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'The Revenant,' 'The Martian,' Among Top Oscar Nominees

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A screen showing the Oscar nominees for Best Picture as announced by actor John Krasinski and Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs during the Academy Awards Nominations Announcement at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California, Jan. 14, 2016.
A screen showing the Oscar nominees for Best Picture as announced by actor John Krasinski and Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs during the Academy Awards Nominations Announcement at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California, Jan. 14, 2016.

The survival epic The Revenant and the science fiction tale The Martian are among the top nominees for this year's Academy Awards, or Oscars, announced early Thursday in Beverly Hills, California.

The two films are among the eight nominated for best motion picture, which also include Mad Max: Fury Road, the latest installment of the Australian post-apocalyptic drama, and Bridge of Spies, based on a true tale of Cold War espionage.

Contenders for best actor include Leonardo DiCaprio for The Revenant, Matt Damon for The Martian, Bryan Cranston for the Hollywood drama Trumbo, and Eddie Redmayne, who played a transgender woman in The Danish Girl. Michael Fassbender is a nominee for his role as technology pioneer Steve Jobs in the film Steve Jobs.

FILE - Leonardo DiCaprio arrives at the at the world premiere of "The Revenant" at the TCL Chinese Theatre on Dec. 16, 2015, in Los Angeles.
FILE - Leonardo DiCaprio arrives at the at the world premiere of "The Revenant" at the TCL Chinese Theatre on Dec. 16, 2015, in Los Angeles.

Best actress nominees include Cate Blanchett for Carol, a story of a romance between two women, and Jennifer Lawrence for Joy, the true tale of a woman who created a business empire. Brie Larson is a nominee for her role as a mother held captive with her child in the film Room.

Actress Cate Blanchett, wearing a Tiffany necklace, arrives at the 87th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, Feb. 22, 2015.
Actress Cate Blanchett, wearing a Tiffany necklace, arrives at the 87th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, Feb. 22, 2015.

Oscar contenders for supporting performances include Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams for Spotlight, based on the true tale of the Boston journalists who uncovered the child abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. Rooney Mara was nominated for Carol, Tom Hardy for The Revenant, Christian Bale for The Big Short, and Sylvester Stallone, who played a coach in the boxing drama Creed.

Nominees for best director include George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road, Alejandro Inarritu for The Revenant, and Tom McCarthy for Spotlight.

WATCH: Video report by VOA's Penelope Poulou

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Some who did not make the cut

As always, there were snubs. Ridley Scott was absent from the list of best directors, despite key nominations for his film The Martian. Michael Keaton failed to get a nod for his supporting role in Spotlight, or Johnny Depp for his starring role in the true-life gangster tale Black Mass.

Official poster of Johnny Depp in Black Mass
Official poster of Johnny Depp in Black Mass

Steven Spielberg failed to make the cut for directing Bridge of Spies, and African Americans who were notably missing include director F. Gary Gray for the hip hop story Straight Outta Compton.

Foreign language nominees

This year's foreign language nominees include the Arabic-language Theeb from Jordan, about a Bedouin boy who accompanies a British officer through the Arabian desert during World War I. Hungarian entry Son of Saul is a Holocaust drama. Embrace of the Serpent, from Colombia, is about an Amazon healer, and A War, from Denmark, tells a tale of Danish soldiers in Afghanistan. Mustang, a French film set in Turkey, tells the story of five orphaned sisters.

The Oscars, considered the top award in the American movie industry, will be presented February 28 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

An Oscar statue is seen during the nominations announcements for the 88th Academy Awards in Beverly Hills, California, Jan. 14, 2016.
An Oscar statue is seen during the nominations announcements for the 88th Academy Awards in Beverly Hills, California, Jan. 14, 2016.


