British war film 1917 in battle for best picture Oscar
The prizes will be handed out in Los Angeles.
British war epic 1917 will take on Korean social satire Parasite in the race for the top prize at the Oscars today.
Sir Sam Mendes, Sir Elton John and Florence Pugh are among the British contenders hoping to take home prizes, amid criticism of a lack of diversity among nominees.
Director Sir Sam will be aiming to replicate the success 1917 enjoyed at the Bafta film awards, where it took seven of the nine gongs it was nominated for, including best film, best British film, best director and best cinematography.
All four of these films are nominated for best picture, alongside Ford V Ferrari – released in the UK as Le Mans ’66 – Jojo Rabbit, Little Women, Marriage Story and Parasite, which would be the first non-English language movie to win the top prize.
Sir Elton is nominated for his first Oscar since he won the best original song prize for The Lion King in 1995.
Cynthia Erivo is the only non-white contender in the acting categories, having picked up a nomination for Harriet Tubman biopic Harriet.
If she wins, she will be the youngest ever EGOT (a winner of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony).
Last year, three of the four acting categories were won by non-white actors.
Erivo will compete for best leading actress with Renee Zellweger for Judy, Charlize Theron for Bombshell, Saoirse Ronan for Little Women and Scarlett Johansson for Marriage Story.
Also recognised in the category is Kathy Bates for Richard Jewell, Johansson for Jojo Rabbit, and Margot Robbie for Bombshell.
Sir Sam is now considered a frontrunner in the directing category, despite competition from industry heavyweights Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Todd Phillips and Korean auteur Bong Joon-ho.
Female directors have been snubbed for a second year in a row, despite anticipation that Greta Gerwig might be recognised for Little Women.
Welsh star Jonathan Pryce is nominated in the leading actor category for The Two Popes but will have to fend off Joaquin Phoenix, who is nominated for Joker after already racking up gongs from Bafta, the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild and Critics’ Choice.
Pryce’s co-star Sir Anthony Hopkins is nominated in the best supporting actor category, alongside Joe Pesci and Al Pacino for The Irishman, Tom Hanks for A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood and front runner Brad Pitt for Once Upon A Time … In Hollywood.
The 92nd Academy Awards will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on February 9.
