The spotlight on a buzzy film about Catholic priests got even brighter on Thursday when it received eight Academy Award nominations.
“Conclave” is in the running for many of the award show’s top honors, including best picture.
The movie, which is based on a 2016 historical fiction book with the same name, follows a group of Catholic cardinals as they pick a new pope.
It’s a twisty drama that unfolds in a sacred setting.
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Although the film’s director, Edward Berger, has talked about wanting real-life Catholic priests to recognize themselves in “Conclave,” including in an interview with the Deseret News, the movie was controversial.
Notable conservative commentators, like Megyn Kelly, characterized it as “anti-Catholic.”
“Just made the huge mistake of watching the much-celebrated ‘Conclave’ & it is the most disgusting anti-Catholic film I have seen in a long time,” Kelly wrote on X on Jan. 4, soon after “Conclave” became available on Peacock.
“Conclave” screenwriter Peter Straughan later defended the movie at a Golden Globes press conference, according to The Wrap.
He said that the goal of the movie isn’t to insult the church, but to instead investigate how Catholic leaders wrestle with the temptations of power.
“I think the core message of ‘Conclave’ is about the Church always having to re-find its spiritual core, because it deals so much with power. That’s always been a careful, difficult balance,” said Straughan, who won a Golden Globe for his screenplay.
This image released by Focus Features shows Ralph Fiennes in a scene from “Conclave.” | Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2024 All Rights Reserved.
“Conclave” is among the most recognized movies of 2024 in terms of Oscar nominations.
With its eight nods, it fell just behind “Emilia Pérez” (13), “The Brutalist” (10) and “Wicked” (10).
Here’s a list of the awards “Conclave” is in the running for:
- Actor in a leading role, Ralph Fiennes
- Actress in a supporting role, Isabella Rossellini
- Costume design
- Film editing, Nick Emerson
- Best original score, Volker Bertelmann
- Best picture
- Production design
- Best adapted screenplay, Peter Straughan
Rossellini’s nomination places her in the Oscar history books because it comes after nominations for her parents, actress Ingrid Bergman and filmmaker Roberto Rossellini.
“Rossellini’s nomination this year … comes on the 50th anniversary of her mother’s win for ‘Orient Express,’ an all-star mystery film in which Bergman played a timid missionary suspected of murder,” The Wrap reported.
The 97th annual Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, March 2.
