will have to beat three-time best actor winner Day-Lewis, nominated again for Phantom Thread.

Meryl Streep's best actress nomination for newspaper drama The Post is her 17th for best actress and her 21st overall.

Frances McDormand is tipped to be this year's winner for her role as a grieving mother in Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri.

Frances McDormand. in 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri'.

Frances McDormand. in 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri'. Photo: AFP / 20th Century Fox / Archives du 7e Art

Two of McDormand's co-stars, Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell, go head to head in the best supporting actor category.

The same applies to The Shape of Water's nominations, which gets two supporting acting nominations alongside Hawkins' best actress nod.

Del Toro's film narrowly missed out on tying with the previous nomination record of 14, obtained by the films All About Eve, Titanic and La La Land.

Notable firsts include Rachel Morrison's best cinematography nomination for Mudbound, Netflix's drama about racial tension in Mississippi.

Morrison, whose other credits include the forthcoming Black Panther, is the first woman ever to receive a nomination in this category.

Mudbound's Mary J Blige also makes history by getting nominations for best supporting actress and best song in the same year.

The nine-time Grammy winner co-wrote Mighty River for the film, which is also recognised for its adapted screenplay.

Snubs and surprises

Among those to miss out this year include James Franco, who had been tipped by some to get a best actor nod for The Disaster Artist.

London-born Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards' writer-director, is also a surprise omission from the best director line-up.

Surprise nominees include Britain's Lesley Manville, up for playing Day-Lewis's sister in fashion-based period piece Phantom Thread.

Paul Thomas Anderson's film, also up for best picture, best director and two other awards, did much better than many had expected.

The nominations were announced in Los Angeles by British actor Andy Serkis and Girls Trip actress Tiffany Haddish.

Jimmy Kimmel will return to host this year's ceremony, to be held on 4 March at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

- BBC

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