Oscar® Nominatons Fact Sheet

By Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Mar 5, 2006, 3:27 GMT

photo courtesy A.M.P.A.S® Oscar march down the Red Carpet, March 4, 2006

Have you placed your bets yet? If not, here are some basic facts about each of the 78th annual Academy Awards® nominees.

Best Motion Picture of the Year:

Brokeback Mountain (Focus Features) [Produced by Diana Ossana and James Schamus.] - This is the first nomination for Diana Ossana in this category. She is also nominated in the Adapted Screenplay category this year. This is the third nomination for James Schamus, and the first in this category. His other two nominations were in connection with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), for co-writing the Adapted Screenplay and for writing the lyric to the nominated song, “A Love Before Time.”

Capote (UA/Sony Pictures Classics) [Produced by Caroline Baron, William Vince and Michael Ohoven.] - This is the first nomination for all three.

Crash (Lions Gate Films) [Produced by Paul Haggis and Cathy Schulman.] - This is Paul Haggis’ first nomination in this category. He is also nominated this year for this film in the Directing and Original Screenplay categories. Paul Haggis was nominated last year for his adapted screenplay for Million Dollar Baby. This is the first nomination for Cathy Schulman.

Good Night, and Good Luck (Warner Independent Pictures) [Produced by Grant Heslov.] - This is his first nomination in this category. He is also nominated for his Original Screeenplay.

Munich (Universal and DreamWorks) [Produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg and Barry Mendel.] - This is Kathleen Kennedy’s fifth nomination, all in this category. Her other nominations were for E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), The Color Purple (1985), The Sixth Sense (1999) and Seabiscuit (2003). This is Steven Spielberg’s eleventh nomination and the fifth in this category. His other Best Picture nominations were for E.T., The Color Purple, Schindler’s List (1993), for which he took home an Oscar, and Saving Private Ryan (1998). He has six Directing nominations, for Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T., Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan - these last two resulting in Oscars - and this film. He also received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1986 for “consistently high quality of motion picture production.” This is Barry Mendel’s second nomination in this category;he was also nominated for The Sixth Sense.

Achievement in Directing:

Brokeback Mountain - Ang Lee - This is his third nomination, and the second in this category. He was also nominated for directing and producing Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). Three films he directed were nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Award, all representing Taiwan. They were The Wedding Banquet (1993), Eat Drink Man Woman (1994) and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which won the Oscar for Taiwan.

Capote - Bennett Miller - This is his first nomination.

Crash - Paul Haggis - This is his first nomination in this category. He was nominated last year for his Adapted Screenplay for Million Dollar Baby, and is also nominated this year for this film in the Best Picture and Original Screenplay categories.

Good Night, and Good Luck - George Clooney - All of his three nominations this year are his first.

Munich - Steven Spielberg - This is Steven Spielberg’s eleventh Academy Award nomination and the sixth in this category. His other Directing nominations are for Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Schindler’s List (1993) and Saving Private Ryan (1998), these last two resulting in Oscars. His Best Picture nominations were for E.T., The Color Purple (1985), Schindler’s List, for which he took home an Oscar, Saving Private Ryan and this film. He also received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1986
for “consistently high quality of motion picture production.”

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:

Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Truman Capote” in Capote) - This is his first nomination.

Terrence Howard (“DJay” in Hustle & Flow) - This is his first nomination.

Heath Ledger (“Ennis Del Mar” in Brokeback Mountain) - This is his first nomination.

Joaquin Phoenix (“John R. Cash” in Walk the Line) - This is his second nomination, as he was nominated for his supporting performance in Gladiator (2000).

David Strathairn (“Edward R. Murrow” in Good Night, and Good Luck.) - This is his first nomination.

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:

George Clooney (“Bob Barnes” in Syriana) - This is his first nomination in this category.

Matt Dillon (“Officer Ryan” in Crash) - This is his first nomination.

Paul Giamatti (“Joe Gould” in Cinderella Man) - This is his first nomination.

Jake Gyllenhaal (“Jack Twist” in Brokeback Mountain) - This is his first nomination.

