The Oscars are inching ever closer, and all you prognosticating addicts out there just got a big hit of the good stuff because the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences just released a whole lot of shortlists. Traditionally, AMPAS sends out the individual shortlists at different times, but for the first time this year, they revealed nine at once, including two categories — Original Score and Best Song — that have traditionally had different contender elimination processes.

The semifinalists come in the categories of Documentary Feature, Documentary Short, Makeup and Hairstyling, Foreign Language Feature, Original Song, Original Score, Live Action Short and Animated Short. The biggest “snubs” come in the Foreign Feature category, where the controversial Belgian transgender drama Girl was left off the list — no doubt news that will bring relief to a number of LGBTQ+ critics, especially trans critics, who have openly spoken out against the film. Sweden’s Border, which earned impressive reviews throughout the festival circuit was also left off the short list of nine titles.

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Image via Amazon Studios

As for what did make the shortlists, you can bet I’m thrilled to see two hopeful nominations for Luca Guadagnino’s Suspiria, in the categories of Hair and Makeup (which it absolutely deserves, just watch this incredible video) and the rather competitive Original Song category (for Thom Yorke’s Suspirium). As for the big Original Song contender this year, A Star Is Born’s Shallow made the cut, as did two sings from Mary Poppins Returns. Speaking of Mary Poppins Returns, that film shows real potential to be an Oscar heavyweight when the noms roll out, popping up on three shortlists.

In the realm of VFX, you will most likely not be surprised to find a whole lot of Disney on the list, including all three Marvel titles released this year (Black Pantehr, Infinity War & Ant-Man and the Wasp), as well as Mary Poppins Returns, Solo: A Star Wars Story and Christopher Robin. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Welcome to Marwen, and Ready Player One also made the list, but I’d keep my eye on First Man, which is just the kind of understated and hyperrealistic effects work that tends to perform at the Oscars. It would also be a great category to show a little love to Damien Chazelle’s biopic, which was a hit with critics but bombed with audiences and seemed to fizzle out of the main awards categories early.

Check out the full list of shortlists below. The Oscar nominees will be unveiled Jan. 22, followed by the live broadcast of the 91st Annual Academy Awards Sunday, Feb. 24.

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

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Image via Sundance Institute

Fifteen films will advance in the Documentary Feature category for the 91st Academy Awards®. One hundred sixty-six films were originally submitted in the category. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

“Charm City”

“Communion”

“Crime + Punishment”

“Dark Money”

“The Distant Barking of Dogs”

“Free Solo”

“Hale County This Morning, This Evening”

“Minding the Gap”

“Of Fathers and Sons”

“On Her Shoulders”

“RBG”

“Shirkers”

“The Silence of Others”

“Three Identical Strangers”

“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”

DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

Ten films will advance in the Documentary Short Subject category for the 91st Academy Awards®. One hundred four films had originally qualified in the category. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

“Black Sheep”

“End Game”

“Lifeboat”

“Los Comandos”

“My Dead Dad’s Porno Tapes”

“A Night at the Garden”

“Period. End of Sentence.”

“’63 Boycott”

“Women of the Gulag”

“Zion”

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Nine films will advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for the 91st Academy Awards®. Eighty-seven films had originally been considered in the category.

Los Angeles-based Academy members from all branches screened the original submissions in the category between mid-October and December 10. The group’s top six choices, augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy’s Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee, constitute the shortlist. Academy members eligible to participate in the Nominations round of voting will view the shortlisted films. Members must see all nine films before casting their ballots.

Colombia, “Birds of Passage”

Denmark, “The Guilty”

Germany, “Never Look Away”

Japan, “Shoplifters”

Kazakhstan, “Ayka”

Lebanon, “Capernaum”

Mexico, “Roma”

Poland, “Cold War”

South Korea, “Burning”

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

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Image via 20th Century Fox

Seven films will advance in the Makeup and Hairstyling category for the 91st Academy Awards®. All members of the Academy’s Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch will be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the seven shortlisted films on Saturday, January 5, 2019. Members will vote to nominate three films for final Oscar® consideration.

“Black Panther”

“Bohemian Rhapsody”

“Border”

“Mary Queen of Scots”

“Stan & Ollie”

“Suspiria”

“Vice”

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)

Fifteen scores will advance in the Original Score category for the 91st Academy Awards®. One hundred fifty-six scores were eligible in the category. Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

“Annihilation”

“Avengers: Infinity War”

“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”

“Black Panther”

“BlacKkKlansman”

“Crazy Rich Asians”

“The Death of Stalin”

“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”

“First Man”

“If Beale Street Could Talk”

“Isle of Dogs”

“Mary Poppins Returns”

“A Quiet Place”

“Ready Player One”

“Vice”

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)

Fifteen songs will advance in the Original Song category for the 91st Academy Awards®. Ninety songs were eligible in the category. Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

“When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings” from “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”

“Treasure” from “Beautiful Boy”

“All The Stars” from “Black Panther”

“Revelation” from “Boy Erased”

“Girl In The Movies” from “Dumplin’”

“We Won’t Move” from “The Hate U Give”

“The Place Where Lost Things Go” from “Mary Poppins Returns”

“Trip A Little Light Fantastic” from “Mary Poppins Returns”

“Keep Reachin’” from “Quincy”

“I’ll Fight” from “RBG”

“A Place Called Slaughter Race” from “Ralph Breaks the Internet”

“OYAHYTT” from “Sorry to Bother You”

“Shallow” from “A Star Is Born”

“Suspirium” from “Suspiria”

“The Big Unknown” from “Widows”

ANIMATED SHORT FILM

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Image via Warner Bros.

Ten films will advance in the Animated Short Film category for the 91st Academy Awards®. Eighty-one films had originally qualified in the category. Members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

“Age of Sail”

“Animal Behaviour”

“Bao”

“Bilby”

“Bird Karma”

“Late Afternoon”

“Lost & Found”

“One Small Step”

“Pépé le Morse”

“Weekends”

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

Ten films will advance in the Live Action Short Film category for the 91st Academy Awards®. One hundred forty films had originally qualified in the category. Members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

“Caroline”

“Chuchotage”

“Detainment”

“Fauve”

“Icare”

“Marguerite”

“May Day”

“Mother”

“Skin”

“Wale”

VISUAL EFFECTS

Ten films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 91st Academy Awards®. The Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the shortlist. All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, January 5, 2019. Following the screenings, members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar® consideration.

“Ant-Man and the Wasp”

“Avengers: Infinity War”

“Black Panther”

“Christopher Robin”

“First Man”

“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”

“Mary Poppins Returns”

“Ready Player One”

“Solo: A Star Wars Story”

“Welcome to Marwen”

For more of the latest on the 2019 Oscars, be sure to check out our latest up-to-date coverage in the links below.

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Image via Disney
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Image via Marvel Studios
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Image via Universal Pictures