Christopher Nolan’s summer blockbuster ‘Oppenheimer’ emerged as the top contender at the 96th Academy Award nominations where it is closely followed by Yorgos Lanthimos’ ‘Poor Things’ and another much-buzzed title of 2023, Martin Scorsese-directed ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’.

‘Oppenheimer’, an ambitious biopic of J Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atom bomb, earned 13 nods, including top categories of best picture, director for Nolan and actor for Cillian Murphy, a PTI report from New Delhi stated.

‘Poor Things’, which entered the race later, was the second favourite film for Academy voters who gave the wacky comedy a lot of love by nominating it in 11 categories, while Scorsese’s relook at one of the bloodiest chapters in American history, ‘Killers…’ followed with 10 nods.

Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’, another summer mega hit that released with ‘Oppenheimer’ and sparked the ‘Barbenheimer’ phenomenon amongst fans, earned eight nominations, including a best picture and a twin nod in original song category.

Other than than these four films, the best picture list also includes ‘American Fiction’, ‘Anatomy of a Fall’, ‘The Holdovers’, ‘Maestro’, ‘Past Lives’ and ‘Zone of Interest’, showcasing Academy’s attempt to balance the big movies with intimate independent films this year.

The directing list has giants like Scorsese, Nolan as top contenders. The other nominees are: Lanthimos, Justine Triet for ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ and Jonathan Glazer for ‘The Zone of Interest’.

The 96th Academy Awards will be held on March 10 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles. Jimmy Kimmel is returning to host the ceremony for the second consecutive year. He has hosted the ceremony four times, the PTI report added.

Meanwhile, another  PTI report said that ‘To Kill a Tiger’, set in a small Indian village, was nominated for the best documentary feature at the 2024 Academy Awards.

‘To Kill a Tiger;’ is directed by Delhi-born Nisha Pahuja, an Emmy-nominated filmmaker based in Toronto. It had its world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival 2022 where it won the Amplify Voices Award for Best Canadian Feature Film.

The film follows Ranjit’s uphill battle to find justice for his 13-year-old daughter who was abducted and later sexually assaulted by three men.

“Ranjit goes to the police, and the men are arrested. But Ranjit’s relief is short-lived, as the villagers and their leaders launch a sustained campaign to force the family to drop the charges. A cinematic documentary, ‘To Kill a Tiger’ follows Ranjit’s uphill battle to find justice for his child,” according to the official website of ‘To Kill a Tiger’.

The film is produced by Cornelia Principe and David Oppenheim.