NEW YORK -- Guillermo del Toro's lavish monster romance "The Shape of Water" fished out a leading 13 nominations, Greta Gerwig became just the fifth woman nominated for best director and "Mudbound" director of photography Rachel Morrison made history as the first woman nominated for best cinematography in nominations announced Tuesday for the 90th annual Academy Awards.

"The Shape of Water," shot in Toronto and Hamilton, came just shy of tying the record of 14 nominations shared by "All About Eve," "Titanic" and "La La Land." Toronto native J. Miles Dale shares in the best picture nomination for the film.

Oscar voters put forward nine best-picture nominees: "The Shape of Water ," Martin McDonaugh's rage-fueled comic drama "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri ," Gerwig's nuanced coming-of-age tale "Lady Bird ," Jordan Peele's horror sensation "Get Out ," Joe Wright's Winston Churchill drama "Darkest Hour ," Steven Spielberg's timely newspaper drama "The Post ," Christopher Nolan's World War II epic "Dunkirk ," Luca Guadagnino's tender love story "Call Me By Your Name " and Paul Thomas Anderson's twisted romance "Phantom Thread ."

Del Toro's dark fantasy scored a wide array for nominations for its cast (Sally Hawkins, Richard Jenkins, Octavia Spencer), del Toro's directing, its sumptuous score (by Alexandre Desplat) and technical craft.

"It is a privilege to tell such stories and to be able to make films that show there is a life beyond the life that people know -- one that is not always seen," said best actress nominee Hawkins.

The cascading fallout of sexual harassment scandals throughout Hollywood put particular focus on the best director category, which for many is a symbol of gender inequality in the film industry. Gerwig follows only Lina Wertmuller, Jane Campion, Sofia Coppola and Kathryn Bigelow, the sole woman to win (for "The Hurt Locker").

Also nominated for best director was Peele. He becomes the fifth black filmmaker nominated for best director, and the third to helm a best-picture nominee, following Barry Jenkins last year for "Moonlight." He's also the third person to receive best picture, director and writing nods for his first feature film after Warren Beatty ("Heaven Can Wait") and James L. Brooks ("Terms of Endearment").

"What's the opposite of the Sunken Place?" said Peele on Twitter.

Though all of the acting front-runners -- Frances McDormand ("Three Billboards"), Gary Oldman ("Darkest Hour"), Allison Janney ("I, Tonya"), Sam Rockwell ("Three Billboards") -- landed their expected nominations, there were surprises.

Denzel Washington ("Roman J. Israel, Esq.") was nominated for best actor, likely eclipsing James Franco ("Disaster Artist"). Franco was accused of sexual misconduct, which he denied, just days before Oscar voting closed. The category's other nominees were a retiring veteran -- Daniel Day-Lewis for what he's said is his final performance ("Phantom Thread") -- and a pair of breakouts: Timothee Chalamet ("Call Me By Your Name") and "Daniel Kaluuya ("Get Out").

Christopher Plummer, who replaced Kevin Spacey in Ridley Scott's "All the Money in the World," also sneaked into the best supporting actor category. Added to the film in reshoots little more than a month before the film's release, Plummer is now, at 88, the oldest acting nominee ever.

Perhaps most unexpected was the broad success of Paul Thomas Anderson's "Phantom Thread," which scored not only nods for Day-Lewis and Lesley Manville, for best supporting actress, but also nominations for best picture, Anderson's direction, costume design and Johnny Greenwood's score.

Anderson likely displaced not only Steven Spielberg ("The Post") but Martin McDonagh, the director of the film many have tapped to win best picture, "Three Billboards." His absence is a major knock for a film that has endured the harshest backlash of the contenders, with many claiming it's out of touch in matters of race.

Still, "Three Billboards" scored seven nominations Tuesday, behind only "The Shape of Water" and Christopher Nolan's "Dunkirk." The World War II epic, thus far little-honoured in Hollywood's awards season, emerged especially strong with Oscar voters, taking eight nominations, many of them in technical categories. It's Nolan's first nomination for best director.

