Apple TV+ may have been the first streaming giant to secure a best picture Oscar—with the heartwarming CODA in 2022—but this year, it is Netflix that is leading the race, at least when it comes to nominations. With an impressive 18 nods spread across a wide range of categories, from the acting races to best original screenplay, and best international film to best animated feature, the industry behemoth has pulled ahead of its studio rivals—but how many statuettes will the company actually win on Oscar night? Ahead of the ceremony, we present 22 incredible Netflix films to watch now, from those that caught the industry’s eye in previous years and were rightfully rewarded, to the ones that are currently surging.
What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015)
In mining the life and legacy of Nina Simone, Liz Garbus uncovered a deliberately provocative and fiercely political musical genius and earned a best-documentary Oscar nomination in the process. It’s impossible not to be swept away by the power of her songs and the strength of her character.
13th (2016)
Activist Angela Davis, author Jelani Cobb, and civil rights advocate Michelle Alexander are just some of the luminaries that provide insight in Ava DuVernay’s alarming exposé on historic racism in the U.S. criminal justice system. Expansive and meticulous, it was nominated for best documentary.
Icarus (2017)
Jaw-dropping doesn’t even begin to describe Bryan Fogel’s Oscar-winning documentary in which he meets a lovable whistleblower (Grigory Rodchenkov) and inadvertently stumbles upon the Russian doping scandal. As they unpick the vast conspiracy, two of his associates are found dead.
Mudbound (2017)
Dee Rees became the first Black woman to be nominated for best adapted screenplay and Rachel Morrison the first woman for best cinematography with this evocative period piece. Mary J. Blige got nods too, for her chameleonic supporting role and the soul-stirring original song “Mighty River.”
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
Six tales of the American frontier—encompassing shoot-outs, botched robberies, and a gold-mining expedition—make up Joel and Ethan Coen’s crowdpleaser. It was nominated for its whimsical script, intricate costumes and the mournful ballad “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings.”
Roma (2018)
The closest the streaming giant has so far come to winning Best Picture was with Alfonso Cuarón’s monochrome masterpiece about a live-in maid in Mexico City. It left with three statuettes from its staggering 10 nods: for best director, best cinematography, and best foreign language film.
The Edge of Democracy (2019)
With impassive aerial shots, startling archival footage, and poetic narration, Petra Costa’s operatic Oscar-nominated documentary chronicles the downfall of two Brazilian presidents and the rise of populism. Flitting from corruption investigations to taped calls, it’s an urgent and unnerving watch.
American Factory (2019)
Years after a General Motors plant closes in Ohio, a Chinese billionaire brings new jobs to the area. In Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar’s nuanced study of what follows, for which they scooped the best-documentary Oscar, cultures clash, friendships are forged, and the future remains uncertain.
The Irishman (2019)
Unjustly, this ruminative mob thriller went home empty-handed despite its 10 nominations: for Martin Scorsese’s faultless direction, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci’s magnetic performances, and the game-changing visual effects that de-aged their faces, among others. It’s an extraordinary feat.
Marriage Story (2019)
Expertly written and infinitely memeable, Noah Baumbach’s affecting account of a relationship in crisis landed Laura Dern an Oscar and received nods in five other categories, including for Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson’s goosebump-inducing turns, and Randy Newman’s gentle score.
The Two Popes (2019)
A riveting, revelatory depiction of a recent transfer of power, Fernando Meirelles’s cloistered drama casts Anthony Hopkins as the grizzled Pope Benedict and Jonathan Pryce as his idealistic successor, Pope Francis. Both were Oscar-nominated, alongside Anthony McCarten for his joyous screenplay.
Da 5 Bloods (2020)
It was Terence Blanchard’s sweeping score that secured Spike Lee’s hallucinatory war epic its only nomination, but it’s also worth watching for a spate of other reasons: the sly nods to contemporary politics, the truly shocking twists, and a career-defining turn from Delroy Lindo.
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
Aaron Sorkin’s true-life tale about a group of anti-war protesters is a riot. It was a contender for best picture and nominated for its moody cinematography, quippy script, slick editing, Sacha Baron Cohen’s scene-stealing supporting role, and Celeste’s moving “Hear My Voice.”
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020)
With George C. Wolfe’s musical melodrama, Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson became the first Black women to win the Oscar for makeup and hair. It scooped the costume design prize, too, and Chadwick Boseman, Viola Davis, and its production designers were also nominated.
Pieces of a Woman (2020)
Vanessa Kirby’s Oscar-nominated take on a mother grieving the loss of her child in Kornél Mundruczó’s harrowing saga is a tour de force. The astonishing 24-minute birth scene—in which her anxious excitement gives way to confusion and horror—will leave you reeling.
The Power of the Dog (2021)
This visually stunning and emotionally devastating western set on a 1920s Montana ranch only secured one win from its 12 nods—for Jane Campion’s virtuosic direction—but it deserved recognition, too, for Ari Wegner’s dazzling cinematography, Jonny Greenwood’s tense score, and a quartet of exceptional turns from Kirsten Dunst, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, and Kodi Smit-McPhee.
The Lost Daughter (2021)
Garnering nominations for director Maggie Gyllenhaal’s sensitive screenplay, adapted from Elena Ferrante’s haunting novel, and Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley’s richly layered performances (as older and younger iterations of the same dissatisfied academic), this intimate drama provides a compelling examination of disappointment, desire, and maternal ambivalence.
All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)
The nine nominations for Edward Berger’s horrifying meditation on the hopelessness of war resulted in four wins: for best international feature, James Friend’s atmospheric cinematography, Volker Bertelmann’s hair-raising score, and Christian M. Goldbeck and Ernestine Hipper’s ambitious production design.
Maestro (2023)
Virtuosic in its portrayal of legendary composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein’s meteoric rise, Bradley Cooper’s wonderfully inventive and fleet-footed biopic has earned seven nominations—for best picture, best original screenplay, best cinematography, best sound, and best make-up and hairstyling (who could forget all the chatter about that nose), as well as the moving lead performances from Carey Mulligan and the director himself.
Rustin (2023)
The sole nomination for George C. Wolfe’s rousing account of the life of the titular civil rights activist Bayard Rustin—the trailblazer who organized the 1963 March on Washington, where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I have a dream” speech—was for Colman Domingo’s central turn. Impassioned and electrifying, he’s a knockout.
Nyad (2023)
Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s thrilling sports drama tells the unbelievable true story of Diana Nyad, the formidable long-distance swimmer who came out of retirement to fulfill a lifelong dream of traversing the open ocean from Cuba to Florida. Annette Bening secured a best actress nod for her lead turn, with Jodie Foster also up for best supporting actress for her part as the athlete’s best friend and coach.
Society of the Snow (2023)
J. A. Bayona’s magnificent survival saga tracking members of a Uruguayan rugby team whose plane crashed in the Andes in the ’70s received two nominations—for best international feature and best make-up and hairstyling—but ought to be seen, too, for its breathtaking visuals and captivating performances from the stellar cast led by Enzo Vogrincic.