Every year the Academy Awards make choices that many observers question. Occasionally those choices are widely criticized — the #OscarsSoWhite controversy remains a touchstone — yet the Oscars are still treated as a major measure of cinematic achievement in the English-speaking world. Earning a Best Picture nomination typically signals industry recognition and can boost a film’s prestige. Conversely, films that fail to attract nominations despite awards-season campaigning often fade from awards conversation, even when they are artistically or culturally significant. The 2017 Oscars included many expected titles, but several remarkable films were conspicuously absent. Below are six standout films from 2016–2017 that deserved more recognition from the Academy but were overlooked.
6 – Deadpool
Superhero films rarely break through into Oscar Best Picture consideration, and when they do it’s news. Deadpool bucked genre conventions with its irreverent tone, sharp comic timing, and a standout performance from Ryan Reynolds, while also performing strongly at the box office. It was a critical and commercial phenomenon that pushed boundaries for R-rated comic-book cinema. Given the film’s strong showings at various guild and critics’ awards, many expected it to secure at least technical nominations. That it received none — while other genre entries earned nods — surprised many fans and critics who felt its writing, editing, and sound design merited recognition.
5 – It’s Only the End of the World
Xavier Dolan’s It’s Only the End of the World is a formally daring, emotionally intense film based on a stage play and featuring a high-profile cast including Marion Cotillard, Vincent Cassel and Léa Seydoux. Dolan’s work has often polarized critics in the United States, and the Academy has been inconsistent in recognizing his French-language films. This film’s theatrical origin combined with potent performances and striking visual choices made it a likely contender in foreign-language and acting categories. Its omission underscores the Academy’s tendency to overlook certain international auteurs and arthouse approaches, even when they attract major festival attention.
4 – The Nice Guys
Shane Black’s The Nice Guys is a genre piece — a buddy cop comedy set in the 1970s — yet it combines sharp screenplay craft, distinctive production design, and charismatic performances from Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe. The film demonstrates how genre filmmaking can offer accomplished writing, period detail, and technical achievements in costume and makeup. Because the Academy often favors prestige dramas, comic or genre films like The Nice Guys can be dismissed despite exhibiting excellence across multiple filmmaking disciplines. The omission of any nominations felt like a missed opportunity to celebrate a finely executed mainstream film with strong creative vision.
3 – Sing Street
John Carney’s Sing Street is a joyous coming-of-age musical that captured audiences with its heartfelt story and memorable, original songs. The film’s soundtrack and songs are integral to its emotional arc and were widely praised by critics and viewers alike. With multiple standout original songs that could reasonably have been eligible for Best Original Song consideration, Sing Street’s complete absence from Oscar nominations raised questions about how the Academy evaluates smaller, music-driven independent films compared with larger studio productions. The film’s warmth, optimism, and musical craftsmanship make it a notable omission.
2 – The Handmaiden
Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden was widely admired for its sumptuous visuals, meticulous design, and bold storytelling. The film emerged as one of the most talked-about foreign-language works of the year in English-speaking critical circles. Its cinematic craft — including cinematography, art direction, costuming, and direction — made it a natural candidate for recognition in the Academy’s foreign-language and technical categories. That The Handmaiden did not secure a nomination highlights the Academy’s sometimes uneven relationship with international films, even when they resonate strongly with global critics and cinephiles.
1 – I, Daniel Blake
Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake is a politically engaged drama that struck a chord across Europe and beyond with its unflinching portrayal of the struggles within contemporary welfare systems. Praised for its humanism, screenplay, and performances, the film earned numerous accolades and nominations from European and British film bodies. Many critics expected at least a screenplay or foreign-language nomination at the Oscars given the film’s cultural impact and critical respect. Its absence from the Academy’s shortlist felt especially notable because the film provoked widespread discussion about social policy and cinematic activism, suggesting the Academy missed an opportunity to acknowledge a work that combined moral urgency with strong filmmaking.
These six titles represent striking examples of films that, in different ways, were strong contenders for Academy recognition but were ultimately left out of the 2017 nominations. Whether through genre bias, language barriers, or the Academy’s particular voting patterns, each of these films offers artistic or cultural value that many viewers and critics felt deserved greater acknowledgment. Which films do you think were unfairly overlooked that year? Share your thoughts and contribute to the conversation about how cinematic excellence is recognized.