Oscars Shortlist: 10 Feature Films Shortlisted for Best Makeup and Hairstyling at 95th Academy Awards

Per the Academy’s press release:

10 films will advance in the Makeup and Hairstyling category for the 95th Academy Awards. All members of the Academy’s Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch will be invited to view excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar® consideration.

Each shortlist is determined by members of that corresponding branch, except for International Feature Film. (Members from all branches are invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must meet a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.)

The nominations for the 95th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, while the Oscars ceremony will be held on Sunday, March 12, 2023, at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.

WHY I CHOSE THOSE FIVE?

“The Batman” and “The Whale” (which sounds like a movie title itself) are the strongest contenders because of their prosthetic work alone. “The Batman” made Colin Farrell unrecognizable as the penguin, and that’s only one character. Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz look great throughout the film and even though we don’t see much of Barry Keoghan’s Joker, his makeup, too, is notable. “The Whale” relies entirely on turning Brendan Fraser into the obese main character, and, at least from what I’ve seen, they do an impeccable job.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is probably an easy pick for all the work they do on the group of blue-skinned, water-breathing superhumans led by Namor. You would only have the prestige of Queen Ramonda, the oppressiveness of Namor, and the fierceness of the Dora Milaje with excellent makeup.

“All Quiet on the Western Front” and “Blonde” are more selections of the process of elimination. Every year, an international film breaks the confines of that category and gets nominated elsewhere. The fact that “All Quiet on the Western Front” even made the shortlist shows the support for this film and raises the odds of it getting into a few categories. “Blonde” wasn’t a very well-received film, but most people have to admit that Ana de Armas matched the look of the icon Marilyn Monroe. Some of that credit must go to the hair and makeup.

I want to put “Elvis” on this list for their work on Austin Butler, making him resemble the King, but the shoddy work on Tom Hanks’ prosthetics forces me to leave it off. But if there’s one film that will likely get nominated over any of the ones I’ve picked, it’ll be this one. “Amsterdam” and “Babylon” might not have enough support. However, neither was “Blonde,” so one of these (more likely “Babylon”) could take that spot. If I had to pick one film on this list that would turn Academy voters off, it would probably be “Crimes of the Future,” which I think most were surprised to see make the shortlist. And, with Will Smith at the helm, I’m curious if “Emancipation” will be hurt in all regards when it comes to the Academy voting.