Critical darlings La La Land, Moonlight and Manchester by the Sea expected to scoop lion’s share of Oscar nominations
Last year the academy came under scathing criticism for its overwhelming bias toward white nominees, vowing to add more women and minorities to its membership
All eyes will be on Hollywood Tuesday when the list of nominees for this year’s Oscars is announced, with critical darlings La La Land, Moonlight and Manchester by the Sea set to fare well.
But beyond the suspense surrounding the batch of nominees, the announcement is also expected to address the long-running #OscarsSoWhite controversy that cast a shadow over last year’s awards ceremony because of its lack of diversity.
The nominated films, actors and filmmakers will be announced at a pre-dawn announcement which for the first time will be streamed online.
But the movie starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling is facing stiff competition from Moonlight – the coming-of-age tale of a black man in Miami – and Manchester by the Sea, about a depressive loner played by Casey Affleck.
Both films also received nods at the Golden Globes, though far fewer than the seven to La La Land.
Other front runners for Best Picture are Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi thriller Arrival; Mel Gibson’s bloody second world war film Hacksaw Ridge; Garth Davis’s family drama Lion; and Theodore Melfi’s biographical comedy-drama Hidden Figures.
