- Ford v Ferrari, the critically acclaimed movie about the two automakers’ 1960s rivalry at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, was nominated for four Academy Awards, the awards organization announced in January.
- The lead actors—Christian Bale as Ken Miles and Matt Damon as Carroll Shelby—did not get the nod for acting awards, but the film did get a Best Picture nomination. Its other three nominations were in technical categories.
- The Academy Awards ceremony was held on February 9.
UPDATE 2/9/20: At the Academy Awards ceremony, Ford v Ferrari was up for four awards, and ended up coming home with two: Best Film Editing and Best Sound Editing. Despite being critically acclaimed one of the best racing films ever, the film lost out to Parasite for Best Picture.
The Academy Awards’ nominations were announced this morning in Los Angeles, and Ford v Ferrari, as had been expected, was chosen in several categories. The movie is up for Best Picture in a field of nine nominees, among them The Irishman and Once upon a Time in Hollywood. Its three other nominations are for film editing, sound editing, and sound mixing.
Ford v Ferrari tells the story of an upstart American team going up against the Ferrari juggernaut and emerging victorious. It has been critically praised, including by C/D, for its re-creation of three races: the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona, the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans, and a fictitious race at Willow Springs Raceway in California that establishes the relationship between the main characters, race-team leader Carroll Shelby (played by Matt Damon) and ace driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale). Neither of those actors got Oscar nominations; in an awards ceremony held last week, Bale had been nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama), but he lost to Joaquin Phoenix for Joker.
Although the 1967 film Grand Prix won Oscars for sound, editing, and special effects, it wasn’t nominated for Best Picture, and in Oscars history, no racing-themed movie has ever won Best Picture.
