The 95th Academy Awards ceremony is almost here, and it was another great year for Asian and AAPI talent! Check out where you can watch these nominated films before Hollywood’s Biggest Night!
*images are from the films & production companies associated.
ALL THAT BREATHES (2022)
Dir. Shaunak Sen | Watch on HBO Max
Nominated For: Best Documentary Feature - Shaunak Sen, Aman Mann, Teddy Leifer
Best Documentary Feature Nominee, All That Breathes follows two brothers who take it upon themselves to help the Black Kites. Due to the environmental issues in New Delhi, these birds are unfortunate casualties and begin to fall from the sky. Mesmerizing and poetic, Director Shaunak Sen made one standout film. - Neha Aziz, Community Programs Director & Film Programmer
BARDO: FALSE CHRONICLE OF A HANDFUL OF TRUTHS (2022)
Dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu | Watch on Netflix
Nominated for: Best Cinematographer - Darius Khondji
While I didn’t really jam with this film, one cannot deny cinematographer Darius Khondji’s beautiful camera work to make Bardo a truly immersive, yet personal experience. Some of his previous credits include Okja, Uncut Gems, and Se7en. - Neha Aziz, Community Programs Director & Film Programmer
THE ELEPHANT WHISPERERS (2022)
Dir. Kartiki Gonsalves | Watch on Netflix
Nominated for: Best Documentary Short Film - Kartiki Gonsalves & Guneet Monga
For whatever reason, when I hit play on this Best Documentary Short Nominee, I didn’t expect to be so moved. The Elephant Whisperers follow Bomman and Bellie, a couple in South India who devote their lives to caring for an orphaned baby elephant. Sweeping views of the jungle landscape paired with so much heart and emotion makes this film worth a watch. - Neha Aziz, Community Programs Director & Film Programmer
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE (2022)
Dirs. Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert | Watch on Showtime & Paramount+
Nominated for:
Best Original Screenplay - Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score) - Son Lux
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song) - Ryan Lott, David Byrne, Mitski. For song "This Is a Life"
Best Motion Picture of the Year - Daniel Kwan (producer) Daniel Scheinert (producer) Jonathan Wang (producer)
Best Achievement in Directing - Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role - Michelle Yeoh
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role - Stephanie Hsu
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role - Jamie Lee Curtis
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role - Ke Huy Quan
Best Achievement in Costume Design - Shirley Kurata
Best Achievement in Film Editing - Paul Rogers
Brilliant writing with a stellar cast makes the Daniels’ Everything Everywhere All at Once a must-see film for 2022. Centering around Evelyn Wang and her struggling laundromat business, she discovers that only she can save the multiverse. Just as the movie shows myriad universes, it also explores countless themes spanning immigration, regret, generational trauma, queerness, nihilism, and, unfortunately, paying your taxes. Genre-defying with many moving elements, the movie retains a good narrative pace and absurdist humor despite, or maybe because of, the chaos. Nominated for eleven Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director(s), Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Supporting Actor! - Joshua Lattao, Screener & Development Assistant
LIVING (2022)
Dir. Oliver Hermanus | Watch in Theaters or on Video on Demand Platforms
Nominated for:
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Bill Nighy
Best Adapted Screenplay - Kazuo Ishiguro
Sadly none of our staff got the chance to watch Living (Kazuo Ishiguro adapts Akira Kurosawa's 1952 drama, Ikiru) so we are throwing it over to Richard Whittaker from The Austin Chronicle. He says. “There is a softness to Ishiguro’s version of the story, a warmth that counteracts the edge of cruelty that sometimes cuts through Kurosawa’s version..”
RRR (2022)
Dir. S.S. Rajamouli | Watch on Netflix
Nominated for: Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song) - M.M. Keeravani Chandrabose for song "Naatu Naatu"
RRR's musical number 'Naatu Naatu' serves as a turning point in the film as Raju and Bheem defy their colonizers and solidify their bonds of brotherhood while impressing the ladies to boot. The song has also become a TikTok sensation, inspiring countless renditions of rapid one-legged pivots and suspender flourishes. Regardless of how you found it, this upbeat South Indian folk song is a beacon of joy and camaraderie. I look forward to its live performance at the Oscars! - Bhargav Srinivasan, Board Member
TURNING RED (2022)
Dir. Domee Shi | Watch on Disney+
Nominated For: Best Animated Feature Film - Domee Shi & Lindsey Collins
From the director of the charming Oscar-award-winning Pixar short Bao, Turning Red (Best Animated Feature) turns heads with its brazen portrayal of 13-year-old Mei’s coming of age. With adolescence comes the tendency to just poof and turn into a giant red panda when her emotions get the best of her. Unlike the women in her family that hide this trait, Mei instead monetizes the heck out of it in order to attend the boy band concert of her dreams. The universality of the everyday troubles (plus a giant inner red panda) that Mei and her friends experience as young women in Toronto cannot be denied, despite what some critics may say… - Hanna Huang, Executive Director
THE WHALE (2022)
Dir. Darren Aronofsky | Watch in Theaters or on Video on Demand Platforms
Nominated for:
Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling - Adrien Morot, Judy Chin, Annemarie Bradley-Sherron
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Brendan Fraser
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role - Hong Chau
The Whale is an incredibly difficult film for me to watch, while my feelings on the movie itself remain mixed, it’s the performances that truly stand out. Best Supporting Actress Nominee, Hong Chau play’s Charlie’s (Brendan Fraser) best friend. Chau plays this role with an incredible firmness, but her kindness glimmers throughout. - - Neha Aziz, Community Programs Director & Film Programmer