The 2017 Oscars are here - hopefully to provide a bit of lightness in a time of darkness. Celebrating cinema suddenly now seems more urgent than in years past, as we must insist that art (and free speech within art) is a vital aspect of a flourishing society. While the Oscar nominations do not represent the full breadth of films produced in 2016, it is still an interesting ceremony to observe and reflect upon; with that, here are the nominees that the Academy has chosen to elevate from 2016 cinema. 

Best Picture:

• Arrival

• Fences

• Hacksaw Ridge

• Hell or High Water

• Hidden Figures

• La La Land

• Lion

• Manchester by the Sea

• Moonlight

Actor in a Leading Role

• Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea

• Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge

• Ryan Gosling, La La Land

• Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic

• Denzel Washington, Fences

Actress in a Leading Role

• Isabelle Huppert, Elle

• Ruth Negga, Loving

• Natalie Portman, Jackie

• Emma Stone, La La Land

• Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins

Actor in a Supporting Role

• Mahershala Ali, Moonlight

• Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water

• Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea

• Dev Patel, Lion

• Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals

Actress in a Supporting Role

• Viola Davis, Fences

• Naomie Harris, Moonlight

• Nicole Kidman, Lion

• Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures

• Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea

Animated Feature Film

• Kubo and the Two Strings

• Moana

• My Life as a Zucchini

• The Red Turtle

• Zootopia

Cinematography

• Arrival

• La La Land

• Lion

• Moonlight

• Silence

Costume Design

• Allied

• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

• Florence Foster Jenkins

• Jackie

• La La Land

Directing

• Denis Villeneuve, Arrival

• Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge

• Damian Chazelle, La La Land

• Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea

• Barry Jenkins, Moonlight

Documentary (Feature)

• Fire at Sea

• I Am Not Your Negro

• Life, Animated

• O.J.: Made in America

• 13th

Documentary (Short Subject)

• Extremis

• 4.1 Miles

• Joe's Violin

• Watani: My Homeland

• The White Helmets

Film Editing

• Arrival

• Hacksaw Ridge

• Hell or High Water

• La La Land

• Moonlight

Foreign Language Film

• Land of Mine

• A Man Called Ove

• The Salesman

• Tanna

• Toni Erdmann

Makeup and Hairstyling

• A Man Called Ove

• Star Trek Beyond

• Suicide Squad

Music (Original Score)

• Jackie

• La La Land

• Lion

• Moonlight

• Passengers

Music (Original Song)

• "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" from La La Land. Music by Justin Hurwitz, Lyric by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

• "Can't Stop the Feeling" from Trolls. Music and Lyric by Justin Timberlake, Max Martin and Karl Johan Schuster

• "City of Stars" from La La Land. Music by Justin Hurwitz, Lyric by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

• "The Empty Chair" from Jim: The James Foley Story. Music and Lyric by J. Ralph and Sting

• "How Far I'll Go" from Moana. Music and Lyric by Lin-Manuel Miranda

Production Design

• Arrival

• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

• Hail, Caesar!

• La La Land

• Passengers

Short Film (Animated)

• Blind Vaysha

• Borrowed Time

• Pear Cider and Cigarettes

• Pearl

• Piper

Short Film (Live Action)

• Ennemis Interieurs

• La Femme et le TGV

• Silent Nights

• Sing

• Timecode

Sound Editing

• Arrival

• Deepwater Horizon

• Hacksaw Ridge

• La La Land

• Sully

Sound Mixing

• Arrival

• Hacksaw Ridge

• La La Land

• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

• 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

Visual Effects

• Deepwater Horizon

• Doctor Strange

• The Jungle Book

• Kubo and the Two Strings

• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

• Arrival

• Fences

• Hidden Figures

• Lion

• Moonlight

Writing (Original Screenplay)

• Hell or High Water

• La La Land

• The Lobster

• Manchester by the Sea

• 20th Century Women