It’s that time of the year. It’s Oscars season and tonight, the best movies and documentaries of the year will be celebrated at the inaugural Oscars event. What movies and documentaries are Netflix nominated for Oscars? Here’s the complete list of their contenders for 2019/20.
Netflix has been steadily rising when it comes to Oscar nominations and prizes. In 2019, they managed a total of 15 nominations but for 2020, they’ve eclipsed that with 24 nominations.
Here’s a breakdown of every Netflix title nominated for an Oscar for 2020.
The Irishman
The most obvious of the films we’ve selected on this list, The Irishman, is the likeliest to bag multiple Oscars at the Academy Awards in 2020.
Critics have heaped countless praise upon Martin Scorsese’s latest epic, and upon release, we suspect subscribers will be heaping further praise too. With a phenomenal cast and an equally excellent crew, it would be nigh impossible for The Irishman to not win of least one Academy Award.
Judging by the response from critics, Robert De Niro and the onset are at their absolute best. With multiple academy award winners working on The Irishman, it’s a recipe for accolade success.
The categories The Irishman is most likely to be nominated for and potentially win are:
| Category / Nominated | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Best Picture | The Irishman |
| Best Actor in a Leading Role | Robert De Niro |
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Al Pacino & Joe Pesci |
| Costume Design | Sandy Powell and Christopher Peterson |
| Best Director | Martin Scorsese |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Steven Zaillian |
| Best Achievement in Cinematography | Rodrigo Prieto |
| Best Achievement in Film Editing | Thelma Schoonmaker |
| Best Achievement in Production Design | Bob Shaw |
| Best Achievement in Visual Effects | Pablo Helman |
Upon the release of The Irishman, this list may have further categories added.
Marriage Story
Perhaps one of the surprise hits of the year, Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story has been a resounding success with critics around the globe.
Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson, are incredibly likely to receive academy award nominations for their highly acclaimed performances as Charlie and Nicole Barber, respectively. Judging by the response from critics, both cast members excelled in their roles to give a deeply emotional and compassionate performance as a married couple struggling with through their divorce.
Much of the credit to the film’s critical acclaim belongs to director Noah Baumbach, whose idea for the film came during the post-production of The Meyerowitz Stories.
The category Marriage Story is most likely to be nominated for and potentially win is:
| Category Nominated | Nominee |
|---|---|
| Best Picture | Noah Baumbach / Marriage Story |
| Best Actress in a Leading Role | Scarlett Johansson |
| Best Actor in a Leading Role | Adam Driver |
| Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Laura Dern |
| Best Writing Original Screenplay | Noah Baumbach |
| Best Original Score | Randy Newman |
Upon the Netflix release on December 6th, further categories could be added to the list above.
Once Marriage Story is available to audiences globally, there may be a call for further potential nominations.
The Two Popes
One of the final big movies up Netflix’s sleeve for 2019 was The Two Popes. The excellent movie transports us to a world that’s quite unlike our own. It gives us a rare and exceptionally detailed look at the relationship between an outgoing and an incoming pope.
The movie was directed by Fernando Meirelles but the screenplay itself was adapted by Anthony McCarten.
Praised by the majority of critics, it is carried by the dynamics of two veteran actors to provide an “impressive showcase” of the twos talents.
The three nominated categories for The Two Popes include:
| Category Nominated | Nominee / Winner |
|---|---|
| Actor in a Leading Role | Jonathan Pryce |
| Actor in a Supporting Role | Anthony Hopkins |
| Writing Adapted Screenplay | Anthony McCarten |
Klaus
The output of Christmas titles from Netflix has only intensified over the past few years, but out of the growing number of titles, there’s always one stand out performer, this year that title belongs to Klaus.
Over the past decade, the rise of CGI animation has lead to a serious decline in hand-drawn animated films. SPA Studios, the Madrid based studio that produced Klaus, proved that there is still magic with 2-D hand-drawn animation.
The category Klaus is most likely to be nominated for and potentially win is:
| Category Nominated | Nominee / Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Animated Feature Film | Klaus |
Beautifully animated, wonderfully designed and a fantastic original story on Santa Claus, Klaus should definitely be in contention to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film.
The Christmas Original will be facing stiff competition from the likes of Disney (Frozen 2, Lion King, Toy Story) and Dreamworks (How to Train Your Dragon 3, Abominable), but we think it has a great chance of winning.
Klaus may never have happened if it wasn’t for Netflix, so it’s great to see a fantastic studio, like SPA Studios, given the freedom to flex their creativity and produce something magical.
I Lost My Body
Although Klaus had the broad appeal, I Lost My Body provided a mature and thought-provoking story.
The French animated movie has been nominated in one category and goes up against the aforementioned Klaus but also the likes of Toy Story 4, Missing Link and How To Train Your Dragon.
The movie was written by Jérémy Clapin and Guillaume Laurent and directed by Jérémy Clapin.
Critics praised I Lost My Body for being a “stirring” and “gritty”.
| Category Nominated | Nominee / Winner |
|---|---|
| Animated Feature Film | I Lost My Body |
American Factory
Netflix has had of least one documentary nominated for an Academy Award every year, for either Feature or Short, since 2014. Out of the total twelve nominations, four have gone on to win the Academy Award. Could 2020 mark four years in a row that Netflix takes home a documentary Academy Award? We definitely think so.
Produced by the Obamas, American Factory was a fascinating insight into the culture of a working-class Ohio town clashing with high-tech corporate China. The focus of the film was centered around the changing relationship between workers, employers, and the constantly evolving global economy of the 21st Century.
The category American Factory is most likely to be nominated for and potentially win is:
| Category Nominated | Nominee / Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Documentary (Feature) | American Factory |
The Edge of Democracy
This political documentary dropped in the middle of the year and provides a chilling and somber look at politics in 2019.
It outlines the current administration in Brazil and how complex the politics have gotten there. It informs but doesn’t preach which is no doubt why it managed to score an Oscar nomination.
The documentary is directed by Petra Costa.
| Category | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Documentary (Feature) | Petra Costa, Joanna Natasegara, Shane Boris and Tiago Pavan |
Life Overtakes Me
In the documentary short category this year, Netflix has gotten one Oscar nomination in the form of Life Overtakes Me.
The documentary that spans 40 minutes takes a look into the refugee children living in Sweden who are suffering from Resignation Syndrome.
The chilling story features expert testimony and is overall probably one of the most underrated docs to ever release on Netflix. Give it a watch if you haven’t already.
What Netflix Original film do you want to see win? Let us know in the comments below!