William Hurt (“Richie Cusack” in A History of Violence) - This is his fourth nomination and the first in this category. His previous nominations were for his leading roles in Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), for which he won the Oscar, Children of a Lesser God (1986) and Broadcast News (1987).

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:

Judi Dench (“Mrs. Laura Henderson” in Mrs. Henderson Presents) - This is her fifth nomination and the third in this category. Her other leading nominations were for Mrs. Brown in 1997 and Iris in 2001. She took home the Oscar for her supporting performance in Shakespeare in Love (1998) and was again nominated for her supporting role in Chocolat (2000).

Felicity Huffman (“Bree” in Transamerica) - This is her first nomination.

Keira Knightley (“Elizabeth Bennet” in Pride & Prejudice) - This is her first nomination.

Charlize Theron (“Josey Aimes” in North Country) - This is her second nomination in this category, as she won the Oscar in 2003 for her performance in Monster.

Reese Witherspoon (“June Carter” in Walk the Line) - This is her first nomination.

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:

Amy Adams (“Ashley” in Junebug) - This is her first nomination.

Catherine Keener (“Nelle Harper Lee” in Capote) - This is her second nomination, as she was nominated in 1999 for her supporting performance in Being John Malkovich.

Frances McDormand (“Glory” in North Country) - This is her fourth nomination and the third in this category. Her other nominated supporting roles were for Mississippi Burning (1988) and Almost Famous (2000). She took home the Oscar for her leading role in Fargo (1996).

Rachel Weisz (“Tessa Quayle” in The Constant Gardener) - This is her first nomination.

Michelle Williams (“Alma” in Brokeback Mountain) - This is her first nomination.

Achievement in Writing (Adapted Screenplay):

Brokeback Mountain - Screenplay by Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana. - This is the second nomination for Larry McMurtry, who was nominated for co-writing The Last Picture Show in 1971. This is the first nomination for Diana Ossana in this category. She is also nominated in the Best Picture category this year.

Capote - Screenplay by Dan Futterman. - This is his first nomination.

The Constant Gardener - Screenplay by Jeffrey Caine. - This is his first nomination.

A History of Violence - Screenplay by Josh Olson. - This is his first nomination.

Munich - Screenplay by Tony Kushner and Eric Roth. - This is the first nomination for Tony Kushner. Eric Roth was nominated twice before, for Forrest Gump (1994) which brought him the Oscar, and The Insider (1999).

Achievement in Writing (Original Screenplay):

Crash - Screenplay by Paul Haggis & Bobby Moresco. Story by Paul Haggis. - Paul Haggis was nominated last year for his Adapted Screenplay of Million Dollar Baby. This is the first nomination in this category for Bobby Moresco.

Good Night, and Good Luck - Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov. - This is the first nomination for both in this category.

Match Point - Written by Woody Allen. - This is his 21st nomination and the 14th nomination in this category. 1977 saw three nominations for him for Annie Hall: Actor in a Leading Role, Directing and Writing. He won Oscars for Directing and Writing. His other nominations and awards involve the following films: Interiors (1978), directing and writing nominations; Manhattan (1979), writing nomination; Broadway Danny Rose (1984), directing and writing nominations; The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), writing nomination; Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), nominated for directing and won the Oscar for writing; Radio Days (1987), writing nomination; Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), directing and writing nominations; Alice (1990), writing nomination; Husbands and Wives (1992), writing nomination; Bullets over Broadway (1994), directing and writing nominations; Mighty Aphrodite (1995), writing nomination; and Deconstructing Harry (1997), writing nomination.

The Squid and the Whale - Written by Noah Baumbach. - This is his first nomination.

Syriana - Written by Stephen Gaghan. - This is his second nomination in this category. He took home the Oscar for his Original Screenplay for Traffic in 2000.

