Oscars 2022: The Power of the Dog leads nominations

Image source, Reuters

Image caption,

Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst (left) and director Jane Campion are all recognised for The Power of the Dog

Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog, an intense western starring Benedict Cumberbatch, leads the Oscar nominations with 12.

It is closely followed by Dune, which has 10, and Belfast and West Side Story, which have seven each.

Olivia Colman, Benedict Cumberbatch and Andrew Garfield are among the British acting nominees in the leading categories.

Dame Judi Dench and Ciarán Hinds are nominated for supporting roles.

Both appeared in Belfast, Sir Kenneth Branagh's autobiographical black-and-white film about a family in Northern Ireland during The Troubles.

Image source, PA Media

Image caption,

Dame Judi Dench is nominated for her performance in Belfast, while Sir Kenneth Branagh is up for best director

Sir Kenneth, who is also nominated for best director, said in a statement: "It's a long way from the streets of Belfast to the Academy Awards.

"Today, I think of my mother and father, and my grandparents - how proud they were to be Irish, how much this city meant to them. They would have been overwhelmed by this incredible honour - as am I.

"Given a story as personal as this one, it's a hell of a day for my family, and the family of our film. I thank Academy voters for their incredible and generous recognition."

• The Oscar nominations in full
• We need to talk about why Bruno won't win an Oscar
• Read more about the films in this year's awards race

With her nomination, Jane Campion becomes the first woman to have been nominated for best director twice.

Her film, The Power of the Dog, is a slow and intense western which also scored nominations for three of its supporting actors - Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Kirsten Dunst.

Writing on Twitter, McPhee said he was "deeply honoured" to have been recognised by the Academy.

Two couples are nominated within the 20 acting places that were available.

Penelope Cruz (Parallel Mothers) and Javier Bardem (Being The Ricardos) have been married since 2010, while Plemons and Dunst are engaged.

The main nominees

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption,

Dune, which stars Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet, is one of 10 nominees for best picture

• The Power of the Dog - 12
• Dune - 10
• Belfast - 7
• West Side Story - 7
• King Richard - 6
• Don't Look Up - 4
• Nightmare Alley - 4
• Drive My Car - 4

Ariana DeBose, who is a strong contender for best supporting actress, shared her excitement over her nomination on Twitter

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

Tracee Ellis Ross and Leslie Jordan announced the nominations in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

There is pressure to make the Oscars more popular with and relevant to young audiences, after 2021's pared-down ceremony tanked in the ratings, partly due to the absence of big film releases during lockdown.

The Academy has confirmed the ceremony will have a host this year, but has not yet revealed who it will be.

The ceremony hasn't had a host since Jimmy Kimmel was at the helm in 2018. Instead, a variety of celebrity guests have introduced individual categories and announced winners.

This year's ceremony will take place on Sunday 27 March.