Oscars 2023: 8 iconic films that didn’t win a single Academy Award

It's Oscar season, and the Academy is set to announce this year’s winners. Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Banshees of Inisherin, and All Quiet on the Western Front are the hot favourites to sweep a few Oscars this year. For today’s List hai toh hit hai we take a look at iconic films that failed to win a single Academy Award.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - Prime Video

Frank Darabont’s 1994 magnum opus The Shawshank Redemption is arguably one of the greatest films ever made, and the fact that it has stayed at no.1 on IMDB’s Top 100 list for decades is a testament to the film’s prestige. However, despite seven nominations at the Academy Awards in 1995, it failed to win even a single award. Then again, it was up against Forrest Gump and Pulp Fiction, so it was a close call for the Academy and the Oscar for best picture that year went to Forrest Gump.

Fight Club (1999) - Prime Video

“The first rule of fight club…is you don’t talk about Fight Club”. But we’re going to break that rule since this iconic David Fincher masterpiece starring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt has to be one of the most significant films of the century. Revered by cinephiles and even those from the film fraternity, Fight Club broke the mould of storytelling and introduces cinematic techniques that went on to define Fincher’s visual aesthetic. Sadly, the Academy snubbed the film for all major categories in 2000. It did receive a single nomination for Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing, but failed to win.

Léon: The Professional (1994) - Prime Video

As mentioned earlier, 1994 was a stellar year for films, featuring several memorable films that redefined the medium of storytelling. The English-French film Léon: The Professional, directed by Luc Besson was a genre-defining production that continues to inspire modern films and TV shows. Jean Leno and a 12-year-old Natalie Portman essay the lead roles, with Gary Oldman is seen packing in a supporting role. Despite rave reviews from across the globe, the Academy snubbed the film entirely.

Psycho (1960) - (Apple TV+, Google Play, YouTube)

Norman Bates has to be among the most disturbed characters to ever grace the big screen. So it comes as a shock that Alfred Hicthock's iconic 1960 thriller Psycho is a part of this list. The groundbreaking film continues to inspire filmmakers and actors across the globe, but for reasons that we cannot comprehend, the Academy decided that the film simply lacked the quality to win even in a single category despite four nominations.

Rear Window (1954) - (Apple TV+)

The 1954 film Rear Window is the second Alfred Hitchcock film to make this list, and we are starting to believe that the Academy was not very receptive to Hitchcock’s works. As a matter of fact, Hitchcock has received only one Oscar, which was the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, which was awarded to him by the Academy in 1968.

In the Mood for Love (2000) - Mubi, LionsgatePlay

Wong Kar-wai is widely regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of our time. It's a toss-up between Chungking Express and In the Mood for Love as to which is his best film to date. We believe the latter just about edges it. But the Academy felt otherwise as they decided to overlook In the Mood for Love which didn’t receive a single nomination.

The Big Lebowski (1998) - Prime Video

A Coen brothers film starring Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, and Julianne Moore should have been the ideal recipe to sweep home a few Oscars. However, the 1998 crime comedy, The Big Lebowski, failed to even garner a single nomination at the 1999 Academy Awards. Despite the shocking snub by the Academy, the film is still widely revered as one of the best of all time. But it wasn’t the biggest Oscar snub in 1999. The Academy gave the Best Picture award that year to Shakespeare in Love, even while films such as Steven Speilberg’s compelling war account, Saving Private Ryan and Roberto Benigni’s bittersweet film Life is Beautiful were also nominated for the same category.

The Shining (1980)- (Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, Google Play, YouTube)

A study revealed that the iconic "Here's Johnny" scene from Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film The Shining is the scariest film moment ever. The film has also stood the test of time and has aged like fine wine. But it’s yet another cult classic which was completely overlooked by the Academy in 1981, failing to secure even a single nomination.

Well that's all the time we have for this episode, I will see ya in the next one. Until then it's your host Nikhil signing out.

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Written by Ryan Gomez