Though the favourites are largely independent films, a number of blockbusters fared well, including five nods for "Blade Runner 2049," four for "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," three for "Baby Driver," two for "Beauty and the Beast" and two for Pixar's "Coco," which is up for best animated feature. Still, Patty Jenkins' "Wonder Woman," which became the highest grossing movie ever directed by a woman, failed to receive any Oscar nods despite an awards campaign.

But the box-office hit that carved the most unlikely path to the Oscars was "Get Out." It opened back in February on Oscar weekend, and went on to pocket $254.7 million worldwide. It scored four nominations.

Though many minorities were still absent from the acting categories, the film academy, which has worked to diversify its membership, put forward a field of nominees almost as diverse as last year when "Moonlight," "Fences" and "Hidden Figures" powered a rebuttal to the "OscarsSoWhite" backlash of the two years prior. Four black actors -- Washington, Kaluuya, Spencer and Mary J. Blige ("Mudbound") -- are among the 20 acting nominees.

Meryl Streep, who stars as Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham in "The Post," notched her 21st Oscar nomination. She was joined for best actress by McDormand, Hawkins, Saoirse Ronan ("Lady Bird") and Margot Robbie ("I, Tonya").

"I am honoured beyond measure by this nomination for a film I love, a film that stands in defence of press freedom, and inclusion of women's voices in the movement of history," Streep said in a statement. "Proud of the film, and all her filmmakers. Thank you from a full heart."

The 89-year-old French filmmaking legend Agnes Varda, an honorary Oscar winner this season, is also up for best documentary for her co-directed "Faces Places." The other nominees are: "Abacus: Small Enough to Jail," "Last Men in Aleppo" and two Netflix entries: "Icarus" and "Strong Island."

Some had lobbied for "A Fantastic Woman" star Daniela Vega to become the first transgender actor nominated. While Vega didn't garner a nomination, her film, from Chile, landed in the best foreign language category. The other nominees are: "The Insult," from Lebanon; "Loveless," from Russia; "On Body and Soul," from Hungary; and the Palme d'Or winner "The Square," from Sweden.

Last year's Oscars broadcast, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, drew 32.9 million viewers for ABC, a four per cent drop from the prior year. More worrisome, however, was a steeper slide in the key demographic of adults aged 18-49, whose viewership was down 14 per cent from 2016.

Though the show ran especially long, at three hours and 49 minutes, it finished with a bang: the infamous envelope mix-up that led to "La La Land" being incorrectly announced as the best picture before "Moonlight" was crowned.

This year, the academy has prohibited the PwC accountants who handle the envelopes from using cellphones or social media during the show. The accounting firm on Monday also unveiled several reforms including the addition of a third balloting partner in the show's control room. But the movie business has larger accounting problems. Movie attendance hit a 24-year low in 2017 despite the firepower of "The Last Jedi," "Beauty and the Beast" and "Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2."

It was a dominant if bittersweet day for 20th Century Fox. Its specialty label, Fox Searchlight, is behind both "Three Billboards" and "The Shape of Water," and Fox released The Post." Yet those wins may soon count for the Walt Disney Co., which last month reached a deal to purchase Fox for $52.4 billion.

Both Amazon and Netflix failed to crack the best picture category but earned nominations elsewhere. Netflix's "Mudbound" scored four nods and Amazon's "The Big Sick" grabbed a nomination for Holly Hunter, best supporting actress, and Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon's original screenplay about their real-life romance.

"At times we worried it would be insurmountable, or would rip us apart, or even worse -- that no one would like it," Nanjiani and Gordon said in a joint statement. "The fact that it connected with audiences is exhilarating, and this nomination proves that our love is real. We have decided to stay married."

Associated Press writer Sandy Cohen contributed to this report from Los Angeles

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Here is the latest on the announcement of nominees for the 90th annual Oscar nominations announced Tuesday by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from Beverly Hills, California (all times local):

8:40 a.m.

The maker of the "Last Men in Aleppo" has made Oscars history for his war-torn country, Syria.

The 90-minute documentary is the first Syrian film to be nominated for an Academy Award. Director Firas Fayyad calls the nomination "a big shout out to justice" because it documents what he called the war crimes of the Syrian government.

