The two most promising candidates with Milwaukee-area ties had very different mornings Tuesday, when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its nominees for the 2023 Oscars.
Fox Point native Justin Hurwitz wound up on the good side of that list, landing among the candidates for best original score courtesy of his work on Babylon. Hurwitz already has a pair of Academy Awards on his shelf from another film he did with director Damien Chazelle, 2016’s La La Land, earning the Oscar for best original score and best original song (“City of Stars”).
The news wasn’t as good for The Flagmakers, which made it on the 15-member shortlist in the Documentary Short Film category but didn’t survive the cutdown to five. The National Geographic documentary had a couple ties to the area, most prominently its subject matter: Eder Flag in Oak Creek. In addition, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the film’s executive producers.
Despite missing the cut, The Flagmakers is a story well worth hearing, whether you watch it on Disney+ or listen to our recentUniquely Milwaukeeepisode that featured a chat with directors Sharon Liese and Cynthia Wade.
Among the Academy Award nominations announced Tuesday morning, Everything Everywhere All at Once led the way with 11 nods, including best picture, actress, supporting actress, supporting actor, costume design, directing, editing, original score, original song and original screenplay. The Banshees of Inisherin also fared incredibly well, racking up nine nominations that included best picture, actor, supporting actor, supporting actress, directing, editing, original score and original screenplay.
You can check out all the nominations on the Academy’s Oscars website.
