(VOVWORLD) - Vampire thriller “Sinners” stormed into Oscars history on Thursday with a record 16 nominations, positioning the Warner Bros film as the frontrunner for best picture and pitting star Michael B. Jordan against Timothee Chalamet and Leonardo DiCaprio as rivals for best actor.
 A scene from "Sinners". (Photo: Warner Bros/REUTERS) |
"Sinners," a celebration of blues music and Black culture in the Segregation-era U.S. South, will face off against "One Battle After Another," "Frankenstein," "Hamnet," "Marty Supreme" and more for the coveted best picture prize. The previous record for most nominations was 14, a mark hit by "All About Eve," "Titanic" and "La La Land."
"Bugonia," "F1," "The Secret Agent," "Sentimental Value" and "Train Dreams" also were nominated for this year's best picture trophy at the highest honors in the movie business. Together, the nominations span genres - from historical drama to supernatural horror - and reflect a film academy increasingly willing to reward unconventional storytelling.
Jordan was nominated for best actor for his dual role in "Sinners". The Warner Bros film also earned nominations for director Ryan Coogler, supporting actor Delroy Lindo, supporting actress Wunmi Mosaku and cinematography, costume design, original screenplay and visual effects.
For best actress, Jessie Buckley was nominated for playing William Shakespeare's wife, Agnes Hathaway, in "Hamnet," and Kate Hudson for "Song Sung Blue," the story of a Neil Diamond tribute band.
Winners of the gold Oscar statuettes will be chosen by the roughly 10,000 actors, producers, directors and film craftspeople who make up the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Walt Disney's ABC will broadcast the awards and stream them on Hulu, and comedian Conan O'Brien will host for the second straight year.