ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
- Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
- Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge
- Ryan Gosling, La La Land
- Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic
- Denzel Washington, Fences
First Impressions: If there’s a surprise here, it’s Mortensen, if only because Captain Fantastic came and went so quickly. This is likely shaping up into a battle between Affleck and Washington.
Notable Snubs?: Joel Edgerton’s performance in Loving was powerful but inwardly directed, and there may be room for only one stoic-mumbler performance (Affleck) on this list.
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
- Isabelle Huppert, Elle
- Ruth Negga, Loving
- Natalie Portman, Jackie
- Emma Stone, La La Land
- Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins
First Impressions: Florence Foster Jenkins is a chewy role, and Streep attacks it with Streepish verve, while Portman’s performance as Jackie O. risks something by running right up to the edge of satire before retreating to find something smaller, and real. Negga ensures that audiences register the love between Richard and Mildred Loving in a nuanced, grounded way that never feels cloying, and Stone makes the most of some lovely moments in La La Land. But in Elle — a challenging, uncompromising film — Isabell Huppert is icy and ferocious, and she earns our sympathy while remaining unlikable. That is, as they say in acting conservatories, a neat trick.
Notable Snubs?: Just about everyone expected to see Amy Adams in here for her quiet but hugely emotional performance in Arrival. And personally, I’d have loved to see Annette Bening in here, because she does so much in 20th Century Women that’s small and quiet, unshowy and true.
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Mahershala Ali holds Alex Hibbert in the film, Moonlight. Ali was nominated for an Oscar for supporting actor.
David Bornfriend/A24
- Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
- Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water
- Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea
- Dev Patel, Lion
- Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals
First Impressions: Hedges is a slight surprise here, but you can’t say he didn’t earn his place. Ali is heavily favorited.
Notable Snubs?: Many expected Hugh Grant to earn a nod for Florence Foster Jenkins.
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
- Viola Davis, Fences
- Naomie Harris, Moonlight
- Nicole Kidman, Lion
- Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures
- Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea
First Impressions: Williams made the very, very most of her relatively brief screentime, as did Harris, Kidman and Spencer. But screentime doesn’t matter to Oscar voters (ask Judi Densch), emotional weight does. And by that metric, there’s no contest — this is Davis’s to lose.
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
- Kubo and the Two Strings
- Moana
- My Life as a Zucchini
- The Red Turtle
- Zootopia
CINEMATOGRAPHY
- Arrival
- La La Land
- Lion
- Moonlight
- Silence
COSTUME DESIGN
- Allied
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
- Florence Foster Jenkins
- Jackie
- La La land
DIRECTING
- Damien Chazelle, La La Land
- Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge
- Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
- Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea
- Denis Villenueve, Arrival
DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)
- Fire at Sea
- I Am Not Your Negro
- Life, Animated
- OJ: Made In America
- 13th
DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)
- Extremis
- 4.1 Miles
- Joe’s Violin
- Watani: My Homeland
- The White Helmets
FILM EDITING
- Arrival
- Hacksaw Ridge
- Hell or High Water
- La La Land
- Moonlight
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
- Land of Mine, Denmark
- A Man Called Ove, Sweden
- The Salesman, Iran
- Toni Erdmann, Germany
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
- A Man Called Ove
- Star Trek Beyond
- Suicide Squad
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
- Jackie
- La La Land
- Lion
- Moonlight
- Passengers
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
- “Audition (The Fools Who Dream),” La La Land
- “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” Trolls
- “City of Stars,” La La Land
- “The Empty Chair,” Jim: The James Foley Story
- “How Far I’ll Go,” Moana
PRODUCTION DESIGN
- Arrival
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
- Hail, Caesar!
- La La Land
- Passengers
SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
- Blind Vaysha
- Borrowed Time
- Pear Cider and Cigarettes
- Pearl
- Piper
SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
- Ennemis Interieurs
- La Femme Et Le TGV
- Silent Nights
- Sing
- Timecode
SOUND EDITING
- Arrival
- Deepwater Horizon
- Hacksaw Ridge
- La La Land
- Sully
SOUND MIXING
- Arrival
- Hacksaw Ridge
- La La Land
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
- 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
VISUAL EFFECTS
- Deepwater Horizon
- Doctor Strange
- The Jungle Book
- Kubo and the Two Strings
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
- Arrival
- Fences
- Hidden Figures
- Lion
- Moonlight
WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
- Hell or High Water
- La La Land
- The Lobster
- Manchester by the Sea
- 20th Century Women