'Star Wars,' 'Mad Max' and 'Martian' get Oscar nominations
The 2016 Oscars nominations shine a light on science-fiction.
The next Oscars ceremony looks to be an exciting one for geeks, with some of 2015's best sci-fi films nominated for major categories. Who could have imagined we'd actually see Mad Max: Fury Road and The Martian as Best Picture contenders? Genre films typically get nominated for technical categories (things like sound mixing and editing), but over the past few years the Academy Awards has also become surprisingly inclusive for geekier fare.
You can take a look at the full Oscar nominations list here, but we've highlighted the sci-fi selections below.
Best Picture
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
Best Actor
Matt Damon (The Martian)
Best Director
George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)
Best Original Score
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Best Original Screenplay
Best Adapted Screenplay
Drew Goddard (The Martian)
Best Production Design
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
Best Film Editing
Mad Max: Fury Road
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Best Visual Effects
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The Martian
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Sound Mixing
Mad Max: Fury Road
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The Martian
Best Sound Editing
Mad Max: Fury Road
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The Martian
Best Costume Design
Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Cinematography
Mad Max: Fury Road
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)