We are approaching the final stretch of what may be one of the most exciting awards seasons in recent years. While there’s no unlikely underdog sensation to root for like Everything Everywhere All at Once last year, there was no shortage of quality in 2023 and the majority of films in the awards conversation this year are pushing the boundaries of filmmaking in their own right. With the Oscar nominations announcement just around the corner, here are our final predictions for every category.
BEST PICTURE
The Best Picture winners of the past ten years have all been helmed by directors who had not previously had a film in contention. This year seems to be deviating from that stat, as every film with the potential of winning the top prize is a massive artistic undertaking by some of today’s most prolific filmmakers. Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer continues to make history as the most financially successful biopic ever released. It is widely considered by both fans and detractors as Nolan’s magnum opus, and it seems like the industry is ready to finally give him his flowers. That being said, its Barbenheimer counterpart, Greta Gerwig’s record breaking Barbie, is nipping on its heels. The film continues to be the top nomination earner at almost every awards ceremony, and that could certainly continue at the Oscars. Poor Things and Killers of the Flower Moon are impressive technical feats from big name directors that will likely earn a slew of nominations. The Holdovers and American Fiction may not be competing in as many below the line categories as the aforementioned films, but they established themselves as the high-brow crowd-pleasers of the year, and have shown up at virtually every precursor awards.
This past year could mark the first year ever where two foreign-language films could break into the Best Picture race, with Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest. The former won the Palme D’or at the Cannes Film Festival, and has become a constant presence throughout awards season, even despite France refusing to select it as their submission for Best International Feature, due to its heavy use of English. This has paved the way for the far more experimental and isolating The Zone of Interest to become the strong frontrunner to win Best International Feature, and firmly make its way into the Best Picture conversation. A24’s other contender Past Lives may have a small nomination total and had a strange release strategy, as it skipped the fall festivals and hit theatres in the summer, but its so critically acclaimed that it’s hard to imagine a Best Picture lineup without it.
Bradley Cooper’s Maestro is a film that has recently had a fair amount of pushback from critics and film enthusiasts, with many claiming its emotionally hollow and traditional “Oscar bait”. While the detractors are loud and the film lacks the passion that its competition has in spades, Netflix has mounted a strong campaign and older Academy voters will likely resonate with the film. If these ten films appear on this year’s Best Picture lineup, it will be the first year since the Academy expanded the category to ten nominees, that the Best Picture lineup and the PGA lineup are identical. The most likely threat of disrupting the pecking order is Saltburn, which has had even more pushback from critics than Maestro, but is extremely popular, especially on social media. The film has broken into the cultural zeitgeist in a way that few prestige films nowadays have succeeded.
- Oppenheimer (Universal)
- Barbie (Warner Bros.)
- Poor Things (Searchlight)
- Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple)
- The Holdovers (Focus)
- American Fiction (MGM)
- Anatomy of a Fall (NEON)
- Maestro (Netflix)
- Past Lives (A24)
- The Zone of Interest (A24)
ALT: Saltburn, The Color Purple, All of Strangers, May December
BEST DIRECTOR
If there’s any category that already has a clear-cut winner determined, its Best Director. Christopher Nolan is the most well known and widely beloved filmmaker of his generation, but due to mainly focusing on artistically inclined blockbuster fare, the Academy have ignored him time and time again. This is the perfect opportunity to give Nolan his flowers for a film he truly deserves to win awards for. He is however competing against perhaps the most acclaimed living filmmaker, Martin Scorsese, who released one of his most essential and well-crafted films to date with Killers of the Flower Moon. While those two are pretty much locks, the rest of the category is difficult to predict.
Within the past several years, the Academy have almost always included an international auteur in the lineup. Jonathan Glazer seems akin to the kind of international filmmaker they usually nominate, as he has an impressive reputation worth awarding. The Holdovers may not be the showiest film in terms of direction, but Alexander Payne is beloved by the Academy and this is widely considered to be his crowning achievement. Payne missed at the Golden Globes, but he was nominated at both the DGA and the BAFTAs, and he’s been nominated three times for Best Director at the Oscars. It would be a foolish move to not predict him, even if it is a competitive year.
