Cate Blanchett and George Miller’s ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ score high before Oscars 2016

Australia’s chances of bringing home an Oscar continues to rise as Cate Blanchett and George Miller continue to steal the show at award ceremonies. Perhaps a step ahead, George Miller and his post-apocalytic movie “Mad Max: Fury Road” have been nominated for Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) international awards on Tuesday for best director and best picture. Australian actress Cate Blanchett too received an AACTA nomination for best actress for her performance in the movie “Carol” where she plays a lesbian in 1950s New York.

The Producers Guild of America honoured Miller for his film “Mad Max” by naming it one of PGA’s 10 nominees for best picture, reports News.com.au. Historically speaking, the PGAs are the biggest indicators of nominees and winners at the Oscars. A PGA winner has won the Academy Award the past eight years. Thus, though it is not confirmed yet, “Mad Max: Fury Road’s” PGA nomination makes it a “sure shot” at the Oscars 2016 nominations. The Oscars nominations will be announced next week.

Box office blockbuster “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” was unfortunately snubbed by the PGA and so was Cate Blanchett’s “Carol.” Other movies to be snubbed were “Joy,” “Creed,” “Trumbo” and “Room.” On the other hand, surprisingly, “Ex Machina,” “Straight Outta Compton,” and “Sicario” received PGA nominations along with expected Leonardo DiCaprio starrer “The Revenant,” Matt Damon starrer “The Martian,” “Spotlight,” “Bridge of Spies,” “The Big Short” and “Brooklyn.”

George Miller’s “Mad Max: Fury Road’s” race for the Oscars 2016 became even louder as its editor Margaret Sixel scored an American Cinema Editors nod on Monday and production designer Colin Gibson was nominated by the Art Directors Guild on Tuesday. “Mad Max” is also a hot fan favourite for the Oscars.

Back at the AACTA, apart from Miller and Blanchett, Charlize Theron, Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon also received nods. So did Joel Edgerton and Judy Davis. Emily Blunt for “Sicario,” Saoirse Ronan for “Brooklyn,” Brie Larson for “Room” and Theron for “Mad Max” were also nominated. Other directing nominees were Todd Haynes for “Carol,” Adam MacKay for “The Big Short” and of course Ridley Scott and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu for “The Martian” and “The Revenant.”

Although Davis received her supporting actress nomination, she faces tough competition from Rooney Mara (Carol), Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl) and Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight), reports Sky News. Other supporting actor nominees are Christian Bale (The Big Short), Benicio del Toro (Sicario), Paul Dano (Love and Mercy) and Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies).

The Oscars 2016 nominations will be announced on Jan. 14, 2016 and the winners will be revealed on Feb. 28, 2016.