The Astra Awards used to known as the HCA Awards but the name was changed this year for reasons unknown.  At first, I thought they had named the awards after the dog from The Thin Man but then I remembered that dog was actually named Asta.

(Seriously, folks, don’t rename stuff.  It’s confusing!  I’m still getting used to twitter being called X.)

Anyway, here are the 2023 Astra nominees.  There’s a lot of them, which I like.  (They give out a lot of awards that the Academy does not.)  While these awards, whether you call the HCA Awards or the Astra Awards, are not exactly the best Oscar precursors in the world, every bit helps when it comes to building momentum for Academy recognition.

Best Picture
“Air” (Amazon MGM Studios)
“American Fiction” (Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM Studios)
“Barbie” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
“The Color Purple” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
“The Holdovers” (Focus Features)
“Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films)
“Maestro” (Netflix)
“Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures)
“Past Lives” (A24)
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (Sony Pictures)

Best Director
Alexander Payne – “The Holdovers” (Focus Features)
Ben Affleck – “Air” (Amazon MGM Studios)
Bradley Cooper – “Maestro” (Netflix)
Celine Song – “Past Lives” (A24)
Christopher Nolan – “Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures)
Cord Jefferson – “American Fiction” (Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM Studios)
Emerald Fennell – “Saltburn” (Amazon MGM Studios)
Greta Gerwig – “Barbie” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Martin Scorsese – “Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films)
Yorgos Lanthimos – “Poor Things” (Searchlight Pictures)

Best Actress
Carey Mulligan – “Maestro” (Netflix)
Emma Stone – “Poor Things” (Searchlight Pictures)
Fantasia Barrino – “The Color Purple” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Greta Lee – “Past Lives” (A24)
Lily Gladstone – “Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films)
Margot Robbie – “Barbie” (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Best Actor
Barry Keoghan – “Saltburn” (Amazon MGM Studios)
Bradley Cooper – “Maestro” (Netflix)
Cillian Murphy – “Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures)
Colman Domingo – “Rustin” (Netflix)
Jeffrey Wright – “American Fiction” (Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM Studios)
Paul Giamatti – “The Holdovers” (Focus Features)

Best Supporting Actress
America Ferrera – “Barbie” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Danielle Brooks – “The Color Purple” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Da’Vine Joy Randolph – “The Holdovers” (Focus Features)
Julianne Moore – “May December” (Netflix)
Rachel McAdams – “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” (Lionsgate)
Viola Davis – “Air” (Amazon MGM Studios)

Best Supporting Actor
Charles Melton – “May December” (Netflix)
Colman Domingo – “The Color Purple” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Dominic Sessa – “The Holdovers” (Focus Features)
Glenn Howerton – “BlackBerry” (IFC Films)
Robert Downey Jr. – “Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures)
Ryan Gosling – “Barbie” (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Best Cast Ensemble
“Air” (Amazon MGM Studios)
“Barbie” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
“Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films)
“Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures)
“The Color Purple” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
“The Holdovers” (Focus Features)

Best International Feature
“Anatomy of a Fall” (France)
“Concrete Utopia” (South Korea)
“Fallen Leaves” (Finland)
“Jawan” (India)
“Perfect Days” (Japan)
“Radical” (Mexico)
“Society of the Snow” (Spain)
“The Taste of Things” (France)
“The Teacher’s Lounge” (Germany)
“The Zone of Interest” (United Kingdom)

Best International Filmmaker
Hayao Miyazaki – “The Boy and The Heron” (GKids)
J.A Bayona – “Society of the Snow” (Netflix)
Jonathan Glazer – “The Zone of Interest” (A24)
Justine Triet – “Anatomy of a Fall” (NEON)
Trần Anh Hùng – “The Taste of Things” (IFC Films)
Wim Wenders – “Perfect Days” (NEON)

Best International Actress
Alma Pöysti – “Fallen Leaves” (MUBI)
Juliette Binoche – “The Taste of Things” (IFC Films)
Layla Mohammadi – “The Persian Version” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Leonie Benesch – “The Teacher’s Lounge” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Sandra Hüller – “Anatomy of a Fall” (NEON)
Roberta Colindrez – “Cassandro” (Amazon MGM Studios)