The final spot comes down to two of the most acclaimed and popular filmmakers to emerge within the past decade: Yorgos Lanthimos and Greta Gerwig. On one hand, the directors branch has a habit of snubbing filmmakers who craft glossy blockbusters, even if they are in the Best Picture conversation. Even Denis Villeneuve was suspiciously snubbed for his stellar work on Dune, despite that film earning 10 nominations and cleaning up in the below-the-line categories. In that case, it seems likely that Greta Gerwig will egregiously be snubbed, which will be the biggest headline coming out of Oscar nominations morning. However, I have a hunch that Gerwig will make it in, and it will be Yorgos Lanthimos who misses.
Lanthimos seemed on track to earn his second nomination for Best Director, and Poor Things was even a strong contender to win Best Picture. However, Lanthimos missing at the BAFTAs is a huge eyebrow raiser. Sure, both Gerwig and Scorsese missed too, but for crafting VERY American films, whereas Lanthimos is a Greek filmmaker who helmed a high-brow British production. He should have been a shoe-in for a BAFTA nomination, and its probably a sign that he’s vulnerable. It’s also possible that both of them miss in favour of an international filmmaker, Justine Triet. While Anatomy of a Fall is Triet’s big breakout, she’s been deemed an exciting new auteur and earned a BAFTA nomination. That could be an indicator that the increasingly more international leading director’s branch is going to include her in the lineup.
- Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
- Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon
- Jonathan Glazer, The Zone of Interest
- Alexander Payne, The Holdovers
- Greta Gerwig, Barbie
Alt: Justine Triet (Anatomy of a Fall), Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things), Bradley Cooper (Maestro), Celine Song (Past Lives)
BEST ACTOR
For the longest time, the Best Actor seemed race seemed to be the battle of the biopics. Both Bradley Cooper and Cillian Murphy are extremely well-respected actors in the industry who have not gotten their due in terms of awards success. Both actors deliver transformative performances as important and extremely complex 20th century figures. While Oppenheimer has been on the rise and Cillian Murphy has been one of the focal points of the campaign, Maestro has been losing steam quickly and many have expressed a distaste towards Cooper’s performance, deeming it inauthentic and over-the-top. Murphy beat Cooper at the Golden Globes, and looks to continue to dominate this season. However, a dark horse contender has emerged.
With The Holdovers on the rise, there’s been a lot of love for Paul Giamatti. It’s not transformative or physically challenging, but there’s a depth and sincerity that he brings to the role that many are connecting to. Giamatti is a longtime beloved character actor who has not yet gotten his flowers, and he’s been winning a handful of major precursors. Jeffery Wright is another very talented actor who has never gotten his due, and has been incredibly prolific as of late. With American Fiction doing very well all season, Wright is a shoe-in to earn his first Oscar nomination.
The final slot in the category is up in the air. Many are predicting it will go to Leonardo DiCaprio, who is beloved by the Academy and delivers a complex performance in Killers of the Flower Moon, that is very different from the roles he’s played in the past. However, the focal point of the campaign for Killers of the Flower Moon seems to be centered on his co-stars and Scorsese, while Leo is getting lost in the shuffle. He missed out on a nomination at the SAGs and BAFTAs, whereas Colman Domingo has earned nominations at both precursors. Rustin is a film that came and went, and didn’t necessarily receive the best reviews from critics. However, Domingo’s portrayal of activist Bayard Rustin is brilliant, and there’s a lot of support for Domingo to earn his first Oscar nomination.
- Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
- Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
- Bradley Cooper, Maestro
- Jeffery Wright, American Fiction
- Colman Domingo, Rustin
Alt: Leonardo DiCaprio (Killers of the Flower Moon), Andrew Scott (All of Us Strangers)
BEST ACTRESS
Best Actress has been a very challenging category to predict all season, as there are about 7-8 names that have a serious shot at earning a nomination. However, as the season has progressed, 5 names have continuously shown up at the precursor awards. Lily Gladstone and Emma Stone won Best Actress in their respective categories at the Golden Globes, so the race for Best Actress seems to be between the two of them. Gladstone’s performance is very subtle and many argue that she should have campaigned in the supporting actress category, but it’s an emotionally resonant role and critics are very firmly on her side. If she wins, she would the first Indigenous actor to win an Academy Award. Emma Stone is looking to earn her second Oscar for her role as Bella Baxter in Poor Things. It’s a role of a lifetime for Stone, who puts absolutely everything into this performance. Emma Stone also had a lot of creative input on the film and was a producer; as was Margot Robbie on Barbie, who has already become synonymous with the iconic character. Sandra Hüller is a well-respected name in international cinema who is striving to get double nominated this year in both this category and in the Supporting Actress field. Her performance in Anatomy of the Fall has already earned her many accolades at festivals and critics awards. While Maestro is losing steam, Carey Mulligan certainly still has enough support to earn a nomination.
- Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
- Emma Stone, Poor Things
- Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall
- Margot Robbie, Barbie
- Carey Mulligan, Maestro
Alt: Greta Lee (Past Lives), Fantasia Barrino (The Color Purple), Annette Benning (NYAD)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Best Supporting Actor has become potentially the toughest category to predict. Robert Downey Jr., Ryan Gosling, and Robert DeNiro (RRR as pundits have deemed them) have all shown up consistently all season. Many were predicting that Robert DeNiro may be vulnerable, like his co-star Leonardo DiCaprio, but there has been consistent support for him at the critics and industry precursors. Mark Ruffalo was initially a shoe-in for his performance in Poor Things, but he was mysteriously absent at the SAGs and the BAFTAs. His co-star Willem Dafoe missed some early precursors, but did earn a nomination at the SAGs over Mark Ruffalo. Ruffalo has done far more campaigning than Dafoe and he has the slightly larger role, but he plays a somewhat antagonistic and pathetic character, whereas Dafoe’s role is far warmer. If one misses, it would likely be Ruffalo. However, I’m leaning towards both actors earning a nomination. Since 2017, there’s been at least one film every single year that has earned double nomination in a single acting category. It’s unlikely that stat will break this year, especially with Poor Things having support across the board. Critics were really showing up for Charles Melton in May December, and for a while it looked like he even had a very small chance of winning. However, he missed at both the SAGs and the BAFTAs, and May December has lost a considerable amount of steam in general, since doing well at the Golden Globes. Sterling K. Brown and Dominic Sessa are also possibilities for their respective roles in American Fiction and The Holdovers.
- Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer
- Ryan Gosling, Barbie
- Robert DeNiro, Killers of the Flower Moon
- Willem Dafoe, Poor Things
- Mark Ruffalo, Poor Things
Alt: Charles Melton (May December), Sterling K. Brown (American Fiction), Dominic Sessa (The Holdovers)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Since Lily Gladstone announced she would be campaigning in Best Lead Actress, Da’Vine Joy Randolph has become the default frontrunner, and that’s been continuing all season. Danielle Brooks looked like she may pose a threat for her very showy role in The Color Purple, but the film has lost a considerable amount of steam and doesn’t look like it will have much support in other categories. Emily Blunt is a major A-lister who has never earned an Oscar nomination, despite delivering worthy performances in Sicario and A Quiet Place. Despite her performance receiving a mixed reception, she has more than enough support to secure a nomination. The final two slots are completely up in the air. While NYAD has been mocked by critics and awards pundits alike, older Academy voters seems to be gravitating towards it, and especially Jodie Foster’s performance. She is very beloved by the Academy and this would be her first nomination in almost 30 years. Penelope Cruz is another previous Oscar winner who has picked up some precursor nominations for her work in Michael Mann’s Ferrari. After her surprising nomination for Parallel Mothers, we should never doubt her again. Julianne Moore is another industry legend in the mix for her subversive work in May December. As is previous nominee Rosamund Pike for Saltburn, and America Ferrara for Barbie, who is looking to earn her first nomination. However, I’m hedging my bets on Sandra Hüller earning a second nomination for her work in The Zone of Interest, a film that has been gaining steam over the past few weeks and will likely earn a slew of nominations.
- Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
- Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple
- Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer
- Jodie Foster, NYAD
- Sandra Hüller, The Zone of Interest
Alt: Rosamund Pike (Saltburn), Penelope Cruz (Ferrari), Julianne Moore (May December), America Ferrara (Barbie)
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
With Barbie moving over to Best Adapted Screenplay, the Best Original Screenplay race has become wide open for any film to establish itself as the frontrunner. As of now, it seems like a three-way race between Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers and Past Lives. The former surprisingly won Best Screenplay at the Golden Globes, whereas the latter films have both picked up screenplay prizes consistently throughout the season. May December also seems like a fair bet to earn a nomination, considering the film is packed with juicy dialogue. Many pundits are predicting the last slot will be reserved for Maestro, which is firmly in the Best Picture conversation. However, the screenplay is easily the least impressive element of the film, and I could see this being the odd Best Picture nominee to not earn a screenplay nomination. Instead, I’m predicting Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn. Fennell’s last film, Promising Young Woman, won her an Oscar in this category. While Saltburn is far more divisive (which is saying a lot), it’s extremely popular at the moment. That surge of popularity has gotten it on many Academy voters’ radars. It may struggle to earn nominations in some of the other above the line categories, but I think it has a strong chance at earning a screenplay nomination.
