Hamnet, Bugonia, and Song Sung Blue Honored With 13 Academy Award® Nominations
Films honored for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, and more
This morning, the nominees for the 98th Academy Awards® were announced. Three Focus Features films received 13 nominations across major categories, including two for Best Picture, Writing (Adapted Screenplay), and Music (Original Score), as well as three for Best Actress in a Leading Role. This is the first time a single studio has had three actresses nominated in the same lead acting category since 2001. The awards ceremony will be on Sunday, March 15. We congratulate all of these most worthy nominees.
Hamnet received eight nominations, including Best Picture (for producers Liza Marshall, Pippa Harris, Nicolas Gonda, Steven Spielberg, and Sam Mendes). Jessie Buckley was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Chloé Zhao received nominations for Directing and Writing (Adapted Screenplay), which she shares with Maggie O’Farrell. Max Richter was nominated for Music (Original Score). Fiona Crombie and Alice Felton received nominations for Production Design. Malgosia Turzanska was nominated for Costume Design. Nina Gold was nominated for Casting, a new Academy Award® category.
Bugonia was nominated for four Academy Awards®. For Best Picture, producers Ed Guiney & Andrew Lowe, Yorgos Lanthimos, Emma Stone, and Lars Knudsen were nominated. Emma Stone was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Will Tracy was nominated for Writing (Adapted Screenplay). And Jerskin Fendrix was nominated for Music (Original Score).
For her performance in Song Sung Blue, Kate Hudson was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
Nominees have been expressing their gratitude and joy from around the world. In a joint statement, the producers of Hamnet wrote, “We are thrilled to celebrate these nominations with our visionary director, Chloé Zhao, the remarkable cast of Hamnet, including Jessie Buckley, and all of the other artists whose work has made Hamnet such a singular motion picture experience.”
Buckley thanked the academy and her co-creators, exclaiming, “Chloé Zhao you cracked my heart wide open when you asked me to step into Maggie O’Farrell’s world and create our Agnes beside you. Paul, there is no Agnes without you. I’m so grateful to have been part of this story with the incredible village of artists I shared it with.”
O’Farrell, Hamnet’s co-screenwriter (and author of the novel on which the film was based), said, “When I was writing the novel, it never occurred to me that such a turn of events would be possible: I’m having to pinch myself at regular intervals because it all seems like a dream.” From Poland, Turzanska exclaimed, “I honestly still cannot believe it. I was watching the announcement in Krakow with my mom, who had a stick in one hand—in case I got too sad and needed a reminder to get over myself—and a bottle of champagne in the other.” Crombie and Felton thanked the Academy, adding, “It is a film that was made with great love and care from every person on set. To have that recognized means the world.” Composer Richter said, “I feel incredibly fortunate to have been part of Hamnet and collaborated with Chloé, whose thoughtful vision guided this film at every step.” And casting director Gold said, “Hamnet is a beautiful example of the true power of artistic collaboration.”
In a joint statement, the producers of Bugonia wrote, "We’re incredibly grateful to see Bugonia honored with these nominations, especially Best Picture, which represents the collective work and an extraordinary collaboration of our cast, crew and a creative team that pushed every boundary. We felt a real urgency to tell this story of a world spinning off its axis, and we are grateful to everyone who connected with it in cinemas around the world.” “Thank you to the Academy for these nominations and to everyone who poured their hearts into Bugonia,” Stone said. “None of this exists without our director, Yorgos. I am forever grateful for our creative partnership and friendship.”
Tracy said, “Working on the film with my friends was a hugely happy experience, and that’s all down to the trust and support of Yorgos Lanthimos, Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Ari Aster, Lars Knudsen, all the fine folks at Focus Features and the Academy. I raise my mug to them.” In addition to thanking the Academy, Fendrix expressed, “I love Yorgos and I love my colleagues.”
“What an incredible feeling and moment to have been nominated,” said Hudson after learning of her nomination. “My heart is filled with gratitude and joy. I’m so thrilled to celebrate with all the amazing women in this category. Being in Song Sung Blue has been one of the great honors of my life.”
Get tickets for Hamnet—now playing in theaters!
Get tickets for Song Sung Blue—now playing in theaters!