The Netflix production follows a group of first responders in the White Helmets who remain in the opposition-held part of Aleppo city and dig through the rubble and follow bombings from the Syrian government for survivors. The rescuers themselves often come under attack as they carry out their rescue missions.

Making it to the United States is an added struggle for Fayyad, who left the war-torn country in 2012 and lives in Denmark. With his Syrian passport, he has been interrogated for hours before being permitted in the US. His producer and assistant director, also Syrians, will have to "work hard" to make it to Los Angeles for the Oscars on March 4.

Syria is one of the country's that face a travel ban.

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8:15 a.m.

It is a mathematical impossibility for Oscar nominations to please everyone, but this year came pretty close with meaningful love for "Get Out" and "Lady Bird," and the history-making nomination of "Mudbound" director of photography Rachel Morrison.

But there are still some surprising inclusions and omissions that will have people talking Tuesday.

Denzel Washington has managed to sneak in as a best actor contender for the little-seen "Roman J. Israel, Esq," possibly taking the spot that may have gone to James Franco for "The Disaster Artist." After years of misses, "Hoop Dreams" director Steve James has finally been recognized in the documentary film category for "Abacus: Small Enough to Jail."

And although nominations were kind to blockbusters, "Wonder Woman," one of the year's most popular was left with zero.

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7:40 a.m.

Acting legends Christopher Plummer and Meryl Streep continued to make records with new Oscar nominations but a bit of unusual history was also made by a former pro basketball star -- Kobe Bryant.

The animated short film, "Dear Basketball," written and narrated by Bryant, got a nomination for best animated short film. The former Los Angeles Lakers guard next could get an Oscar to go along with his NBA championships, MVP Awards and Olympic gold medals.

Bryant writes on Twitter: "What? This is beyond the realm of imagination."

At age 88, Plummer became the oldest acting nominee to date. He already holds the crown for the oldest acting winner, having won for his supporting role in "Beginners" in 2011 at age 82. And Streep increased her lead as the most nominated actress in Oscar history by nabbing her 21st nomination for her work in "The Post." She has won three times.

Composer John Williams added to his record number of nominations for writing film scores with his 46th nod. He has a staggering overall total of 51 nominations, including five for original song.

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7:20 a.m.

Tiffany Haddish is getting some love on Twitter for her energetic, fun-loving presentation of the Oscar nominees, including a few dance moves and a creative pronunciation or two.

Haddish, a huge hit in "Girls Trip," even got co-announcer Andy Serkis into the spirit, and the two chuckled their way through the proceedings, injecting needed energy into the early morning affair.

The comedian quipped to Serkis at one point: "I gotta see this Dunkirk, seems like a lotta people like it'

Haddish got the most attention for her several attempts at pronouncing the name Daniel Kaluuya, a best actor nominee for "Get Out." She ended with "Kallelujah!" and then quipped: "He knows his name." One Twitter user commented that Haddish could mis-pronounce his name anytime.

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7:05 a.m.

It's the year of the woman for this year's Oscar nominees.

Greta Gerwig became just the fifth woman nominated for best director and "Mudbound" director of photography Rachel Morrison made history as the first woman nominated for best cinematography in nominations announced Tuesday for the 90th annual Academy Awards.

And four of the nine best picture nominees feature a female protagonist.

The cascading fallout of sexual harassment scandals throughout Hollywood put particular focus on the best director category, which for many is a symbol of gender inequality in the film industry.

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6:05 a.m.

The Oscar nominees for best director have been announced by the film academy. They include: "Dunkirk," Christopher Nolan; "Get Out," Jordan Peele; "Lady Bird," Greta Gerwig; "Phantom Thread," Paul Thomas Anderson" and "The Shape of Water."

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6 a.m.

The Oscar nominees for best animated feature film have been announced by the film academy. They include: "The Boss Baby," "The Breadwinner," "Coco," "Ferdinand" and "Loving Vincent."

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5:55 a.m.

