Harry Potter movies push for Oscar glory

London: Warner Bros, the studio behind the Harry Potter movies, has launched a campaign to have the Deathly Hallows Part 2 recognized at the Academy Awards. In the decade since they were first launched, the Potter movies have made around 5 billion pounds and won critical acclaim, but an Oscar has always eluded them. Warner Bros is now making one last push to break the spell by lobbying Academy voters to nominate Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 in a dozen categories including best picture and best director. It is also trying to get Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson nominated in the best actor and actress categories respectively. The most likely chance of success comes in the best supporting actor category with Alan Rickman’s performance as Professor Severus Snape. “I don’t think there is going to be another performance from an actor in a supporting role that is so powerful,” the Telegraph quoted Daniel Radcliffe as saying. To date, the Harry Potter films have been nominated for nine Oscars but have failed to win any. The categories for which the films have been nominated include best art direction, best score and best cinematography. While these are all hard-fought categories, they are outside the ‘big five’ - best picture, best director, best actor, best actress and best screenplay. Warner Bros has set up a ‘For Your Consideration’ website for the final Harry Potter film, which charts the wizard’s final victory over the forces of evil. The studio is running special trailers and advertising campaigns in the film’s honour. The ballot closes on January 13 and the nominations will be announced on January 24. ANI