New Zealand director Jane Campion's film The Power of the Dog leads the nominations for this year's Oscars.
Dame Jane Campion Photo: AFP
The dark Western leads the field of this year's Academy Awards contenders with 12 nominations for the Netflix film, ahead of the 10 nods for science-fiction epic Dune.
Both will compete for the prestigious best picture trophy against drama Belfast, about a family living amid sectarian conflict in late 1960s Northern Ireland; deaf community film CODA; and"Don't Look Up, a darkly comic allegory about climate change.
Other best picture nominees included Japanese drama Drive My Car, King Richard, about the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams; coming-of-age story Licorice Pizza; thriller Nightmare Alley; and Steven Spielberg's remake of the classic musical West Side Story.
Dame Jane became the first woman nominated twice for best director with her nod for Power of the Dog. She was a contender for her 1993 film The Piano, but lost out that year to Spielberg, who won for Schindler's List.
Power of the Dog also received nominations across the top acting categories for stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Kirsten Dunst.
Also in the running for lead acting honors are Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem for playing TV comedy couple Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in Being the Ricardos. Will Smith was nominated for the title role in King Richard, along with Andrew Garfield for biographical musical Tick, Tick ... Boom! and Denzel Washington for The Tragedy of Macbeth.
Kristen Stewart will compete for best actress for her portrayal of Princess Diana in Spencer. The other best actress nominees were Jessica Chastain for The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Olivia Colman in The Lost Daughter and Penelope Cruz for Parallel Mothers.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the group that hands out the Oscars, will reveal the winners at a live ceremony in Hollywood on 27 March.
The Power of the Dog nominations:
- Best Picture
- Actor in a Leading Role: Benedict Cumberbatch
- Actor in a Supporting Role: Jesse Plemons
- Actor in a Supporting Role: Kodi Smit-Mcphee
- Actress In A Supporting Role: Kirsten Dunst
- Cinematography: Ari Wegner
- Directing: Jane Campion
- Film Editing: Peter Sciberras
- Music (Original Score): Jonny Greenwood
- Production Design: Grant Major, Amber Richard
- Sound: Richard Flynn, Robert Mackenzie and Tara Webb
- Writing (Adapted Screenplay): Jane Campion
- Reuters