Joker leads Oscar nods with 11 as women miss out

LOS ANGELES－Dark comic book tale Joker topped the Oscar nominations on Monday, picking up 11 nods including best movie and best director, as women and ethnic minorities were largely shut out once again.

The predawn Academy Award announcement capped months of ceaseless campaigning by A-listers and studios, revealing which stars and movies have a shot at Hollywood's ultimate prize next month.

Todd Phillips's Joker, a bleak, art house origin story about Batman's nemesis starring Joaquin Phoenix, was just ahead of three films in the number of nominations.

Quentin Tarantino's 1960s Tinseltown homage Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood, Sam Mendes's World War I odyssey 1917 and Martin Scorsese's The Irishman each earned 10 nominations, including best picture and director.

Parasite secured the final best director slot for Bong Joon-ho, meaning once again no female directors made the short list.

Much of the focus so far this award season has been on the lack of female and ethnic minority filmmakers honored.

The acclaimed Little Women was acknowledged in several of the major categories, including best picture, but Greta Gerwig was snubbed for best director, in a repeat of her disappointing omission from the Golden Globes.

"Unfortunately, there are just five nominees" for best director in an "incredibly strong year", one Academy voter who asked not to be named said. "I don't think it's a vote against female directors."

In the history of the Oscars, only five women have been nominated for best director－including Gerwig, for 2017's Lady Bird.

Little Women supporting actress nominee Florence Pugh told Variety she was "happy that everybody is upset" over Gerwig's snub.

"Congratulations to those men," actress and writer Issa Rae, co-host of the official Oscars nominations announcement, said pointedly as she presented the Academy's picks.