The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominations for the 95th Annual Academy Awards on Jan. 24, 2023. Several artists from Massachusetts and the Greater Boston area have received nominations and are hopeful to take home a trophy on March 12, when the ceremony will be hosted at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre. 

In the past, many films produced in Massachusetts have received the acclaimed award. “CODA” won Best Picture in 2022 and the 2019 remake of “Little Women,” which was filmed in Massachusetts, received Best Costume Design in 2020. 

Massachusetts and the Boston area have become increasingly popular destinations for productions; not only are there various unique locations around the city that set Boston apart from cities like New York and Los Angeles, but the state of Massachusetts provides filmmakers with tough-to-beat tax incentives that filmmakers qualify for if they spend more than $50,000 in the state.  

Laura Poitras, director of “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” which received a nod for Best Documentary Feature Film, was born and raised in Boston. The documentary centers around the life and career of activist Nan Goldin, who grew up in Swampscott and Lexington and attended the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University. Goldin made significant efforts in holding Purdue Pharma accountable for the nationwide opioid epidemic and is an acclaimed photographer and activist. 

Emerson alums Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (collectively known as “The Daniels”) received a Best Director nomination for “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” a film handling themes of neurodiversity and Asian-American identities; it was named the third-best film of 2022 by the American Film Institute. 

Leading the pack for overall nominations was “Everything Everywhere All At Once” with eleven, “The Banshees of Insherin” and “All Quiet on the Western Front” each with nine. All three films will vie for the night’s top award, Best Picture, up against films such as “Elvis” and “Top Gun: Maverick,” among five other programs.

In a surprising step back in gender equality in the arts, the Best Director list featured only male-identifying directors, despite the last two years of women taking the award home. Three women have won the honor in the last 94 years that the ceremony has been held.

On a positive note, however, Asian-American performers received an all-time high of four nominations in a single year, along with some historic nominations. Michelle Yeoh is the first Asian actress to receive a nomination for Best Actress, and Supporting Actor nominee Ke Huy Quan is the first actor from Vietnam to be recognized by the Academy. 

The 95th Academy Awards will air on ABC. Updates for the ceremony until then are available here. Stay tuned to see who will take trophies home!