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Your guide to Oscar-nominated movies and where to watch them

So many Oscar nominations, so little time! Let us help.
Dean Treml
/
AFP via Getty Images
So many Oscar nominations, so little time! Let us help.

Updated March 8, 2024 at 12:33 PM ET

The Academy Awards are on Sunday and we've got you covered: Here's a rundown of what to expect at the Oscars and some punny menu ideas for your Oscars party.

Below, find details and coverage of all the films nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor and Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Actress, and Best Director. And check out our guides for Best International Feature and Best Documentary Feature. Dive in!

Jeffrey Wright in <em>American Fiction.</em>
Claire Folger / Orion Releasing LLC
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Orion Releasing LLC
Jeffrey Wright in American Fiction.

American Fiction

This feature directorial debut of Cord Jefferson follows a Black author who grudgingly writes a novel filled with antiquated stereotypes.

Nominations: Best picture, actor, supporting actor, adapted screenplay, original score

Where to see it: In theaters. Rent or buy it on Amazon and Google Play

Review: Every era has its own American Fiction, but is there anything new to say?

Essay: Advice from a critic: Read Erasure before seeing American Fiction

Director Interview: What does it mean to be Black enough? Cord Jefferson explores this American Fiction

Actor Interviews: NPR spoke with Jeffrey Wright, Sterling K. Brown and Tracee Ellis Ross

Sandra Hüller in <em data-stringify-type="italic">Anatomy of a Fall.</em>
/ NEON
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NEON
Sandra Hüller in Anatomy of a Fall.

Anatomy of a Fall

Directed by Justine Triet, this French drama follows a wife who becomes the chief suspect when her husband is found dead, and rifts in their marriage are exposed.

Nominations: Best picture, director, actress, original screenplay, editing

Where to see it: In theaters. Rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu or YouTube

Review: Anatomy of a Fall dissects a marriage and, maybe, a murder

Essay: If you love courtroom dramas, this Oscar-nominated film is not to be missed

Director Interview: Justine Triet on her film Anatomy of a Fall

Roundtable: Anatomy of a Fall autopsies a marriage

Margot Robbie in <em>Barbie.</em>
/ Warner Bros. Pictures
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Warner Bros. Pictures
Margot Robbie in Barbie.

Barbie

Director Greta Gerwig crafts an extremely self-aware vision of Barbie, with commentary on the patriarchy and the unreasonable expectations placed on women in society.

Nominations: Best picture, supporting actor, supporting actress, adapted screenplay, production design, costume design, original song

Where to see it: In theaters. Stream it on Max. Rent or buy it it on Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu or YouTube

Review: Is Barbie corporate propaganda or Malibu Metacommentary? Why not both!

Interview: Barbie music producer Mark Ronson opens up about the film's 'bespoke' sound

Report: Barbie receives 8 Oscar nominations, but was that Kenough?

Report: Barbie is the only billion-dollar blockbuster solely directed by a woman

Roundtable: We spoil Barbie

Danielle Brooks and Fantasia Barrino in <em>The Color Purple.</em>
Eli Adé / Warner Bros. Pictures
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Warner Bros. Pictures
Danielle Brooks and Fantasia Barrino in The Color Purple.

The Color Purple

Blitz Bazawule's adaptation of the Broadway musical is based on the Alice Walker novel. It tells the story of Celie, who survives the abuse by the men in her life and longs to be reunited with the sister who was taken from her.

Nominations: Supporting actress

Where to see it: Stream it on Max. Rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu and YouTube.

Review: The new Color Purple exudes joy, but dances past some deeper complexities

Director and Actor Interview: 'Everyone walked away with part of themselves healed' – The Color Purple reimagined

Actor Interviews: NPR spoke with Taraji P. Henson and Fantasia Barrino

Report: The Color Purple is the biggest Christmas Day opening since 2009

Roundtable: Revisiting The Color Purple wars

Dominic Sessa and Paul Giamatti in <em>The Holdovers.</em>
/ Focus Features
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Focus Features
Dominic Sessa and Paul Giamatti in The Holdovers.

The Holdovers

Alexander Payne's film about a curmudgeonly professor at a prestigious boarding school, who must look after students during Christmas break, and forms a bond with one kid who's a particular pain in the butt.

Nominations: Best picture, actor, supporting actress, original screenplay, editing

Where to see it: In theaters. Stream it on Peacock. Buy it on Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu and Amazon

Review:Alexander Payne keeps real emotion at bay in the coyly comic Holdovers

Actor Interview: Paul Giamatti's own high school years came in handy in The Holdovers

Roundtable: In The Holdovers, three broken people get schooled

Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone in <em>Killers of the Flower Moon.</em>
/ Apple TV
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Apple TV
Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone in Killers of the Flower Moon.

Killers of the Flower Moon

Based on a true story, director Martin Scorsese's epic film tracks the suspicious murders of members of the Osage Nation in 1920s Oklahoma after they find oil under their tribal land.

Nominations: Best picture, director, actress, supporting actor, production design, costume design, cinematography, editing, original score, original song

Where to see it: In theaters. Stream it on Apple TV+, buy it on Amazon, Vudu, Google Play, YouTube, or Apple TV

Review: Scorsese centers men and their violence once again in Killers of the Flower Moon

Review: 'You talkin' to me?' How Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon gets in your head

Report: How Osage people stepped in to be sure Killers of the Flower Moon got things right

Report: 'Of course we should be here': Flower Moon receives a 9-minute ovation at Cannes

Interview: Pressing pause on Killers of the Flower Moon and rethinking Scorsese's latest

Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan in <em>Maestro.</em>
Jason McDonald / Netflix
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Netflix
Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan in Maestro.

