Oscar nominations: Glaswegian writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns among raft of British nominees

Glaswegian writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns, Sir Sam Mendes, Sir Anthony Hopkins and Florence Pugh are among the British Oscar nominees, but there is mounting anger over a lack of diversity among the contenders.

The Academy narrowly avoided a repeat of 2016’s #OscarsSoWhite controversy, with Londoner Cynthia Erivo the only actor of colour to earn a nomination.

In total, 19 of the 20 acting nominees across both the leading and supporting categories for men and women were white.

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High-profile actors of colour to miss out include Hustlers star Jennifer Lopez, Us actress Lupita Nyong’o and The Farewell’s Awkwafina.

Krysty Wilson-Cairns earned a best screenplay nomination for war epic 1917.Krysty Wilson-Cairns earned a best screenplay nomination for war epic 1917.
Krysty Wilson-Cairns earned a best screenplay nomination for war epic 1917.

Jamie Foxx had been tipped for a best actor nod for his role in legal drama Just Mercy while Dolemite Is My Name star Eddie Murphy also missed out.

On social media, #OscarsSoWhite began trending as the Academy, which attempted to diversify its membership following the all-white acting nominees in 2016, was criticised for the latest controversy.

And female filmmakers were once again omitted from the best director category, with Little Women’s Greta Gerwig the most high-profile snub.

But Scot Krysty Wilson-Cairns earned a best screenplay nomination for war epic 1917, having co-written the script with Sir Sam.

Joker, Todd Phillipss dark exploration of a troubled loners descent into madness, leads the way in nominations with 11.Joker, Todd Phillipss dark exploration of a troubled loners descent into madness, leads the way in nominations with 11.
Joker, Todd Phillipss dark exploration of a troubled loners descent into madness, leads the way in nominations with 11.

During the live nominations announcement broadcast, presenter Issa Rae made a pointed comment about the lack of female directors, saying: “Congratulations to those men.”

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Little Women star Pugh, who was nominated for best supporting actress, told Entertainment Weekly it was “incredibly upsetting” to see no women filmmakers nominated, adding: “It’s a shame that it’s still a conversation.”

Overall Joker, Todd Phillips’s dark exploration of a troubled loner’s descent into madness, leads the way in nominations with 11.

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The war epic 1917, which was partially shot in Glasgow, The Irishman and Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood received 10 nominations each.

High-profile actors of colour to miss out include Hustlers star Jennifer Lopez (pictured), Us actress Lupita Nyongo and The Farewells Awkwafina.High-profile actors of colour to miss out include Hustlers star Jennifer Lopez (pictured), Us actress Lupita Nyongo and The Farewells Awkwafina.
High-profile actors of colour to miss out include Hustlers star Jennifer Lopez (pictured), Us actress Lupita Nyongo and The Farewells Awkwafina.

All four of those films are nominated for best picture, alongside Ford V Ferrari, released in the UK as Le Mans ‘66, Jojo Rabbit, Little Women, Marriage Story and Parasite.

The nominees for best director are Sir Sam for 1917, Martin Scorsese for The Irishman, Phillips for Joker, Quentin Tarantino for Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood and Bong Joon-Ho for Parasite.

Best actor nominees are Antonio Banderas for Pain And Glory, Leonardo DiCaprio for Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood, Adam Driver for Marriage Story, Phoenix in Joker and Jonathan Pryce in The Two Popes.

Taron Egerton missed out on a nod for his work on Rocketman, as did The Irishman’s Robert De Niro and Ford V Ferrari’s Christian Bale.

Alongside Erivo and the Irish star of Little Women, Saoirse Ronan, in the best actress category are Scarlett Johansson for Marriage Story, Charlize Theron for Bombshell and Renee Zellweger for Judy.

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In the supporting categories, Sir Anthony is recognised for his work on The Two Popes alongside Tom Hanks for A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood,

Al Pacino and his The Irishman co-star Joe Pesci and Brad Pitt for Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood.

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The actresses nominated alongside Pugh are Johansson for Jojo Rabbit, Kathy Bates for Richard Jewell, Laura Dern for Marriage Story and Margot Robbie for Bombshell.

South Korea’s Parasite picked up six nominations, including for best international feature film of the year. The 92nd Academy Awards will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on 9 February.

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