- Anatomy of a Fall
- Past Lives
- The Holdovers
- May December
- Saltburn
Alt: Maestro, Air, The Iron Claw
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Regardless of what screenplay category Barbie is eligible for, it’s still the strong frontrunner to win. Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach are two of the most acclaimed writer/directors of their generation, and one of the most beloved power couples in Hollywood. Barbie was a huge undertaking and completely changed the idea of what an IP film should strive to be. Both filmmakers have had films in contention in the past and narrowly missed out on winning an Oscar for their writing. I’m sure many members of the Academy would jump at the opportunity of giving these two beloved auteurs their due for the biggest and most unlikely box office sensation of the entire year. Before Barbie moved to this category, Best Adapted Screenplay seemed like a race between American Fiction and Poor Things, with Oppenheimer and Killers of the Flower Moon firmly locked in as well, even if their chances are stronger in the Best Director category. However, Killers of the Flower Moon in particular, has missed out on some screenplay nominations at precursors where it was largely expected to be nominated. While I do feel Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese’s screenplay will be honored at the end of the day, All of Us Strangers seems like it could make a last-minute play to earn a spot among these nominees.
- Barbie
- American Fiction
- Poor Things
- Oppenheimer
- Killers of the Flower Moon
Alt: All of Us Strangers, The Zone of Interest, Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Despite being one of the most recognizable DP’s currently working, Hoyte Van Hoytema has only been nominated for one Academy Award, for his work on Dunkirk. He is extremely overdue and I believe this year the Academy will rectify that situation. Oppenheimer is an incredible achievement in cinematography, and the footage caught from the trinity test sequence, is nothing short of revolutionary. His only real competition is Rodrigo Prieto, who’s in contention for his work on Killers of the Flower Moon. Prieto has never won before, despite earning three nominations. He’s been having a banner year, as he also acted as the DP on Barbie. Legendary DP Matthew Libatique is another well respected DP who has never gotten his due from the Academy. He has two nominations under his name for Black Swan and Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut, A Star is Born. He will likely earn his third for the stylistic and vintage look he gives Maestro. Robbie Ryan is looking to earn his second nomination for another collaboration with Yorgos Lanthimos. His usage of fish-eyed lenses throughout Poor Things, gives the film a visual aesthetic that is completely different from the other films in this category. The last spot is between previous winner Linus Sandgren for Saltburn, and two-time nominee, Lukasz Zal for The Zone of Interest. While Saltburn is the more traditionally visually pleasing film, The Zone of Interest is more innovative with it’s visuals, using a bird’s eye view style of cinematography to create distance between the characters and the audience.
- Oppenheimer
- Killers of the Flower Moon
- Maestro
- Poor Things
- The Zone of Interest
Alt: Saltburn, El Conde
BEST EDITING
Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon and The Holdovers have earned editing nominations at every major precursor, and Barbie boasts the flashy brand of editing that the Academy usually like to recognize. The final spot is between Poor Things and Anatomy of a Fall, with American Fiction as a dark horse. While Poor Things feels like a safe bet and is the strongest Best Picture contender, Anatomy of a Fall has been picking up steam in this category and is edited in such a way that helps to build tension. I believe the editing branch will really take to Anatomy of a Fall, which will result in Poor Things ultimately getting snubbed.
- Oppenheimer
- Killer of the Flower Moon
- The Holdovers
- Barbie
- Anatomy of a Fall
Alt: Poor Things, Maestro, American Fiction
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Best Production Design has seemed locked in since the beginning of the season. Barbie and Poor Things both have extravagant production design that will directly appeal to the branch. It will be difficult to determine which film will end up taking home the Oscar, as they have both been doing extremely well at the precursors. Killers of the Flower Moon and Oppenheimer both involved building an entire town. While Asteroid City also involved building a town and boasts some of the most creative production design of the year, the branch snubbed The French Dispatch which seemed like a shoe-in for a nomination, so it’s difficult to predict Wes Anderson film’s, especially when they’re as divisive as Asteroid City. The Zone of Interest has been picking up some traction in this category, but I think the final nomination will go to Napoleon. The branch has a bias towards war films and Napoleon has plenty of extravagant battle sequences with sets that are worth awarding.
