Australian screenwriter, costume designer nominated for Oscars as stars miss out

NICOLE Kidman, Toni Collette, Margot Robbie and Troye Sivan have missed out on Oscar nominations, but it was not all bad news for Australia.

Australian production designer Fiona Crombie and screenwriter Tony McNamara were nominated for their work on The Favourite, an English drama-comedy set in the early 18th century around Queen Anne.

The Favourite will be a force at the February 24 Academy Awards after picking up 10 nominations, including best picture.

Sydney-born, Adelaide-raised Crombie, who lives in London, was at home with her production design co-nominee, set decorator Alice Felton, watching the nomination ceremony on TV when their names were announced.

“We were shrieking,” Crombie told AAP. “We were laughing and crying.”

Crombie is an NIDA graduate and Sydney Theatre Company resident designer who moved to London with husband Peter Knowles and children Ooma, 12, and Orlando, 8.

Ooma and Orlando were at school but a big celebration is planned.

“I’m going to wait for my kids to get home, but they will have no idea what any of this means,” Crombie said.

“I’ll have to tell them this is a really big deal and then I’ll go and meet up with my husband and have a celebratory dinner.”

McNamara, who co-wrote The Favourite script with Deborah Davis, was also over the moon with his nod.

“It’s a pretty amazing moment that’s for sure,” McNamara told the BBC.

Kidman was a chance for double nominations, but missed out on both.

She was overlooked in the best actress category for Destroyer.

Glenn Close (The Wife), Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born), Olivia Colman (The Favourite), Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me?) and Yalitza Apariciao (Roma) filled the nominations.

Collette, for Hereditary, was an outside best actress chance but her name was also not called.

Kidman was also in the running for a supporting nod for Boy Erased and Robbie for Mary Queen of Scots, however, they were both overlooked.

The supporting actress nominees were also dominated by The Favourite with cast members Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz receiving nods.

Amy Adams (Vice), Marina de Tavira (Roma), and frontrunner Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk) were the other supporting actress nominees.

The lead actor nominations were: Christian Bale (Vice); Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born); Willem Dafoe (At Eternity’s Gate); Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody); and Viggo Mortensen (Green Book).

Black Panther was a best picture nominee, a rare achievement for a superhero film.

The other best picture nominees are: BlacKkKlansman; The Favourite; Green Book; Roma; A Star Is Born; and Vice.

Perth pop star Sivan received a Golden Globe nomination in the original song category for Revelation from Boy Erased earlier this month, but Oscar voters were not so kind.

The Melbourne team behind the animated short film Lost & Found, Andrew Goldsmith, Bradley Slabe and Lucy Hayes, were also not nominated.