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Forever alone in a crowd, failed comedian Arthur Fleck seeks connection as he walks the streets of Gotham City. Arthur wears two masks -- the one he paints for his day job as a clown, and the guise he projects in a futile attempt to feel like he's part of the world around him. Isolated, bullied and disregarded by society, Fleck begins a slow descent into madness as he transforms into the criminal mastermind known as the Joker.

In an award season with no clear front-runner, "Joker" catapulted to the lead. Director Todd Phillips' villainous origin story scored 11 Oscar nominations, including best picture and best actor for Joaquin Phoenix. "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," "1917" and "The Irishman" each scored 10 nods.

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#ad JOKER is nominated for 11 Academy Awards®, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

A post shared by Hollywood Reporter (@hollywoodreporter) on Jan 29, 2020 at 5:41pm PST

The 92nd annual Academy Awards, airing Feb. 9 (ABC, 8 p.m. ET/5 PT), won't have a host for the second year in a row but will have plenty of excitement with a stacked best-picture race.

Joker is a 2019 American psychological thriller film directed and produced by Todd Phillips, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scott Silver. The film, based on DC Comics characters, stars Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker and provides a possible origin story for the character.