The Barbie power ballad I’m Just Ken and AP and Frontline’s documentary 20 Days in Mariupol are one step closer to an Oscar nomination.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Thursday (US time) shortlists in 10 categories, including best original song, documentary feature, international feature, original score, and crafts such as hair and make-up, visual effects and sound.

Mstyslav Chernov’s 20 Days in Mariupol was shortlisted in both the documentary and international feature categories, representing Ukraine in the latter.

As expected, Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie’s Barbie, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon were prominently represented among the finalists in many categories, including score and sound, as was Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest.

Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things also advanced in make-up, visual effects and score and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse in visual effects, song and score.

Among the 15 international features advancing are Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest (United Kingdom), Tran Anh Hung’s The Taste of Things (France), Lila Aviles’ Totem (Mexico) and Aki Kaurismski’s Fallen Leaves (Finland).

Original song contenders competing against I’m Just Ken include two other songs from Barbie: Dua Lipa’s Dance the Night and Billie Eilish’s What Was I Made For?.

Both Flora and Son and The Color Purple had two songs advance, and other contenders include Sharon Van Etten for Quiet Eyes from Past Lives, Olivia Rodrigo for Can’t Catch Me Now, from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Lenny Kravitz for his Rustin song Road to Freedom.

The 15 original score finalists included several familiar players, including John Williams (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), Ludwig Goransson (Oppenheimer), Mica Levi (The Zone of Interest) and the late Robbie Robertson for Killers of the Flower Moon.

Documentary nominees as well as 20 Days in Mariupol include American Symphony, about Batiste, Still: A Michael J Fox Movie, Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project, The Eternal Memory, A Still Small Voice and Four Daughters.

Barbie missed the cut for make-up and hairstyling, which included nominations for Beau is Afraid, Poor Things, Maestro, Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon and Napoleon.

Though Oppenheimer fared well in most categories, it was not among the finalists in the visual effects category, which include Zack Snyder’s poorly reviewed Rebel Moon-Part One: A Child of Fire, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Live action, animated and documentary shorts finalists were also announced. The live action category is a little starrier than usual, with both Pedro Almodovar’s Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal western Strange Way of Life and Wes Anderson’s The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, with Benedict Cumberbatch and Ben Kingsley, among the contenders.

For the most part, shortlists are determined by members in their respective categories.

Final nominations in all categories will be announced on January 23. The 96th Oscars, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will be held on March 10 in Los Angeles.

-AAP