Columbia Filmmakers at the 2024 Oscars

Update: 

Winners of the 96th Academy Awards were announced last night, and two projects by Columbia filmmakers took home awards. 

Barbie, the summer blockbuster directed and co-written by Greta Gerwig (BC ‘06), received a nod when Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell took home the award for Best Original Song for "What Was I Made For?" The song topped the charts in several countries after its release, and won Song of the Year at the 66th Grammy Awards, making it the first song from a movie to win this distinction since Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On," from Titanic. 

Actress Da'Vine Joy Randolph, who plays school cook Mary Lamb in The Holdovers, written by David Hemingson (LAW '90), was recognized with the award for Best Supporting Actress. Randolph has won nearly every prize for best supporting actress this awards season, including the Golden Globe, Bafta, Critics’ Choice, Independent Spirit and Screen Actors Guild awards. In her tearful acceptance speech (below), Randolph gives heartfelt thanks to Adjunct Professor Ron Van Lieu, who taught Randolph during his time at the Yale School of Drama. 

“Ron Van Lieu, I thank you," Randolph said through tears. "When I was the only Black girl in that class, when you saw me and you told me I was enough; and when I told you, I don’t see myself, you said, ‘That’s fine. We’re going to forge our own path. You’re going to lay a trail for yourself.’”

20 Days in Mariupol, produced by Raney Aronson-Rath (JRN '95), was awarded the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature Film. Accepting the award, director Mstyslav Chernov stated, "Probably I will be the first director on this stage who will say I wish I had never made this film." He continued, "I wish to be able to exchange this [award for] Russia never attacking Ukraine." 

See a full list of 2024 Oscar winners here. 

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Original: January 25, 2024

The 2024 Oscar Nominations were unveiled on Tuesday morning and several films by Columbia filmmakers are leading the charge, rising to the nominations list from over 300 eligible feature films.

Theatre alumna Celine Song '14 was honored with a nomination for Best Original Screenplay for her work on Past Lives, a film about two reunited childhood friends that has been making waves since it first premiered at Sundance in 2023. Song wrote and directed the film, which is also nominated for Best Picture. 

The Eternal Memory, executive produced by Tatán Donoso (‘17) and Sheila Nevins (BC '60), was nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film. The moving film documents the lives of Augusto and Paulina, twenty-five years into their marriage and eight years into Augusto’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis. A standout since its premiere, the film won the World Cinema Documentary Grand Jury Prize at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. 

The Eternal Memory isn't the only film produced by Donoso that was recognized this year. El Conde transforms Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet into a real life monster: a 250-year-old vampire still "sucking the soul out of the Chilean people." The film is nominated for Best Cinematography. 

Indian Jones and the Dial of Destiny, directed by James Mangold ’99, is the latest in the beloved, long-running franchise. This time around, Harrison Ford’s Indy races against time to retrieve a legendary dial that can change the course of history. Accompanied by his goddaughter (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), he soon finds himself squaring off against Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen), a former Nazi who works for NASA. Dial of Destiny is nominated for Best Music (Original Score).

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, written and directed by James Gunn ’95, picks up as Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is still reeling from the loss of Gamora (Zoe Saldana). Soon, he rallies his team to defend the universe and one of their own—a mission that could mean the end of the Guardians if not successful. The film is nominated for Best Visual Effects.

Barbie, the hit feature film of the summer directed and co-written by Greta Gerwig (BC ‘06), was nominated for a staggering 10 awards, including Best Picture, awards for Best Actor and Actress in a Supporting Role, and Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay). Columbia College alumni Hari Nef '15 and Kate McKinnon '06 both appeared in the film, as well as Barnard alumna Ana Cruz Kayne (BC '07).

The Holdovers, written by David Hemingson (LAW '90), follows Paul Giamatti as a cranky history teacher at a remote prep school forced to remain on campus over the winter break to supervise a troubled student who has no place to go. The holiday favorite is nominated in multiple categories: Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role (Giamatti), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), Best Film Editing, and Hemingson is recognized with a nomination for Best Writing (Original Screenplay).

20 Days in Mariupol, produced by Raney Aronson-Rath (JRN '95), is a visceral first-person account of the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The film offers a window into the harrowing reality of life under siege and a stunning portrait of the only international reporters who remained, bravely refusing to abandon their duty even under Russia’s oppressive attacks. 20 Days in Mariupol is nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film. 

The ABCs of Book Banning, produced and directed by Nevins, takes a close look at the recent right-wing fervor for banning books, especially books relating to LGBTQ+ issues and topics of race. Interviews with authors and students weave together to create a tapestry of voices, all expressing their reactions to this country-wide campaign. Both realistic and hopeful, the film peers through the eyes of those most affected by the censorship—the young readers—to discover an optimistic, open-hearted vision for the future. The ABCs of Book Banning is nominated in the category of Best Documentary Short Film.

The 96th Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, March 10 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. See a full list of nominees here.