Oscar Nominees Based On Books

Award season is in full swing, but every movie fan knows that the biggest and brightest ceremony of the year will always be the Academy Awards. The Oscars are the ultimate film award, especially the coveted Best Picture (although no one is going to sniff at an Oscar for sound editing)—and they are the perfect way for film fans to catch up on everything that they should be watching from the past twelve months. This year, the Oscar nominees are filled with movies based on books. Not too surprising, as Hollywood loves literary adaptations!

If you’re looking for a stunning film to watch this spring, with a book to read as well, look no further than these ten Oscar nominees.

Call Me By Your Name (Nominated for Best Picture)

This incredible coming of age story is based on the book of the same name by Andre Aciman. Set in Italy in the '80s, it follows the romance between a seventeen year old and his father’s much older American assistant. Call Me By Your Name looks at the nature of love between men of two very different ages and worlds in a period before the Internet changed the face of dating in the LGBT community.

All The Money In The World (Nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role)

This crime thriller is based on Painfully Rich: The Outrageous Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Heirs of J. Paul Getty (John Pearson), a book about the famous real-life kidnapping of J. Paul Getty’s grandson, and his refusal to negotiate with the criminals who held him. A story that made headlines in the '70s, it’s now brought to life beautifully by Ridley Scott.

Mudbound (Nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Adapted Screenplay)

This period drama explores racism and PTSD in America after the second world war, when two veterans (one black, one white), return home to Mississippi after the fighting to try and pick up where they left off. Their friendship, and the struggles they face as farmers in this landscape, paint a poignant picture based on the Hillary Jordan novel of the same name.

The Breadwinner (Nominated for Best Animated Feature Film)

One of two animated features based on books to find their way to this year’s Oscars ceremony, The Breadwinner was inspired by the children’s novel by Deborah Ellis. The story follows Parvana, an 11 year old girl growing up under the rule of the Taliban in Afghanistan, who decides to disguise herself as a boy after her family is taken away from her. A beautiful and unflinching quest, The Breadwinner is beautiful story of hope in a world where it is scarce.

Ferdinand (Nominated for Best Animated Feature Film)

The second of the animated films on this list, Ferdinand is a whole lot lighter than The Breadwinner, about a gentle giant of a bull with a big heart…but whose size and strength leads to a misunderstanding that takes him far from home, where he must make friends to get back where he belongs. Ferdinand is based on the classic children’s book The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf.

The Disaster Artist (Nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay)

The movie industry takes a look at itself in The Disaster Artist, the true story of Tommy Wiseau and The Room, often considered the ultimate worst movie of all time. Starring James and Dave Franco, the film explores the making of the film and the relationship between the director and one of the actors, Greg Sestero, who also wrote the book the film is based on The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made.

Logan (Nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay)

Logan isn’t actually the only movie based on a comic to get a nod from the Oscars this year, as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 also has a nomination for Best Achievement In Visual Effects. However, Logan’s nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay is a bigger accomplishment for the comic book genre, one that still gets snubbed most years at the Academy Awards. There’s no doubting, however, that although this film is about Wolverine and his adamantium claws, everything from the aesthetic to the heart-wrenching final scene is absolutely Oscar-worthy.

Molly’s Game (Nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay)

Molly’s Game, starring Jessica Chastain, is the big screen adaptation of Molly's Game: From Hollywood's Elite to Wall Street's Billionaire Boys Club, My High-Stakes Adventure in the World of Underground Poker, a book packed with so much intensity that it can carry off the ridiculously long title. About a young woman who ran an underground poker empire, and ended up targeted by the FBI for it. However, the agency seems to have underestimated just how good a player Molly can be…

Victoria and Abdul (Nominated for Best Achievement In Costume Design)

Dame Judi Dench plays Queen Victoria for the second time in this real life story of the Queen and the servant who became her unlikely adviser and close friend. Based on the book of same name by Shrabani Basu, the film is carried by Dench’s stunning performance, although the story of how the Queen rediscovered herself in the midst of political intrigue and after years of navigating the court is fascinating enough on its own.

Wonder (Nominated for Best Achievement In Makeup And Hairstyling)

Based on the novel by R. J. Palacio, Wonder may sound like Oscar-bait in the most obvious sense, but it is a beautiful film that does justice to the bestselling source material (with the addition of a star-studded cast, including Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson). About a boy with Treacher Collins syndrome who enters public school in the fifth grade, this is a heartwarming story of judgement and acceptance, as he tries to fit in to a world that automatically labels him as different.

Which literary adaptations do you think are Oscar-worthy? Tell us on Twitter @quirkbooks!