Apple Makes History with First Oscar Nominations for Prestigious Best Picture, Best Actor Academy Awards

From the very start of Apple’s video streaming ambitions, it’s been clear that alongside the company’s plans for Apple TV+ came a very specific goal to produce Oscar-worthy films.

Two weeks before Apple TV+ debuted, news surfaced that Apple was bolstering its ranks with awards strategy experts to make sure that its original productions would be positioned for Academy Awards and other honors even before they debuted. These were the type of folks who specialized in “grip-and-grin” publicity events with the movers and shakers of Hollywood, setting up interviews, media events, and more to bolster the awareness of original film projects.

It’s a strategy that’s clearly been working for Apple in broader terms, and it looks like this year it’s just gotten its first big payoff: a nomination in the highly coveted Best Picture category, the most prestigious Academy Award.

Not surprisingly, the Oscar nomination for Best Picture goes to CODA, which has already received two historic Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award nominations, plus an Outstanding Motion Picture nod from the NAACP Image Awards.

For Best Picture, CODA is in some pretty heady company. Apple’s indie film will be going up against Nightmare Alley, Don’t Look Up, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, Drive My Car, Belfast, Licorice Pizza, The Power of the Dog, Steve Spielberg’s West Side Story, and Will Smith’s King Richard.

Of course, as the saying goes, it’s an honor just to be nominated.

Still, it’s a massive breakthrough for Apple, especially after just over two years in the streaming game, but it’s not all. The company also received five other Oscar nominations, up from two last year, although they all centered around only two of its films.

In addition to Best Picture, CODA has also been nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Troy Kotsur’s performance, mirroring its SAG Award nomination and marking another historic milestone for a solo Deaf actor, and a movie with a predominantly Deaf cast. Writer/director Siân Heder has also earned a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Apple’s other Oscar contender turns out to be The Tragedy of Macbeth, which has earned the company another first in a prominent category, with Denzel Washington nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor. Washington will be up against Javier Bardem of Being the Ricardos, Benedict Cumberbatch for The Power of the Dog, Andrew Garfield from tick, tick, BOOM!, and Will Smith for his role in King Richard.

Those behind The Tragedy of Macbeth also received nominations: Bruno Delbonnel for Best Cinematography and Stefan Dechant for Best Production Design. These lower-profile awards are roughly on par with the only two Oscar nominations the company received last year, which were Best Sound for Tom Hanks’ Greyhound, and Best Animated Feature Film for Wolfwalkers.

In 2019, Apple set a goal to produce six original Oscar-quality movies per year, and even though this year’s six nominations are only for two of its original films, it’s leaps and bounds ahead of where it stood last year, with nominations for two of the top awards.

Comment

Everyone at Apple thanks the Academy and congratulates all of our exceptional filmmakers and actors on their well deserved nominations. We are humbled by reaching this milestone of receiving a Best Picture nomination for ‘CODA,’ a groundbreaking motion picture that uplifts, entertains and transforms. We applaud the visionaries in front of and behind the camera who brought ‘CODA’ and ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’ to life, powerful films that connect story with humanity and will resonate with audiences for generations to come.

Zack Van Amburg, Apple’s head of Worldwide Video

Winners for the 94th Annual Academy Awards will be revealed on Sunday, March 27, in Los Angeles, CA.