How’d Canada do? 2014 Oscar nominations offer a mixed bag for Canadian films and filmmakers

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominations for the 86th annual Oscars on Thursday morning, and it was a bit of a mixed bag for Canada.

The good news was that Quebec director Jean-Marc Vallée's AIDS drama "Dallas Buyers Club" scored a Best Picture nomination alongside some of the year’s biggest movies. Stars Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto received Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor nominations, respectively -- however, Vallée himself was shut out of the Best Director category.

Montreal film editor Michael Pensa also received a Best Editing nomination for his work on “Dallas Buyers Club,” alongside John Mac McMurphy (and some believe "John Mac McMurphy" may be a pseudonym for the film’s co-editor and director Jean-Marc Vallée).

There major disappointment, too. Toronto filmmaker Sarah Polley's documentary "Stories We Tell" was overlooked in the Best Documentary Feature category. The acclaimed and highly personal film was on the Oscar shortlist and most industry watchers believed it was a shoo-in for a nomination. Polley was previously nominated for the Best Adapted Screenplay for her 2006 directing debut “Away From Her.”

Another big coup for Canadian talent cropped up in the Best Original Score category. Canadian musician Owen Pallett (Final Fantasy) and Arcade Fire member William Butler nabbed a nomination in the category for their work on Spike Jonze’s sci-fi romance “Her.”

The other big news is that Canadian films and filmmakers were shut out in two categories in which they have traditionally done quite well. No CanCon made the cut in the Best Animated Short category, despite having three films on the shortlist: Chris Landreth’s “Subconscious Password,” Uri Kranot and Michelle Kranot’s “Hollow Land,” and Theodore Ushev’s “Gloria Victoria.” Meanwhile, the Best Foreign Language Film category, which has been a bastion for Canadian content at the Oscars over the past several years thanks to films like “Monsieur Lazhar” and “Incendies,” was noticeably lacking Canuck nominees. Canada’s official submission to the Academy Awards, Quebec filmmaker Louise Archambault’s drama “Gabrielle,” failed to make the Oscar shortlist.

See the complete list of Oscar nominations here.

The 86th Academy Awards air March 2, 2014.