Petrolheads rejoice, Ford v Ferrari is in the hunt for a Best Picture Oscar at the 92nd Academy Awards this year.
James Mangold’s retelling of the 1966 edition of Le Mans, in which Henry Ford II finally got the last laugh over Il Commendatore courtesy of the first of four wins for the GT40, is one of nine films on the shortlist for the much vaunted ‘Best Picture’ award.
In a decision that will shock no-one, Martin Scorsee’s latest –The Irishman – is also high on the list, as is Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit, 1917, Boon Joon Ho’s Parasite, Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story, and Todd Phillips’ telling of the crown prince of evil, Joker.
Best Picture is not the only category in which Ford v Ferrari has been nominated though. While Messers Bale and Damon will not tangling with Leonardo Di Caprio (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Joaquin Phoenix (Joker), and Antonio Banderas (Pain and Glory), Michael McCusker and Andrew Buckland are in contention for the ‘Film Editing’ accolade alongside Thelma Schoonmaker (The Irishman), Tom Eagles (Jojo Rabbit), Jinmo Yang (Parasite), and Jeff Groth (Joker).
The film’s score is also receiving its due credit. Don Sylvester is in contention for the best ‘Sound Editing’ award up against Oliver Tarney and Rachel Tate (1917), Wylie Stateman (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Matthew Wood and David Acord (Star Wars: The Rise of SkyWalker), and Alan Robert Murray (Joker). ‘Sound Mixing’ meanwhile is also up for grabs against Ad Astra, 1917, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and – what else – Joker.
Quite amazingly, FvF could well be the first motor racing film to be nominated for the big prize at the Academy Awards, and it does make you wonder whether, 56 years after its debut, the GT40 could make history once again.
*Images courtesy of Fox Movies