The Oscar nominees for best actor in a motion picture have been announced by the film academy. They include: Timothee Chalamet, "Call Me By Your Name"; Daniel Day Lewis, "Phantom Thread"; Daniel Kaluuya, "Get Out"; Gary Oldman, "Darkest Hour"; Denzel Washington, "Roman J. Israel, Esq."

The best supporting actor nominees include: William Dafoe, "The Florida Project"; Woody Harrelson, "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"; Richard Jenkins, "The Shape of Water"; Christopher Plummer, "All the Money in the World"; Sam Rockwell, "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri."

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5:52 a.m.

Guillermo del Toro's lavish monster romance "The Shape of Water" has landed a leading 13 nominations and Greta Gerwig became just the fifth woman nominated for best director by the Academy Awards.

"Mudbound" cinematographer Rachel Morrison made history as the first woman ever nominated in the category in nominations announced Tuesday.

The film academy voted in nine films as best picture contenders: "The Shape of Water," "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," "Lady Bird," "Get Out," "The Post," "Dunkirk," "Call Me By Your Name" and "Phantom Thread."

"The Shape of Water" came just shy of tying the record of 14 nominations shared by "All About Eve," "Titanic" and "La La Land."

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5:50 a.m.

The Oscar nominees for best motion picture have been announced by the film academy. They include: "Call Me By Your Name," "Darkest Hour," "Dunkirk," "Get Out," "Lady Bird," "Phantom Thread," "The Post," "The Shape of Water" "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri."

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5:46 a.m.

The Oscar nominees for best actress in a motion picture have been announced by the film academy. They are: Sally Hawkins, "The Shape of Water"; Frances McDormand, "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"; Margot Robbie, "I, Tonya"; Saoirse Ronan, "Lady Bird"; Meryl Streep, "The Post."

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5:30 a.m.

The Oscar nominees for best original score in a motion picture have been announced by the film academy. They include: "Dunkirk," Hans Zimmer; "Phantom Thread," Jonny Greenwood; "The Shape of Water," Alexandre Desplat; "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," John Williams; "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," Carter Burwell.

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5:25 a.m.

The Oscar nominees for best visual effects in a motion picture have been announced by the film academy. They include: "Blade Runner 2049," "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," "Kong: Skull Island," "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," "War for the Planet of the Apes."

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5:20 a.m.

The Oscar nominees for best cinematography in a motion picture have been announced by the film academy. They include: They are: Roger Deakins, "Blade Runner 2024"; Bruno Delbonnel, "Darkest Hour"; Hoyte van Hoytema, "Dunkirk"; Rachel Morrison, "Mudbound"; Dan Laustsen, "The Shape of Water."

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5 a.m.

The Oscar nominations are about to begin.

Tiffany Haddish and Andy Serkis will host a nominations special scheduled to begin at 5:22 a.m. that will reveal the film academy's selections for the best in filmmaking from performances to production design.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been teasing segments appearances by stars including Gal Gadot, Salma Hayek and Rebel Wilson in pre-recorded segments. The nominations in 24 categories will be split between two presentations, the first streamed on Oscars.com and Oscars.org, and the segment airing live on "Good Morning America."

The 90th annual Academy Awards will be presented in a Feb. 26 ceremony hosted by comedian Jimmy Kimmel and aired live on ABC.

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2 a.m.

Guillermo del Toro's lavish monster romance "The Shape of Water" will vie for the most Oscar nominations Tuesday, but just as much attention may be focused on categories where women could make history.

Nominations for the 90th annual Academy Awards will begin at 8:22 a.m. EST, with a second wave of nominees announced live on ABC's "Good Morning America" at 8:38 a.m. Tiffany Haddish and Andy Serkis will join John Bailey, president of the film academy, to announce the nominees.

While this year's Oscar race has been unusually wide-open, "The Shape of Water" has a chance to tie "All About Eve," "Titanic" and "La La Land" with a record 14 nominations.

"Lady Bird" filmmaker Greta Gerwig is expected to be just the fifth woman nominated in the category. "Mudbound" cinematographer Rachel Morrison could also become the first woman ever nominated for best cinematography.

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Associated Press writer Sandy Cohen contributed to this report from Los Angeles.