Maestro

An Old-Hollywood style biopic about the composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein directed and co-written by – and starring Bradley Cooper.

Nominations: Best picture, actor, actress, original screenplay, cinematography, makeup and hairstyling, sound

Where to see it: Stream it on Netflix

Review: Maestro chronicles the brilliant Bernstein — and his disorderly conduct

Review: Bradley Cooper's Maestro fully captures Bernstein's charisma and complexity

Director/Actor/Writer Interview: To become the Maestro, Bradley Cooper learned to live the music

Actor Interview: Carey Mulligan on playing the wife of composer Leonard Bernstein in Maestro

Report: Leonard Bernstein's family defends appearance in Maestro nose flap

Roundtable: Maestro hits some discordant notes

Annette Bening in <em>Nyad.</em>
Liz Parkinson / Liz Parkinson/Netflix
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Liz Parkinson/Netflix
Annette Bening in Nyad.

Nyad

Directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, the film tells the true story of a marathon swimmer who attempts to become the first person ever to swim from Cuba to Florida.

Nominations: Best actress, supporting actress

Where to see it: Stream it on Netflix

Director Interview: New film dramatizes Diana Nyad's 2013 feat: swimming from Cuba to Florida

Cillian Murphy in <em>Oppenheimer.</em>
/ Universal
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Universal
Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer.

Oppenheimer

Christopher Nolan's film about the brilliant physicist who oversaw the construction of the first atomic bomb at a secret military base in the New Mexico desert.

Nominations: Best picture, director, actor, supporting actor, supporting actress, adapted screenplay, production design, costume design, cinematography, editing, makeup and hairstyling, sound, original score

Where to see it: Rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu or YouTube

Director Interview: 'Like it or not, we live in Oppenheimer's world,' says director Christopher Nolan

Review: Nolan's thriller Oppenheimer is a monument to science and the arrogance of genius

Report: What Oppenheimer left out: the atomic bomb's fallout in New Mexico

Report: Oppenheimer will screen in Japan in 2024, distributors say

Roundtable: Oppenheimer looks at the building of the bomb, and the lingering fallout

Composer Interview: Composer Ludwig Göransson on Oppenheimer

Interview: Oppenheimer is everywhere. Here's the science behind the atomic bomb

Teo Yoo and Greta Lee in <em>Past Lives. </em>
/ A24
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A24
Teo Yoo and Greta Lee in Past Lives.

Past Lives

Celine Song's film about a woman, played by Greta Lee, who reconnects with her childhood sweetheart and tries to understand both the path she took and the many paths she didn't.

Nominations: Best picture, original screenplay

Where to see it: In theaters. Stream it on Paramount+, Showtime and Hulu Premium. Rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu and YouTube.

Actor Interview: As a kid, Greta Lee identified with Val Kilmer — now, she imagines Past Lives

Review: Across continents and decades, Past Lives is the most affecting love story in ages

Roundtable: Past Lives is a story about love and choices

Director Interview: Past Lives is inspired by filmmaker Celine Song's own experience with a childhood friend

Emma Stone in <em>Poor Things.</em>
Atsushi Nishijima / Searchlight Pictures
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Searchlight Pictures
Emma Stone in Poor Things.

Poor Things

Director Yorgos Lanthimos' dark comedy about a young woman in Victorian London, who is found and experimented upon by a twisted scientist.

Nominations: Best picture, actress, supporting actor, director, adapted screenplay, original score, cinematography, costume design, film editing, production design, makeup and hairstyling.

Where to see it: In theaters. Stream it on Hulu. Rent or buy on Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu and YouTube

Review: Unhinged yet uplifting, Poor Things is an un-family-friendly Barbie

Essay: Oscars, take note: 'Poor Things' built its weird, unforgettable world from scratch

Director and Actor Interview: In Poor Things, Emma Stone plays a woman exploring the world, learning to be human

Roundtable: Emma Stone comes alive in the imaginative Poor Things

Colman Domingo in <em>Rustin</em>.
/ Netflix
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Netflix
Colman Domingo in Rustin.

Rustin

George C. Wolfe's film about Bayard Rustin, an advisor to Martin Luther King Jr., who faces discrimination as an openly gay Black man during the Civil Rights movement.

Nominations: Best actor

Where to see it: Stream it on Netflix

Actor Interview: He organized the March on Washington. Why don't more people know about Bayard Rustin?

Review:'Rustin' tells the story of the man who helped make the March on Washington possible

History: Remembering Bayard Rustin: The Man Behind the March on Washington

Sandra Hüller in <em>The Zone of Interest.</em>
/ A24
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A24
Sandra Hüller in The Zone of Interest.

The Zone of Interest

Jonathan Glazer's film about the commandant of Auschwitz, and his wife and children, who live in an idyllic house and garden next to the concentration camp.

Nominations: Best picture, director, international feature, adapted screenplay, sound

Where to see it: In theaters. Rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu and YouTube

Review: Chilling Zone of Interest imagines life next door to a death camp

Director Interview: Zone of Interest follows the family life of the Nazi commander at Auschwitz

Roundtable: In The Zone of Interest evil lies just over the garden wall

Want to catch up on last year? Here's what NPR critics picked as the best movies and TV of 2023.

Clockwise from top left: <em>Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One</em>, <em>Passages</em>,<em> Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse</em>,<em> Four Daughters</em>,<em> Only Murders in the Building</em>,<em> Hijack</em>
/ Paramount Pictures; MUBI; Sony Pictures; Jour2Fête; Hulu; Apple TV+
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Paramount Pictures; MUBI; Sony Pictures; Jour2Fête; Hulu; Apple TV+
Clockwise from top left: Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One, Passages, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Four Daughters, Only Murders in the Building, Hijack

Web page produced by Beth Novey.

Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.