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‘Ford v Ferrari’ Gets Academy Award Nomination for Best Picture

Ford v Ferrari, a James Mangold film starring Christian Bale and Matt Damon, has received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture, as well as three others for Film Editing, Sound Editing, and Sound Mixing.

This could be the first time a car-centric film receives the Oscar for Best Picture, a category in which these types of films are usually snubbed. Only two have ever been nominated before: 1973’s American Graffiti and 2015’s Max Max: Fury Road.

Ford v Ferrari tells the story of auto designer Carroll Shelby (Damon) and eccentric racing driver Ken Miles (Bale) as they take on the dominant Ferrari at the famous 24-hour race at Le Mans, on behalf of the Ford Motor Company.

It’s a beautiful movie that car and racing fans will love, though even non-gearheads can appreciate it thanks to its focus on the human side of motorsports. Still, this most recent nominee certainly has some tough competition to beat at the 2020 Oscars. Other Best Picture nominees include Martin Scorcese’s The Irishman and Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, as well as Jojo Rabbit and Joker.

Ford v Ferrari also faces similar competition in the other categories for which it has received an Academy Award nomination, and considering the strength of the lineup and the Academy’s track record with racing films, it’s quite possible Mangold and his team will leave the ceremony without a single golden statue.

Nonetheless, if I had to bet the film winning at least one Oscar, I would put my money on either Sound Editing or Sound Mixing.

Kurt Verlin

Kurt Verlin was born in France and lives in the United States. Throughout his life he was always told French was the language of romance, but it was English he fell in love with. He likes cats, music, cars, 30 Rock, Formula 1, and pretending to be a race car driver in simulators; but most of all, he just likes to write about it all. See more articles by Kurt.