Best International Actor
Christian Friedel – “The Zone of Interest” (A24)
Enzo Vogrincic – “Society of the Snow” (Netflix)
Eugenio Derbez – “Radical” (Pantelion Films)
Gael García Bernal – “Cassandro” (Amazon MGM Studios)
Koji Yakusho – “Perfect Days” (NEON)
Mads Mikkelsen – “The Promised Land” (Magnolia Pictures)

Best First Feature
A.V. Rockwell – “A Thousand and One” (Focus Features)
Adele Lim – “Joy Ride” (Lionsgate)
Celine Song – “Past Lives” (A24)
Chloe Domont – “Fair Play” (Netflix)
Cord Jefferson – “American Fiction” (Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM Studios)
Michael B. Jordan – “Creed III” (Amazon MGM Studios)

Best Animated Feature
“The Boy and The Heron” (GKids)
“Elemental” (Disney/Pixar)
“Nimona” (Netflix)
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (Sony Pictures)
“Suzume” (Sony Pictures/Crunchyroll)
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” (Paramount Pictures)

Best Documentary Feature
“20 Days in Mariupol” (PBS Distribution)
“American Symphony” (Netflix)
“Beyond Utopia” (Roadside Attractions)
“Little Richard: I Am Everything” (Magnolia Pictures)
“Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” (Apple Original Films)
“Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” (AMC Theatres Distribution)

Best Action Feature
“Creed III” (Amazon/MGM Studios)
“Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” (Paramount Pictures)
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” (Disney/Marvel)
“John Wick: Chapter 4” (Lionsgate)
“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” (Paramount Pictures)
“The Killer” (Netflix)

Best Comedy Feature
“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” (Lionsgate)
“BlackBerry” (IFC Films)
“Bottoms” (Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM Studios)
“Joy Ride” (Lionsgate)
“No Hard Feelings” (20th Century Fox)
“Theater Camp” (Searchlight Pictures)

Best Horror Feature
“Evil Dead Rise” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
“Knock at the Cabin” (Universal Pictures)
“M3GAN” (Universal Pictures)
“No One Will Save You” (20th Century Studios / Hulu)
“Scream VI” (Paramount Pictures)
“Talk To Me” (A24)

Best Short Film
“The ABCs of Book Banning” (MTV Documentary Films)
“The After” (Netflix)
“The Last Repair Shop” (Searchlight Pictures)
“Once Upon A Studio” (Disney)
“Strange Way of Life” (Sony Pictures Classics)
“The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” (Netflix)

Best Voice-Over Performance
Ariana DeBose – “Wish” (Walt Disney Studios)
Bradley Cooper – “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” (Disney/Marvel)
Daniel Kaluuya – “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (Sony Pictures)
Hailee Steinfeld – “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (Sony Pictures)
Jack Black – “The Super Mario Bros Movie” (Universal Pictures)
Shameik Moore – “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (Sony Pictures)

Best Original Screenplay
“Air” – Written by Alex Convery (Amazon MGM Studios)
“Anatomy of a Fall” – Written by Justine Triet & Arthur Harari (NEON)
“Barbie” – Written by Greta Gerwig & Noah Baumbach (Warner Bros. Pictures)
“Past Lives” – Written by Celine Song (A24)
“Saltburn” – Written by Emerald Fennell (Amazon/MGM Studios)
“The Holdovers” – Written by David Hemingson (Focus Features)

Best Adapted Screenplay
“American Fiction” – Screenplay by Cord Jefferson (Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM Studios)
“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” – Screenplay by Kelly Fremon Craig (Lionsgate)
“Killers of the Flower Moon” – Screenplay by Eric Roth & Martin Scorsese (Apple Original Films)
“Oppenheimer” – Screenplay by Christopher Nolan (Universal Pictures)
“Poor Things” – Screenplay by Tony McNamara (Searchlight Pictures)
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” – Screenplay by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Dave Callaham (Sony Pictures)

Best Casting
Mary Vernieu & Lindsay Graham Ahanonu – “Air” (Amazon/MGM Studios)
Jennifer Euston – “American Fiction” (Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM Studios)
Allison Jones & Lucy Bevan – “Barbie” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
John Papsidera – “Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures)
Bernard Telsey, Tiffany Little Canfield, and Destiny Lilly – “The Color Purple” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Susan Shopmaker – “The Holdovers” (Focus Features)