- Barbie
- Poor Things
- Killers of the Flower Moon
- Oppenheimer
- Napoleon
Alt: Asteroid City, The Zone of Interest Saltburn, Wonka, The Color Purple
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Best Production Design and Best Costume Design often have some overlap, but this year it seems to have potentially the exact same lineup. I do think Oppenheimer is vulnerable here, as the costumes are far more standard than the rest of its competition. Wonka, The Color Purple, Maestro and Priscilla have been spotty in terms of earning costume design nominations at precursors, but they all have more extravagant costumes than Oppenheimer, and I could see any of them making a last minute play in this category.
- Barbie
- Poor Things
- Killers of the Flower Moon
- Napoleon
- Oppenheimer
Alt: Wonka, The Color Purple, Priscilla, Maestro
BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING
When the shortlists were first announced, most of the surprises came in the Best Makeup & Hairstyling category, where Barbie was not among the finalists. Maestro and Poor Things seemed like shoe-ins to earn nominations, but it gets trickier to predict from there. Many are predicting Oppenheimer and Killers of the Flower Moon because they are major Best Picture players, but the Makeup & Hairstyling branch has a tendency to think outside of the box. Golda and The Last Voyage of the Demeter may have been critically panned, but they feature extremely detailed transformations using makeup that the branch will likely appreciate. Society of the Snow seems like it will fill the spot reserved every year for a war/survival movie.
- Maestro
- Poor Things
- Golda
- Society of the Snow
- The Last Voyage of the Demeter
ALT: Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon
BEST SOUND
Since Oppenheimer was first announced, it already had this category on lock. The Trinity test sequence was a truly masterful showcase of sound design, and it’s hard to imagine the Academy not giving it its due. The Zone of Interest is another film that has been critically lauded for its impressive use of sound design. Maestro mimics how sound was used in films from the 1940s-1970s, which the sound branch will likely appreciate. The Killer, Ferrari, and Napoleon are classic cases of action-packed films that utilize sound to make their action sequence more immersive. The latter two in particular are high profile films that have earning sound nominations frequently at precursor awards.
- Oppenheimer
- The Zone of Interest
- Maestro
- Ferrari
- Napoleon
Alt: The Killer, Killers of the Flower Moon, Barbie
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Despite being fairly new on the scene, Ludwig Göransson is looking to earn his second Academy Award for his brilliant work on Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. The score immediately became engrained in pop culture in a way that few scores have been, and it has gone viral on TikTok. Robbie Robertson passed away earlier this year and I’m sure the Academy will be wanting to honour his legacy by awarding him his first Academy Award nomination for his work on Killers of the Flower Moon. Aside from his contributions to The Band, Robertson has worked with Scorsese many times and they’ve an iconic director/composer pairing over the years. It’s about time the Academy recognize him as an important film composer and not just a popular musician trying his hand at composing. Experimental musician Jerskin Fendrix had a breakout year with his unorthodox score for Poor Things. It’s the kind of score that’s so brilliant, it’ll get a nomination on its own merits without needing a big name attached. Daniel Pemberton’s score for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has already become iconic and is also trending on TikTok. While Elemental and The Boy & The Heron have a chance in this category too, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is the most likely to earn a nomination. The final spot seems to be a toss up between two international films: The Zone of Interest and Society of the Snow. While Michael Giacchino is obviously the bigger name, Mica Levi seems to be gaining a lot of traction for their unorthodox score for the former.