COMPLETE LIST OF NOMINATIONS FOR THE 88TH ACADEMY AWARDS

Performance by an actor in a leading role

  • Bryan Cranston in “Trumbo”
  • Matt Damon in “The Martian”
  • Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Revenant”
  • Michael Fassbender in “Steve Jobs”
  • Eddie Redmayne in “The Danish Girl”


Performance by an actor in a supporting role

  • Christian Bale in “The Big Short”
  • Tom Hardy in “The Revenant”
  • Mark Ruffalo in “Spotlight”
  • Mark Rylance in “Bridge of Spies”
  • Sylvester Stallone in “Creed”


Performance by an actress in a leading role

  • Cate Blanchett in “Carol”
  • Brie Larson in “Room”
  • Jennifer Lawrence in “Joy”
  • Charlotte Rampling in “45 Years”
  • Saoirse Ronan in “Brooklyn”


Performance by an actress in a supporting role

  • Jennifer Jason Leigh in “The Hateful Eight”
  • Rooney Mara in “Carol”
  • Rachel McAdams in “Spotlight”
  • Alicia Vikander in “The Danish Girl”
  • Kate Winslet in “Steve Jobs”​

Actor John Krasinski (L) and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announce the nominees for the Best Actress in a Supporting Role during the nominations announcements for the 88th Academy Awards in Beverly Hills, California, Jan. 14, 2016.
Actor John Krasinski (L) and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announce the nominees for the Best Actress in a Supporting Role during the nominations announcements for the 88th Academy Awards in Beverly Hills, California, Jan. 14, 2016.

Best animated feature film of the year

  • “Anomalisa” Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson and Rosa Tran
  • “Boy and the World” Alê Abreu
  • “Inside Out” Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera
  • “Shaun the Sheep Movie” Mark Burton and Richard Starzak
  • “When Marnie Was There” Hiromasa Yonebayashi and Yoshiaki Nishimura


Achievement in cinematography

  • “Carol” Ed Lachman
  • “The Hateful Eight” Robert Richardson
  • “Mad Max: Fury Road” John Seale
  • “The Revenant” Emmanuel Lubezki
  • “Sicario” Roger Deakins


Achievement in costume design

  • “Carol” Sandy Powell
  • “Cinderella” Sandy Powell
  • “The Danish Girl” Paco Delgado
  • “Mad Max: Fury Road” Jenny Beavan
  • “The Revenant” Jacqueline West


Achievement in directing

  • “The Big Short” Adam McKay
  • “Mad Max: Fury Road” George Miller
  • “The Revenant” Alejandro G. Iñárritu
  • “Room” Lenny Abrahamson
  • “Spotlight” Tom McCarthy


Best documentary feature

  • “Amy” Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees
  • “Cartel Land” Matthew Heineman and Tom Yellin
  • “The Look of Silence” Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sørensen
  • “What Happened, Miss Simone?” Liz Garbus, Amy Hobby and Justin Wilkes
  • “Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom” Evgeny Afineevsky and Den Tolmor


Best documentary short subject

  • “Body Team 12” David Darg and Bryn Mooser
  • “Chau, beyond the Lines” Courtney Marsh and Jerry Franck
  • “Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah” Adam Benzine
  • “A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness” Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
  • “Last Day of Freedom” Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman

Achievement in film editing

  • “The Big Short” Hank Corwin
  • “Mad Max: Fury Road” Margaret Sixel
  • “The Revenant” Stephen Mirrione
  • “Spotlight” Tom McArdle
  • “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey


Best foreign language film of the year

  • “Embrace of the Serpent” Colombia
  • “Mustang” France
  • “Son of Saul” Hungary
  • “Theeb” Jordan
  • “A War” Denmark


Achievement in makeup and hairstyling

  • “Mad Max: Fury Road” Lesley Vanderwalt, Elka Wardega and Damian Martin
  • “The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared” Love Larson and Eva von Bahr
  • “The Revenant” Siân Grigg, Duncan Jarman and Robert Pandini


Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

  • “Bridge of Spies” Thomas Newman
  • “Carol” Carter Burwell
  • “The Hateful Eight” Ennio Morricone
  • “Sicario” Jóhann Jóhannsson
  • “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” John Williams


Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

  • “Earned It” from “Fifty Shades of Grey”
    Music and Lyric by Abel Tesfaye, Ahmad Balshe, Jason Daheala Quenneville and Stephan Moccio
  • “Manta Ray” from “Racing Extinction”
    Music by J. Ralph and Lyric by Antony Hegarty
  • “Simple Song #3” from “Youth”
    Music and Lyric by David Lang
  • “Til It Happens To You” from “The Hunting Ground”
    Music and Lyric by Diane Warren and Lady Gaga
  • “Writing’s On The Wall” from “Spectre”
    Music and Lyric by Jimmy Napes and Sam Smith


Best motion picture of the year

  • “The Big Short” Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, Producers
  • “Bridge of Spies” Steven Spielberg, Marc Platt and Kristie Macosko Krieger, Producers
  • “Brooklyn” Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
  • “Mad Max: Fury Road” Doug Mitchell and George Miller, Producers
  • “The Martian” Simon Kinberg, Ridley Scott, Michael Schaefer and Mark Huffam, Producers
  • “The Revenant” Arnon Milchan, Steve Golin, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Mary Parent and Keith Redmon, Producers
  • “Room” Ed Guiney, Producer
  • “Spotlight” Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin and Blye Pagon Faust, Producers


Achievement in production design

  • “Bridge of Spies” Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Rena DeAngelo and Bernhard Henrich
  • “The Danish Girl” Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Michael Standish
  • “Mad Max: Fury Road” Production Design: Colin Gibson; Set Decoration: Lisa Thompson
  • “The Martian” Production Design: Arthur Max; Set Decoration: Celia Bobak
  • “The Revenant” Production Design: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Hamish Purdy


Best animated short film

  • “Bear Story” Gabriel Osorio and Pato Escala
  • “Prologue” Richard Williams and Imogen Sutton
  • “Sanjay’s Super Team” Sanjay Patel and Nicole Grindle
  • “We Can’t Live without Cosmos” Konstantin Bronzit
  • “World of Tomorrow” Don Hertzfeldt


Best live action short film

  • “Ave Maria” Basil Khalil and Eric Dupont
  • “Day One” Henry Hughes
  • “Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut)” Patrick Vollrath
  • “Shok” Jamie Donoughue
  • “Stutterer” Benjamin Cleary and Serena Armitage


Achievement in sound editing

  • “Mad Max: Fury Road” Mark Mangini and David White
  • “The Martian” Oliver Tarney
  • “The Revenant” Martin Hernandez and Lon Bender
  • “Sicario” Alan Robert Murray
  • “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Matthew Wood and David Acord


Achievement in sound mixing

  • “Bridge of Spies” Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Drew Kunin
  • “Mad Max: Fury Road” Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff and Ben Osmo
  • “The Martian” Paul Massey, Mark Taylor and Mac Ruth
  • “The Revenant” Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño, Randy Thom and Chris Duesterdiek
  • “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Andy Nelson, Christopher Scarabosio and Stuart Wilson


Achievement in visual effects

  • “Ex Machina” Andrew Whitehurst, Paul Norris, Mark Ardington and Sara Bennett
  • “Mad Max: Fury Road” Andrew Jackson, Tom Wood, Dan Oliver and Andy Williams
  • “The Martian” Richard Stammers, Anders Langlands, Chris Lawrence and Steven Warner
  • “The Revenant” Rich McBride, Matthew Shumway, Jason Smith and Cameron Waldbauer
  • “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Neal Scanlan and Chris Corbould


Adapted screenplay

  • “The Big Short” Screenplay by Charles Randolph and Adam McKay
  • “Brooklyn” Screenplay by Nick Hornby
  • “Carol” Screenplay by Phyllis Nagy
  • “The Martian” Screenplay by Drew Goddard
  • “Room” Screenplay by Emma Donoghue


Original screenplay

  • “Bridge of Spies” Written by Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
  • “Ex Machina” Written by Alex Garland
  • “Inside Out” Screenplay by Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley; Original story by Pete Docter, Ronnie del Carmen
  • “Spotlight” Written by Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy
  • “Straight Outta Compton” Screenplay by Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff; Story by S. Leigh Savidge & Alan Wenkus and Andrea Berloff
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