By Emily-Rose Toohey
On 8 February, the 94th Academy Award nominations were announced during the late hours of the evening.
Despite the feverish excitement plaguing the film community, there have been growing conversations about who genuinely cares about the event and what the awards actually mean.
Live viewership has astronomically declined in recent years, but why has this happened?
It may come down to the smaller budget films usually nominated not being seen by the general public.
Will people only show up to a movie theatre to watch Spider-Man these days?
How on earth did Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story remake completely flop at the box office?
Although the Oscars’ centrality and importance in pop culture has shifted, the films it highlights often gain more widespread exposure.
As a result, this exposure prompts people to check out the nominated films – particularly the winners.
Despite the Oscars’ flaws, The Academy’s purpose remains true: to honour and celebrate film excellence, which should be preserved.
But what films were even nominated in 2022 and where can you watch them?
Here’s a breakdown of this year’s 10 Best Picture nominees:
1. Belfast
Nominations (6): Best Supporting Actress (Judi Dench), Best Supporting Actor (Ciarán Hinds), Best Director (Kenneth Branagh), Best Original Screenplay, Best Sound
Where to watch: metropolitan cinemas (streaming release TBD)
2. CODA
Nominations (3): Best Supporting Actor (Troy Kotsur), Best Adapted Screenplay
Where to watch: Apple TV Plus
3. Don’t Look Up
Nominations (4): Best Original Score, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing
Where to watch: Netflix
4. Drive My Car
Nominations (4): International Feature Film, Best Director (Ryusuke Hamaguchi), Best Adapted Screenplay
Where to watch: metropolitan cinemas (streaming release TBD)
5. Dune
Nominations (10): Best Original Score, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Film Editing, Best Sound
Where to watch: DVD, available for purchase or rent on YouTube Movies and Amazon Prime
6. King Richard
Nominations (5): Best Actor (Will Smith), Best Supporting Actress (Aunjanue Ellis), Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing
Where to watch: metropolitan cinemas (streaming release TBD)
7. Licorice Pizza
Nominations (3): Best Director (Paul Thomas Anderson), Best Original Screenplay
Where to watch: metropolitan cinemas (streaming release TBD)
8. Nightmare Alley
Nominations (4): Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design
Where to watch: metropolitan cinemas (streaming release TBD)
9. The Power of the Dog
Nominations (12): Best Actor (Benedict Cumberbatch), Best Supporting Actress (Kirsten Dunst), Best Supporting Actor (Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee), Best Director (Jane Campion), Best Original Score, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Film Editing, Best Sound
Where to watch: Netflix
10. West Side Story
Nominations (7): Best Supporting Actress (Ariana DeBose), Best Director (Steven Spielberg), Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Sound
Where to watch: Disney+
The Oscars ceremony is on Monday 28 March and a full list of nominees is available online.