Best Cinematography
Dan Laustsen – “John Wick: Chapter 4” (Lionsgate)
Rodrigo Prieto – “Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films)
Matthew Libatique – “Maestro” (Netflix)
Hoyte van Hoytema – “Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures)
Robbie Ryan – “Poor Things” (Searchlight Pictures)
Linus Sandgren – “Saltburn” (Amazon MGM Studios)

Best Costume Design
Jacqueline Durran – “Barbie” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Oliver García – “Chevalier” (Searchlight Pictures)
Judianna Makovsky – “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” (Disney/Marvel)
Jacqueline West – “Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films)
Holly Waddington – “Poor Things” (Searchlight Pictures)
Francine Jamison-Tanchuck – “The Color Purple” (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Best Editing
Laurent Sénéchal – “Anatomy of a Fall” (NEON)
Nathan Orloff – “John Wick: Chapter 4” (Lionsgate)
Thelma Schoonmaker – “Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films)
Jennifer Lame – “Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures)
Michael Andrews – “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (Sony Pictures)
Kevin Tent – “The Holdovers” (Focus Features)

Best Hair and Make-Up
Nick Houy – “Barbie” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Ryo Murakawa – “Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” (Paramount Pictures)
Cassie Russek and Alexei Dmitriew – “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” (Disney/Marvel)
Kazu Hiro, Sian Grigg, Kay Georgiou, and Lori McCoy-Bell – “Maestro” (Netflix)
Nadia Stacey – “Poor Things” (Searchlight Pictures)
Carol Rasheed, Saisha Beecham, Lawrence Davis, and Tym Wallace – “The Color Purple” (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Best Original Song
“Camp Isn’t Home” from “Theater Camp” – Written by Ben Platt, Noah Galvin, Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman, and Mark Sonnenblick – Performed by Ben Platt, Molly Gordon, Noah Galvin, Alexander Bello, Bailee Bonick, Donovan Colan, Jack Sobolewski, Kyndra Sanchez, Luke Islam, Madisen Lora and Quinn Titcomb (Searchlight Pictures)
“Dance the Night” from “Barbie” – Written by Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt, Dua Lipa, and Caroline Ailin – Performed By Dua Lipa (Warner Bros. Pictures)
“I’m Just Ken” from “Barbie” – Written by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt – Performed by Ryan Gosling (Warner Bros. Pictures)
“Peaches” from “The Super Mario Bros Movie” – Written by Jack Black, Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Eric Osmond, and John Spiker – Performed by Jack Black (Universal Pictures)
“This Wish” from “Wish” – ​​Written by Julia Michaels, Benjamin Rice, and JP Saxe – Performed by Ariana DeBose (Disney)
“What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie” – Written By Billie Eilish O’Connell and Finneas O’Connell – Performed by Billie Eilish (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Best Production Design
Adam Stockhausen – “Asteroid City” (Focus Features)
Sarah Greenwood & Katie Spencer – “Barbie” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Jack Fisk & Adam Willis – “Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films)
Ruth De Jong – “Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures)
James Price & Shona Heath – “Poor Things” (Searchlight Pictures)
Suzie Davies & Charlotte Dirickx – “Saltburn” (Amazon MGM Studios)

Best Publicity Campaign
“Barbie” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
“John Wick: Chapter 4” (Lionsgate)
“M3GAN” (Universal Pictures)
“Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures)
“The Super Mario Bros Movie” (Universal Pictures)
“Wonka” (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Best Score
“Elemental” – Thomas Newman (Disney/Pixar)
“Killers of the Flower Moon” – Robbie Robertson (Apple Original Films)
“Oppenheimer” – Ludwig Göransson (Universal Pictures)
“Poor Things” – Jerskin Fendrix (Searchlight Pictures)
“Saltburn” – Anthony Willis (Amazon MGM Studios)
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” – Daniel Pemberton (Sony Pictures)

Best Sound
“Ferrari” (NEON)
“John Wick: Chapter 4” (Lionsgate)
“Maestro” (Netflix)
“Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures)
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (Sony Pictures)
“The Killer” (Netflix)

Best Stunts
“Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” (Paramount Pictures)
“Fast X” (Universal Pictures)
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” (Disney/Marvel)
“John Wick: Chapter 4” (Lionsgate)
“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” (Paramount Pictures)
“Polite Society” (Focus Features)

Best Visual Effects
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” (Disney/Marvel)
“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” (Paramount Pictures)
“Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures)
“Poor Things” (Searchlight Pictures)
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (Sony Pictures)
“The Creator” (20th Century Studios)