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Oscar Music Eligibility for 2024: A Look at the Contenders

This year, the Academy has released a list of 89 songs and 145 scores that are eligible for the coveted Oscars in the music categories. Notable nominations include works from “Wicked,” “Moana 2,” and “Emilia Perez.”

However, one anticipated contender, “Dune: Part Two,” will not make the cut. Renowned composer Hans Zimmer’s score for Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation has reportedly violated Academy guidelines which stipulate that sequels cannot use more than 20 percent of music or themes from previous installments.

Zimmer has openly challenged this restriction, suggesting that the two “Dune” films should be viewed as a single coherent piece of art. In a conversation with Variety, he emphasized the importance of artistic freedom, noting, “Denis made the right choice by splitting a heavy-duty book into two parts.”

Despite this setback, Zimmer’s work on the first “Dune” film garnered an Oscar in 2021—a testament to his talent, as it marked his second Academy Award win, following his 1994 recognition for “The Lion King.” This year, his score for “Blitz” remains eligible, and interestingly, “Dune: Part Two” has also received a Golden Globe nomination.

In a noteworthy shift from previous years, scores from major musicals this year have been deemed eligible, contrasting earlier practices where dramatic scores were disqualified due to the excessive integration of songs. This change opens the door for scores from productions like “Wicked” (by Stephen Schwartz and John Powell), “Emilia Perez” (by Clement Ducol and Camille), and “Moana 2” (by Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa’i) to enter the competitive landscape.

According to Academy regulations, each film can submit up to three songs, but only two can make it to the shortlist and be nominated. Two films this year feature three eligible tracks, namely “Dandelion” and “The End,” while 13 others, including “Emilia Perez” and “Moana 2,” each present two songs for consideration.

Overall, the number of nominations appears slightly reduced from last year, which had 94 songs and 149 scores. Aside from the absence of “Dune: Part Two,” the eligibility lists contain no unexpected exclusions. Voting for the nominations commenced this morning, set to conclude at 5 PM on Friday, with 403 members of the Music branch participating.

Members will determine which 20 scores and 15 songs will proceed to the shortlisting phase, with announcements scheduled for December 17. This year, the shortlist has been expanded from a previous total of 15 scores to encourage broader visibility before the formal nominations are revealed.

Nomination voting is set to begin on January 8, with the final list of nominees to be unveiled on January 17.

Here is a selection of eligible songs for the upcoming Oscar nominations:

“Albany Road” and “Built for This” from “Albany Road”
“Am I Racist?” and “Do the Work” from “Am I Racist?”
“Pain Has a Purpose” from “Americans With No Address”
“Electric Energy” from “Argylle”
“Leash” from “Babygirl”
“Song for Amy” from “Back to Black”
“Ishq Walla Daku” from “Band of Maharajas”
“Forbidden Road” from “Better Man”
“A Country Dance” from “Between the Temples”
“Winter Coat” from “Blitz”
“Then I Will” from “Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin”
“Nazarene” from “The Book of Clarence”
“Dare to Be” from “Cabrini”
“El Baile de los Zanganos” and “Mi Amor” from “Captain Avispa”
“Whoever You Are” from “Celebrating Laughter: The Life and Films of Colin Higgins”
“Compress / Repress” from “Challengers”
“City of Dreams” from “City of Dreams”
“Custer Park,” “Honey” and “Thin Elephant” from “Dandelion”
“Double Life” from “Despicable Me 4”
“You Are Never Far Away” from “Don’t Say It”
“Never Too Late” from “Elton John: Never Too Late”
“El Mal” and “Mi Camino” from “Emilia Perez”
“Alone,” “The Big Blue Sky” and “Catch Fire” from “The End”
“Bricks” from “Exhibiting Forgiveness”
“Ezra” from “Ezra”
“The Peace That You Are Missing” from “Fighting Spirit: A Combat Chaplain’s Journey”
“Not on My Watch” from “Following Harry”
“Panorama” from “Embers”
“The Good Life” and “Let It Roll” from “The Garfield Movie”
“What We Wanna Be” from “Glitter and Doom”
“Istigfar” and “Puthu Mazha” from “The Goat Life”
“Never Lost” from “The Greatest Hits”
“In Time” from “His Three Daughters”
“Made for You” from “The Hopeful”
“Claw Machine” and “Starburned and Unkissed” from “I Saw the TV Glow”
“The Idea of You” from “The Idea of You”
“Nothing’s Impossible” from “The Imaginary”
“Folie a Deux” from “Joker: Folie a Deux”
“Sick in the Head” from “Kneecap”
“Beautiful That Way” from “The Last Showgirl”
“Between the Lines” and “One of Us” from “Left Behind”
“The Rider” from “Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim”
“Freedom” from “Lovely Jackson”
“Not My Fault” from “Mean Girls”
“My Pledge” from “Megalopolis”
“Beyond” and “Can I Get a Chee Hoo” from “Moana 2”
“I Always Wanted a Brother” and “Tell Me Its You” from “Mufasa: The Lion King”
“The Neon Highway” from “The Neon Highway”
“Summer Blue” from “Nightbitch”
“Black Truck” and “Callin’ Angels” from “The Other, Gold”
“Piece by Piece” from “Piece by Piece”
“Huele a Fraude” from “Problemista”
“Iti Maa” from “Putul”
“Emotional” from “Ray of Hope”
“Christmas Magic” from “Red One”
“Creatures of Nature” from “Sasquatch Sunset”
“Why I’m Here” from “Shirley”
“Like a Bird” from “Sing Sing”
“The Journey” from “The Six Triple Eight”
“New Brain” from “Smile 2”
“Run It” from “Sonic the Hedgehog 3”
“The Way It Was Before” from “Spellbound”
“Better the Devil” from “Strange Darling”
“Under the Tree” from “That Christmas”
“Just As You Are” from “Thelma the Unicorn”
“If I Fall” from “Transformers One”
“Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” and “Out of Oklahoma” from “Twisters”
“No Better” from “Ultraman: Rising”
“On a Corner at the Center of the World” from “Veselka”
“Kiss the Sky” from “The Wild Robot”
“Harper and Will Go West” from “Will & Harper”
“Little Miss Polka Dot” and “My Stranger” from “Your Monster”

Source
variety.com