#33. Oscar : Film World Awaits Oscar Shortlist

The contenders for the 81st Oscars are to be revealed shortly after 12:30am AEDT at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences's Samuel Goldwyn Theatre in Beverly Hills.

Academy Award-winning actor Forest Whitaker will help announce the nominees for what pundits believe could be one of the tightest Oscar races in history.

All eyes are on The Dark Knight to see if the Batman blockbuster can buck convention by earning a nomination in the best picture category.

Oscar voters have traditionally shied away from honouring big budget superhero movies, but director Christopher Nolan's brooding masterpiece has won widespread acclaim both from critics and audiences.

Tom O'Neil, a pundit with the Los Angeles Times's blog theenvelope.com, says the Batman Begins sequel - the second highest grossing film in US box office history - could easily come into contention.

"The Dark Knight really is the big dark mystery hanging over the Oscars this year," O'Neil said.

"It was the movie of 2008. It was the most talked about, it was the most important, it was the most seen.

"The problem it faces at the Oscars is that no superhero movie has ever landed in that top category [of best picture].

"But those barriers have been broken before, if you think of horror movies - and then The Silence Of The Lambs got in. There were barriers against fantasy films - and then Lord Of The Rings won everything.

"So if there's any superhero movie that can come swooping into the Oscars big time, it's this movie."

Regardless of whether The Dark Knight muscles its way into the best picture category, the film's undisputed scene-stealer - late Australian actor Heath Ledger - is almost certain to receive a poignant posthumous nod, exactly one year to the day after his death from an accidental drugs overdose.

The front-runner in the Oscars best picture race remains the Bollywood-influenced rags-to-riches drama Slumdog Millionaire.

Oscar-watchers believe it will be joined in the race by The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon and Milk, with The Dark Knight battling against Clint Eastwood drama Gran Torino and The Reader for the fifth slot.

Beyond the best picture race, all eyes are likely to focus on the acting awards.

Briton Kate Winslet, a double-winner at the Golden Globes earlier this month, could pick up twin nominations for her performances in The Reader and Revolutionary Road.

Among Winslet's likely rivals in the best actress stakes are Meryl Streep in Doubt, Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married and Angelina Jolie in Changeling.

In the best actor race, Sean Penn is expected to earn a nod for his portrayal of a gay politician in Milk, while Mickey Rourke - the Golden Globe winner - could earn a nomination for The Wrestler.

Other possible nominees include Brad Pitt (The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button), Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon) and Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino).

- AFP