Borat’s ‘Wuhan Flu’ Song Made the Oscars Shortlist - Vulture

Photo: Courtesy of Amazon Studios

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released its shortlists for nine categories in the upcoming 93rd Annual Academy Awards. There are many great, deserving, and expected titles on the lists: Boys State and Dick Johnson Is Dead for Documentary Feature, Another Round and La Llorona in International Feature Film, Tenet in Visual Effects. There are also some surprises: Mank in Visual Effects (don’t you remember the part where the not-exactly-whizz-bang Mank Mank finds all the infinity stones and animorphs into Thanos?) and Hillbilly Elegy for the Makeup and Hairstyling that went into creating the living dybbuk that is Mamaw. Most intriguing though is the Original Song category, in which fifteen songs have advanced to the shortlist. These include “Husavik” from Eurovision Song Contest, and the “Wuhan Flu” song that Sacha Baron Cohen sings in disguise at a far-right rally in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. Considering that in the film, Borat writes the song with the help of the off-the-grid conspiracy theorists he’s living with, if “Wuhan Flu” made it to the final nominations, would this mean those Q-Anon/MAGA guys would become Oscar nominated? Much to think about as you pore over the full shortlists.

Documentary Feature

“All In: The Fight for Democracy”
“Boys State”
“Collective”
“Crip Camp”
“Dick Johnson Is Dead”
“Gunda”
“MLK/FBI”
“The Mole Agent”
“My Octopus Teacher”
“Notturno”
“The Painter and the Thief”
“76 Days”
“Time”
“The Truffle Hunters”
“Welcome to Chechnya”

Documentary Short Subject

“Abortion Helpline, This Is Lisa”
“Call Center Blues”
“Colette”
“A Concerto Is a Conversation”
“Do Not Split”
“Hunger Ward”
“Hysterical Girl”
“A Love Song for Latasha”
“The Speed Cubers”
“What Would Sophia Loren Do?”

International Feature Film

Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Quo Vadis, Aida?”
Chile, “The Mole Agent”
Czech Republic, “Charlatan”
Denmark, “Another Round”
France, “Two of Us”
Guatemala, “La Llorona”
Hong Kong, “Better Days”
Iran, “Sun Children”
Ivory Coast, “Night of the Kings”
Mexico, “I’m No Longer Here”
Norway, “Hope”
Romania, “Collective”
Russia, “Dear Comrades!”
Taiwan, “A Sun”
Tunisia, “The Man Who Sold His Skin”

Makeup and Hairstyling

“Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn”
“Emma”
“The Glorias”
“Hillbilly Elegy”
“Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey”
“The Little Things”
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”
“Mank”
“One Night in Miami…”
“Pinocchio”

Music (Original Score)

“Ammonite”
“Blizzard of Souls”
“Da 5 Bloods”
“The Invisible Man”
“Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey”
“The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se)”
“The Little Things”
“Mank”
“The Midnight Sky”
“Minari”
“Mulan”
“News of the World”
“Soul”
“Tenet”
“The Trial of the Chicago 7”

Music (Original Song)

“Turntables” from “All In: The Fight for Democracy”
“See What You’ve Done” from “Belly of the Beast”
“Wuhan Flu” from “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan”
“Husavik” from “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga”
“Never Break” from “Giving Voice”
“Make It Work” from “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey”
“Fight For You” from “Judas and the Black Messiah”
“lo Sì (Seen)” from “The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se)”
“Rain Song” from “Minari”
“Show Me Your Soul” from “Mr. Soul!”
“Loyal Brave True” from “Mulan”
“Free” from “The One and Only Ivan”
“Speak Now” from “One Night in Miami…”
“Green” from “Sound of Metal”
“Hear My Voice” from “The Trial of the Chicago 7”

Animated Short Film

“Burrow”
“Genius Loci”
“If Anything Happens I Love You”
“Kapaemahu”
“Opera”
“Out”
“The Snail and the Whale”
“To Gerard”
“Traces”
“Yes-People”

Live Action Short Film

“Bittu”
“Da Yie”
“Feeling Through”
“The Human Voice”
“The Kicksled Choir”
“The Letter Room”
“The Present”
“Two Distant Strangers”
“The Van”
“White Eye”

Visual Effects

“Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn”
“Bloodshot”
“Love and Monsters”
“Mank”
“The Midnight Sky”
“Mulan”
“The One and Only Ivan”
“Soul”
“Tenet”
“Welcome to Chechnya”

*This post originally misstated the films on the Live Action Short Film shortlist.

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