Oscars 2018: All you need to know about this year's best picture nominees

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a strong contender for best picture

Nine films have been nominated this year for the Academy Award for best picture, the biggest prize on Oscar night.

It will be the last statuette presented on Sunday 4 March at this year's ceremony, held as ever at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

Last year saw an astonishing mix-up that led to La La Land being wrongly named the winner ahead of Moonlight, the rightful Oscar recipient, and organisers will be hoping things go more smoothly this year.

Here are all the films up for best picture this year, in alphabetical order, complete with everything you need to know about them.

• Mark Kermode's reviews of the best picture nominees

Call Me By Your Name

Who's in it? Timothee Chalamet, Armie Hammer, Michael Stuhlbarg

Who directed it? Luca Guadagnino

What's it about? While holidaying with his family in northern Italy in 1983, a 17-year-old music student becomes attracted to his father's research assistant.

Key features: Shirtless volleyball, an unforgettable scene involving a peach.

What did the critics say? "Set during an endless Italian summer, this ravishing drama is imbued with a sophisticated sensuality." Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

What are its chances? Don't expect its name to be called.

Darkest Hour

Who's in it? Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ben Mendelsohn

Who directed it? Joe Wright

What's it about? in the early days of World War Two, former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill battles with the dilemma of whether to negotiate with Hitler or fight on against Germany.

Key features: Political bluster, personal sacrifice, unique statesmanship.

What did the critics say? "Director Joe Wright takes history at its most momentous, wraps it around a figure who couldn't be more iconic, and places this rich but heavy package almost entirely in the hands of Gary Oldman... If Oldman doesn't get to flick a V on Oscar night, we'll eat our Homburg hat." Dan Jolin, Empire

What are its chances? Strong, but the film's biggest trophy is likely to go to Oldman for best actor.

Dunkirk

Who's in it? Sir Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hardy, Sir Mark Rylance

Who directed it? Christopher Nolan

What's it about? An epic recreation of the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940 that unfolds simultaneously on land, at sea and in the air.

Key features: Spitfires, little ships, Harry Styles.

What did the critics say? "Heart-hammering and heroically British, this is Nolan at the peak of his powers." Robbie Collin, Daily Telegraph

What are its chances? Having opened months before awards season proper, it's an outsider at best.

Get Out

Who's in it? Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford

Who directed it? Jordan Peele

What's it about? Invited to spend the weekend with his white girlfriend's parents, a young African-American finds the warm welcome he receives hides a darker purpose.

Key features: Race relations, malevolent tea cups.

What did the critics say? "An exhilaratingly smart and scary freak-out about a black man in a white nightmare." Manohla Dargis, New York Times

What are its chances? The Oscars don't usually reward genre fare, however topical and accomplished.

Lady Bird

Who's in it? Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Timothee Chalamet

Who directed it? Greta Gerwig

What's it about? A Sacramento teenager breaks her arm, comes of age and loses her virginity before heading off to college.

Key features: Prom night, house envy, mother-daughter conflict.

What did the critics say? "Snappy, spirited and shot through with the pangs and pleasures of leaving childhood behind." Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter

What are its chances? The nomination may be its reward.

Phantom Thread

Who's in it? Daniel Day-Lewis, Lesley Manville, Vicky Krieps

Who directed it? Paul Thomas Anderson

What's it about? Set in the 1950s, the film tells of a renowned London dressmaker whose ordered life is suddenly disrupted by a young woman who becomes his muse and lover.

Key features: Frocks, scissors, artistic preciousness.

What did the critics say? "This is not a film that dwells on style. It is a film possessed by a fear that style alone, or the quest for it, can cramp the soul... Yet, despite everything, we continue to cling to the problems and pursuits of this obsessive dandy. And why? Simply because there has never been an actor as obsessive as Day-Lewis." Anthony Lane, New Yorker

What are its chances? Sew sew. The real strength here, as always, is Day-Lewis.

The Post

Who's in it? Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks

Who directed it? Steven Spielberg

What's it about? In the early 1970s, the editor and publisher of The Washington Post decide if they should publish the Pentagon Papers - classified documents about America's involvement in Vietnam.

Key features: Printing presses, Richard Nixon, sideburns.

What did the critics say? "The Post underlines Spielberg's continuing ability to entertain us even as he holds up a mirror to the less attractive side of American history and politics." Geoffrey Macnab, The Independent

What are its chances? Don't hold the front page.

The Shape of Water

Who's in it? Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon

Who directed it? Guillermo del Toro

What's it about? In the 1960s, a janitor at a secret research facility becomes romantically involved with an amphibian creature that is being held captive.

Key features: Hard-boiled eggs, sign language, interspecies intercourse.

What did the critics say? "Magical, thrilling and romantic to the core, a sensual and fantastical fairy tale with moral overtones, it's a film that plays by all the rules and none of them." Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

What are its chances? Very strong.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Who's in it? Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson

Who directed it? Martin McDonagh

What's it about? A grieving mother posts provocative messages on advertising hoardings in an attempt to spur the local police into action.

Key features: Profanity, violence, billboards.

What did the critics say? "A very well-written, beautifully shot, expertly told story: it is a modern classic." Will Gompertz, BBC News website

What are its chances? Very strong indeed.