Writing With Fire, the Indian documentary about the grassroot news organisation Khabar Lahariya, is has been nominated for an Oscar in the Best Documentary Feature category. Directed by Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh, the film explores Khabar Lahariya’s activities through profiles of three of its key members.
The documentary was premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2021. Writing With Fire is the first Indian documentary to be nominated in the category. It has not yet been shown in India.
The Oscars, organised by the Academy of Motion Picture Art ands and Sciences, will be held on March 27. The eligible voters are an estimated 9,487 from 82 countries, the American trade publication Variety noted. The final date for voting is March 22.
The nominations, which were announced today in Los Angeles, were led by Jane Campion’s The Power of The Dog (12 nods) and Denis Villeneuve’s Dune (10 nods). Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Japanese-language Drive My Car, based on the Haruki Murakami story of the same name, was nominated for best international feature, picture, adapted screenplay and direction.
Lady Gaga, who single-handedly carried Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci, failed to earn a nomination in the Best Actress category.
Here is the complete list of nominations.
Best Picture
The Power of the Dog, Belfast, CODA, Don’t Look Up, Drive My Car, Dune, King Richard, Licorice Pizza, Nightmare Alley, West Side Story.
Best Director
Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Drive My Car.
Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza.
Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog.
Steven Spielberg, West Side Story.
Kenneth Branagh, Belfast.
Best Lead Actress
Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter.
Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye.
Penelope Cruz, Parallel Mothers.
Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos.
Kristen Stewart, Spencer.
Best Supporting Actress
Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter.
Ariana DeBose, West Side Story.
Judi Dench, Belfast.
Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog.
Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard.
Best Lead Actor
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog.
Javier Bardem, Being the Ricardos.
Andrew Garfield, Tick, Tick … Boom!
Will Smith, King Richard.
Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth.
Best Supporting Actor
Ciarán Hinds, Belfast.
Troy Kotsur, CODA.
Jesse Plemons, The Power of the Dog.
JK Simmons, Being the Ricardos.
Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog.
Best Original Screenplay
Kenneth Branagh, Belfast.
Adam McKay and David Sirota, Don’t Look Up.
Zach Baylin, King Richard.
Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza.
Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier, The Worst Person in the World.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Sian Heder, CODA.
Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe, Drive My Car.
Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth, Dune.
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Lost Daughter.
Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog.
Best Documentary Feature
Writing With Fire, Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh
Ascension, Jessica Kingdon, Kira Simon-Kennedy and Nathan Truesdell.
Attica, Stanley Nelson and Traci A Curry.
Flee, Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Monica Hellström, Signe Byrge Sørensen and Charlotte De La Gournerie.
Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson, Joseph Patel, Robert Fyvolent and David Dinerstein.
Best Documentary Short Subject
Audible, Matt Ogens and Geoff McLean.
Lead Me Home, Pedro Kos and Jon Shenk.
The Queen of Basketball, Ben Proudfoot.
Three Songs for Benazir, Elizabeth Mirzaei and Gulistan Mirzaei.
When We Were Bullies, Jay Rosenblatt.
Best Cinematography
Ari Wegner, The Power of the Dog.
Greig Fraser, Dune.
Bruno Delbonnel, The Tragedy of Macbeth.
Janusz Kaminski, West Side Story.
Dan Laustsen, Nightmare Alley.
Best Film Editing
Joe Walker, Dune.
Pamela Martin, King Richard.
Hank Corwin, Don’t Look Up.
Peter Sciberras, The Power of the Dog.
Myron Kerstein and Andrew Weisblum, Tick, Tick…Boom!
Best International Feature Film
The Worst Person in the World (Norway), Drive My Car (Japan), Flee (Denmark), The Hand of God (Italy) and Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (Bhutan).
Best Production Design
Patrice Vermette and Zsuzsanna Sipos, Dune.
Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau, Nightmare Alley.
Grant Major and Amber Richards, The Power of the Dog.
Stefan Dechant and Nancy Haigh, The Tragedy of Macbeth.
Adam Stockhausen and Rena DeAngelo, West Side Story.
Best Sound
Denise Yarde, Simon Chase, James Mather and Niv Adiri, Belfast.
Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill and Ron Bartlett, Dune.
Simon Hayes, Oliver Tarney, James Harrison, Paul Massey and Mark Taylor, No Time to Die.
Richard Flynn, Robert Mackenzie and Tara Webb, The Power of the Dog.
Tod A Maitland, Gary Rydstrom, Brian Chumney, Andy Nelson and Shawn Murphy, West Side Story.
Best Visual Effects
Dune, Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor and Gerd Nefzer.
Free Guy, Swen Gillberg, Bryan Grill, Nikos Kalaitzidis and Dan Sudick.
No Time to Die, Charlie Noble, Joel Green, Jonathan Fawkner and Chris Corbould.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Christopher Townsend, Joe Farrell, Sean Noel Walker and Dan Oliver.
Spider-Man: No Way Home, Kelly Port, Chris Waegner, Scott Edelstein and Dan Sudick.
Best Costume Design
Jenny Beavan, Cruella.
Massimo Cantini Parrini and Jacqueline Durran, Cyrano.
Jacqueline West and Robert Morgan, Dune.
Luis Sequeira, Nightmare Alley.
Paul Tazewell, West Side Story.
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Coming 2 America, Mike Marino, Stacey Morris and Carla Farmer.
Cruella, Nadia Stacey, Naomi Donne and Julia Vernon.
Dune, Donald Mowat, Love Larson and Eva von Bahr.
The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh.
House of Gucci, Goran Lundstrom, Anna Carin Lock and Frederic Aspiras.
Best Animated Feature Film
Raya and the Last Dragon, Encanto, Flee, Luca, The Mitchells vs. the Machines.
Best Live Action Short Film
Ala Kachuu – Take and Run, The Dress, The Long Goodbye, On My Mind, Please Hold.
Best Animated Short Film
Affairs of the Art, Bestia, Boxballet, Robin Robin, The Windshield Wiper.
Best Original Score
Jonny Greenwood, The Power of the Dog.
Nicholas Britell, Don’t Look Up.
Hans Zimmer, Dune.
Germaine Franco, Encanto.
Alberto Iglesias, Parallel Mothers.
Best Original Song
Dos Oruguitas from Encanto, music and lyric by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Down To Joy from Belfast, music and lyric by Van Morrison.
Be Alive from King Richard, Dixson and Beyonce Knowles-Carter.
No Time To Die from No Time to Die, music and lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell.
Somehow You Do from Four Good Days, music and lyric by Diane Warren.