Claim: Sicario (2015 film) received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

Sicario is a 2015 American crime drama film directed by Denis Villeneuve , written by Taylor Sheridan , and starring Emily Blunt , Benicio del Toro , and Josh Brolin . It is about a principled FBI agent who is enlisted by a government task force to bring down the leader of a powerful and brutal Mexican drug cartel . Sicario was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival . It began a limited release in the United States on September 18 , 2015 , prior to a nationwide release on October 2 , 2015 .   The film received three Academy Award nominations for Best Cinematography , Best Original Score , and Best Sound Editing , as well as three BAFTA nominations for Best Supporting Actor , Best Cinematography , and Best Film Music . It was criticized by viewers in Mexico for the depiction of the city of Juarez where part of the plot takes place . A sequel , Soldado , began shooting in November 2016 .