Beyoncé and Other Firsts of 2022 Oscars Nominations

Vanessa Obioha

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) on Tuesday, February 8, announced the contenders for the 94th Academy Awards better known as the Oscars. The nominations were greeted with mixed feelings as some of the big names expected to be on the list like Lady Gaga (House of Gucci) were snubbed.

Notwithstanding, the list welcomed fresh faces, notably the American Grammy award singer-songwriter Beyoncé. She was nominated in the Best Original Song category for ‘Be Alive’, a ballad she wrote with the songwriter Dixson for the biopic about the father of tennis stars, Venus and Serena Williams, ‘King Richard’.

Already the female artist with the most Grammy wins, Beyoncé faces strong contenders in the category such as the ‘Hamilton’ creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, Van Morrison and Billie Eilish who is also a first-time nominee.

Another actress who earned her first nod in the Oscars is Kristen Stewart for her outstanding role in the film ‘Spencer’. Stewart played the late Princess Diana in the biopic directed by Pablo Larrain. She is nominated in the Best Actress category alongside Olivia Colman, Nicole Kidman, Jessica Chastain, Penélope Cruz.

The American musician Questlove landed his first Oscars nomination in the Best Documentary category for his directorial debut ‘Summer of Soul’.

Perhaps, one of the biggest surprises of the Oscars nominations is the Japanese film ‘Drive My Car’. Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, the film about a stage actor and director coping with the death of his wife, made history as the first Japanese film to be nominated in the Best Picture category. It also made Hamaguchi the third Japanese filmmaker to be nominated in the Best Director category. The film

earned four nominations total, including Best International Feature Film and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Leading this year’s nominations is the Netflix film ‘Power of the Dog’ which fetched 12 nominations, including a Best Supporting Actress nod for another fresh face on the Oscars, Kirsten Dunst.

The 94th Academy Awards is scheduled to take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, on March 27, 2022.