- Oppenheimer
- Killers of the Flower Moon
- Poor Things
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- The Zone of Interest
Alt: The Boy & the Heron, Society of the Snow, Elemental, Indiana Jones & The Dial of Destiny
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Barbie is absolutely dominating the discussion surrounding Best Original Song. It has not two, but three songs that made the short list. The rule for this category is only two songs from a single movie can earn nominations in this category. The most likely seem to be I’m Just Ken by Ryan Gosling and What Was I Made For? by Billie Eilish, which both have an equal chance of winning this award. Road to Freedom from Rustin has been nominated at practically every precursor and is in line with the kind of inspirational jams this branch usually like to support. Dianne Warren gets a spot any time she has a song in contention, so it’s impossible not to predict The Fire Inside from Flaming Hot. The last slot is between Keep it Movin’ from the The Color Purple and It Never Went Away from American Symphony. I’m going to hedge my bets on the latter, since Jon Batiste has a lot of support within the industry and is already an Oscar winner.
- I’m Just Ken, Barbie
- What Was I Made For?, Barbie
- Road to Freedom, Rustin
- The Fire Inside, Flaming Hot
- It Never Went Away, American Symphony
Alt: Keep it Movin’ (The Color Purple)
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Since Oppenheimer missed the shortlist, Best Visual Effects has been a really tricky category to predict. There’s no obvious frontrunner, and there’s about 9 films that seem plausible for a nomination. The Creator and Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 are the two blockbusters this year that were singled out for having outstanding visual effects, the former in particular. Godzilla Minus One may be an international blockbuster and less high profile than the aforementioned films, but critics have been praising the use of visual effects, despite a lower budget. Animated films often don’t receive nominations in this category, but Sony has been mounting a strong campaign to get the animators on Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse the recognition they deserve. Lastly, Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning may be more stunt-oriented, but it reminds me of No Time to Die a few years ago, which ended up securing a Visual Effects nomination.
- The Creator
- Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- Godzilla Minus One
- Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning
Alt: Society of the Snow, Poor Things, Indiana Jones & The Dial of Destiny, Napoleon
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Best Animated Feature is probably the easiest category to predict this year. These five films have been showing up consistently at mostly every major precursor, so it’s difficult to bet against any of these films. There is still an outside shot that Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget or Robot Dreams could steal a spot from Nimona or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, but it’s unlikely at this point.
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- The Boy & The Heron
- Elemental
- Nimona
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
Alt: Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, Robot Dreams, Suzume
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
It may seem risky to not predict American Symphony or Still: A Michael J. Fox Documentary considering they have won the top prizes at many major precursors. However, the documentary branch at the Academy is very particular with their tastes and often ignores populist documentaries, especially when they’re biographical, which both films fall under. 20 Days in Mariupol, Beyond Utopia and Four Daughters are all seemingly locked-in, earning nominations at every major precursor. The final two slots I believe are going to go to Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project and Bobi Wine: The People’s President. While neither film had the moment in the spotlight that some of the aforementioned films have this past year, they are the kind of left field picks that the Academy tends to go for, and have shown up quite a bit throughout the season.
- 20 Days in Mariupol
- Beyond Utopia
- Four Daughters
- Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project
- Bobi Wine: The People’s President
Alt: American Symphony, The Eternal Memory, Still: A Michael J. Fox Documentary
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
Since it was announced that Anatomy of a Fall was not selected as France’s submission in this category, it’s been a complete toss up. The Zone of Interest is a Best Picture contender, and is competing in multiple different categories, so it’s the obvious frontrunner. Society of the Snow has a lot of below-the-line support, and has done exceptionally well on Netflix in terms of streams. Fallen Leaves was endorsed heavily at the Golden Globes, and it’s about time Aki Kaurismäki earns another Oscar nomination. France’s submission The Taste of Things may not be the awards juggernaut that Anatomy of a Fall is, but it’s definitely in contention to earn a nomination. The last slot is between a number of films, but Mexico’s Totem seems to be an under the radar pick that could sneak into the lineup last minute.
- The Zone of Interest (U.K.)
- Society of the Snow (Spain)
- Fallen Leaves (Finland)
- The Taste of Things (France)
- Totem (Mexico)
Alt: Perfect Days (Japan), The Teachers Lounge (Germany), 20 Days in Mariupol (Ukraine)
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
- Letter to a Pig
- Once Upon a Studio
- WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko
- Pete
- 27
BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT
- The Anne Frank Gift Shop
- The After
- The Shepard
- Red White & Blue
- Knight of Fortune
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
- Camp Courage
- Deciding Vote
- The ABC’s of Book Banning
- The Last Repair Shop
- The Last Song From Kabul
The 96th Academy Awards will air live from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, on March 10 at 7pm EST on ABC and CTV.
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