By Jill Serjeant and Lisa Richwine
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Netflix movie “Roma” and British historical romp “The Favourite” from Fox Searchlight led nominations for the Oscars on Tuesday with 10 nods apiece in a history-making best picture lineup.
They will compete for the top prize of best picture with musical romance “A Star is Born,” superhero movie “Black Panther,” 1960s segregation-era comedy “Green Book,” Spike Lee’s racial injustice movie “BlacKkKlansman,” political satire “Vice” and rock musical “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
The Oscars, the highest honors in the movie industry, will be handed out in Hollywood on Feb. 24.
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The best picture nomination for Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron’s semiautobiographical tale “Roma” was the first for streaming service Netflix Inc.
Shot entirely in Spanish and an indigenous Mexican language, it will also compete in the foreign language field. “Roma” was recognized in every key category, including director, lead actress Yalitza Aparicio as a domestic worker, supporting actress Marina de Tavira, screenplay, and multiple technical fields.
“The Favourite,” a bawdy comedy set in the court of 18th-century British monarch Queen Anne, had a better than expected day, garnering nods for its British star, Olivia Colman, and supporting actresses Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz. Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos was also nominated.
Many of the films nominated this year for the top prize – best picture – proved big box-office hits, including Walt Disney Co superhero movie “Black Panther,” which won seven nods on Tuesday and became the first superhero movie ever to win a best picture nomination.
That’s a strong contrast to previous years where members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have tended to prize art house or independent fare.
“A Star is Born,” starring best actress contender Lady Gaga in her debut in a major movie, earned eight nods, including for Gaga’s hit song “Shallow.” But while Bradley Cooper will compete in the best actor category for the movie, he was snubbed in the director’s race.
Other snubs included the all-Asian cast romantic comedy “Crazy Rich Asians,” which got nothing, and “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” was nominated for five awards, including Rami Malek for his role as late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, and has also proved popular at the box office.
Veteran actress Glenn Close, who has yet to win an Oscar, will compete for the seventh time, this year for her lead role in “The Wife.”
In the lead actor field, Malek and Cooper will take on Christian Bale, who plays former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney in “Vice,” Willem Dafoe for playing artist Vincent van Gogh in “At Eternity’s Gate,” and Viggo Mortensen for “Green Book.”
“Green Book” about the friendship between a black pianist and his white driver, also won a nod for supporting actor Mahershala Ali.
The Feb. 24 ceremony is still without a host after the withdrawal in December of comedian Kevin Hart due to past homophobic comments he made on Twitter. The academy has declined to comment on how the show would proceed without a host for only the second time in its 91-year history.
Best director Oscar nominees for the 91st annual Academy Awards (L-R) Alfonso Cuaron, Pawel Pawlikowski, Adam McKay, Spike Lee and Yorgos Lanthimos are seen in a combination of file photos. REUTERS/Staff/File Photos
Best supporting actor Oscar nominees for the 91st annual Academy Awards (L-R) Mahershala Ali, Adam Driver, Sam Elliott, Richard E. Grant and Sam Rockwell are seen in a combination of file photos. REUTERS/Staff/File Photos
Best actress Oscar nominees for the 91st annual Academy Awards (L-R) Lady Gaga, Yalitza Aparicio, Glenn Close, Olivia Colman and Melissa McCarthy are seen in a combination of file photos. REUTERS/Staff/File Photos
Best supporting actress Oscar nominees for the 91st annual Academy Awards (L-R) Rachel Weisz, Emma Stone, Regina King, Amy Adams and Marina de Tavira (not pictured) are seen in a combination of file photos. REUTERS/Staff/File Photos
Best actor Oscar nominees for the 91st annual Academy Awards (L-R) Christian Bale, Rami Malek, Bradley Cooper, Viggo Mortensen and Willem Dafoe are seen in a combination of file photos. REUTERS/Staff/File Photos
Best picture Oscar nominees for the 91st annual Academy Awards (Top L-R) Chadwick Boseman representing “Black Panther”, Lady Gaga “A Star is Born”, John David Washington “BlacKkKlansman”, Christian Bale “Vice”, (Bottom L-R) Yalitza Aparicio “Roma”, Mahershala Ali “Green Book”, Rami Malek “Bohemain Rhapsody” and Olivia Colman “The Favourite” are seen in a combination of file photos. REUTERS/Staff/File Photos
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant and Lisa Richwine; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