Best Foreign Language Film:

Don't Tell (Italy) [Directed by Cristina Comencini.] - This is the twenty-seventh Academy Award nomination for Italy. It has taken home ten Oscars for La Strada (1956), The Nights of Cabiria (1957), Federico Fellini’s 8½ (1963), Yesterday,Today and Tomorrow (1964), Investigation of a Citizen above Suspicion (1970), The Garden of the Finzi Continis (1971), Amarcord (1974), Cinema Paradiso (1989), Mediterraneo (1991) and Life Is Beautiful (1998). Additionally,Italy received three Special/Honorary Awards prior to the establishment of the Foreign Language Film as a regular category in 1956: Shoe-Shine (1947), The Bicycle Thief (1949) and The Walls of Malapaga (1950) [shared with France]. Other previous nominations were The Usual Unidentified Thieves (1958), The Great War (1959), Kapo (1960), The Four Days of Naples (1962), Marriage Italian Style (1965), The Battle of Algiers (1966), The Girl with the Pistol (1968), Scent of a Woman (1975), Seven Beauties (1976), A Special Day (1977), Viva Italia! (1978), To Forget Venice (1979), Three Brothers (1981), The Family (1987), Open Doors (1990) and The Star Maker (1995).

Joyeux Noël (France) [Directed by Christian Carion.] - This is the thirty-fourth Academy Award nomination for France. It has taken home nine Oscars for My Uncle (1958), Black Orpheus (1959), Sundays and Cybele (1962), A Man and a Woman (1966), The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972), Day for Night (1973), Madame Rosa (1977), Get Out Your Handkerchiefs (1978) and Indochine (1992). Additionally, France received three Special/Honorary Awards prior to the establishment of the Foreign Language Film as a regular category in 1956: Monsieur Vincent (1948), The Walls of Malapaga (1950) [shared with Italy] and Forbidden Games (1952). Other previous nominations were Gervaise (1956), Gates of Paris (1957), La Vérité (1960), The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), Live for Life (1967), Stolen Kisses (1968), My Night at Maud's (1969), Hoa-Binh (1970), Lacombe, Lucien (1974), Cousin, Cousine (1976), A Simple Story (1979), The Last Metro (1980), Coup de Torchon ("Clean Slate") (1982), Entre Nous (1983), Three Men and a Cradle (1985), Betty Blue (1986), Au Revoir Les Enfants (Goodbye, Children) (1987), Camille Claudel (1989), Cyrano de Bergerac (1990), Ridicule (1996), East-West (1999), The Taste of Others (2000), Amélie (2001) and last year’s The Chorus (Les Choristes).

Paradise Now (The Palestinian Authority) [Directed by Hany Abu-Assad.] - This is Palestine’s first Academy Award nomination.

Sophie Scholl – The Final Days (Germany) [Directed by Marc Rothemund.] - This is the sixth Academy Award nomination for Germany. Previous nominations were The Nasty Girl (1990), Schtonk! (1992), Beyond Silence (1997), Nowhere in Africa (2002) which won the Oscar, and last year’s Downfall. Prior to reunification in 1990, the Federal Republic of Germany received a total of eight Academy Award nominations. They were The Captain of Kopenick (1956), The Devil Came at Night (1957), Arms and the Man (1958), The Bridge (1959), The Pedestrian (1973), The Glass Cell (1978), The Tin Drum (1979) which won the Oscar, and Angry Harvest (1985). Also prior to reunification, the German Democratic Republic received one Academy Award nomination: Jacob, the Liar (1976).

Tsotsi (South Africa) [Directed by Gavin Hood.] - This is the second Academy Award nomination for South Africa in as many years, as its entry Yesterday was nominated last year.

Animated Feature Film:

Howl’s Moving Castle (Buena Vista) - Hayao Miyazaki - This is his second nomination, as he won the Oscar in this category in 2002 for Spirited Away.

Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride (Warner Bros.) - Mike Johnson and Tim Burton - This is the first nomination for both.

Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit (DreamWorks Animation) - Nick Park and Steve Box - This is the fifth nomination for Nick Park and the first in this category. His other four were in the Animated Short Film category,beginning with A Grand Day Out and Creature Comforts, both in 1990. The latter won him the Oscar. Nick Park’s other two nominations won him two more Oscars, with The Wrong Trousers in 1993 and A Close Shave in 1995. This is the first nomination for Steve Box.