Several major categories feel like genuine toss-ups with just days to go.
A chaotic awards season caps off with the Oscars on Sunday, March 2. Look beyond the fog of controversies and you’ll find races between truly fantastic entries. This year’s Best Picture nominees provide an ambitious, diverse range of films, spanning blockbusters, indie gems, science fiction, Brazilian history, fantasy, and historical reexaminations. Several key races - including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best International Film - feel like genuine toss-ups with just days to go. Buckle up.
Below you’ll find my winner predictions and personal picks for most categories.
Note: I didn't offer picks for the following categories (didn't get around to all of the nominated entries within each): Best Documentary Short, Best Live Action Short, Best Animated Short, Best Original Song.
Best Picture
Predicted winner: Anora
What I’d like to see win: Dune: Part Two
Anora
The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
I'm Still Here
Nickel Boys
The Substance
Wicked
Best Director
Predicted winner: Sean Baker
Who I’d like to see win: Brady Corbet
Jacques Audiard - Emilia Pérez
Sean Baker - Anora
Brady Corbet - The Brutalist
Coralie Fargeat - The Substance
James Mangold - A Complete Unknown
Best Actor
Predicted winner: Adrien Brody
Who I’d like to see win: Timothée Chalamet
Adrien Brody - The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet - A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo - Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes - Conclave
Sebastian Stan - The Apprentice
Best Supporting actor
Predicted winner: Kieran Culkin
Who I’d like to see win: Jeremy Strong
Yura Borisov - Anora
Kieran Culkin - A Real Pain
Edward Norton - A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce - The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong - The Apprentice
Best Actress
Predicted winner: Demi Moore
Who I’d like to see win: Fernanda Torres
Cynthia Erivo - Wicked
Karla Sofía Gascón - Emilia Pérez
Mikey Madison - Anora
Demi Moore - The Substance
Fernanda Torres - I'm Still Here
Best Supporting Actress
Predicted winner: Zoe Saldaña
Who I’d like to see win: Felicity Jones
Monica Barbaro - A Complete Unknown
Ariana Grande - Wicked
Felicity Jones - The Brutalist
Isabella Rossellini - Conclave
Zoe Saldaña - Emilia Pérez
Best International feature
Predicted winner: I'm Still Here
What I’d like to see win: I'm Still Here
I'm Still Here - Brazil
The Girl with the Needle - Denmark
Emilia Pérez - France
The Seed of the Sacred Fig - Germany
Flow - Latvia
Best Animated Feature
Predicted winner: Flow (I'm torn here and think The Wild Robot still can win, but Flow’s Best International Film nomination gives an additional boost in this category)
What I’d like to see win: The Wild Robot
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot
Best Documentary Feature
Predicted winner: No Other Land
What I’d like to see win: No Other Land
Black Box Diaries
No Other Land
Porcelain War
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat
Sugarcane
Best Adapted Screenplay
Predicted winner: Conclave
What I’d like to see win: Sing Sing
A Complete Unknown - Jay Cocks and James Mangold
Conclave - Peter Straughan
Emilia Pérez - Jacques Audiard
Nickel Boys - RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes
Sing Sing - Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar
Best Original Screenplay
Predicted winner: Anora
What I’d like to see win: A Real Pain
Anora - Sean Baker
The Brutalist - Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold
A Real Pain - Jesse Eisenberg
September 5 - Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum, Alex David
The Substance - Coralie Fargeat
Best Original Score
Predicted winner: The Brutalist
What I’d like to see win: The Brutalist
The Brutalist
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Wicked
The Wild Robot
Best costume design
Predicted winner: Wicked
What I’d like to see win: A Complete Unknown
Wicked
Nosferatu
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Gladiator II
Best Make-up and Hairstyling
Predicted winner: The Substance
What I’d like to see win: The Substance
A Different Man
Emilia Pérez
Nosferatu
The Substance
Wicked
Best Production Design
Predicted winner: Wicked
What I’d like to see win: Dune: Part Two
Wicked
The Brutalist
Dune: Part Two
Nosferatu
Conclave
Best Sound
Predicted winner: A Complete Unknown
What I’d like to see win: Dune: Part Two
A Complete Unknown
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
Wicked
The Wild Robot
Best film editing
Predicted winner: Conclave
What I’d like to see win: Anora
Anora
The Brutalist
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Wicked
Best Cinematography
Predicted winner: The Brutalist
What I’d like to see win: The Brutalist (Dune: Part Two would be my No. 2 pick)
The Brutalist
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
Maria
Nosferatu
Best visual effects
Predicted winner: Dune: Part Two
What I’d like to see win: Dune: Part Two
Alien: Romulus
Better Man
Dune: Part Two
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Wicked
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Didn't make predictions for the following categories:
Best Original Song
Never Too Late - Elton John: Never Too Late
El Mal - Emilia Pérez
Mi Camino - Emilia Pérez
Like A Bird - Sing Sing
The Journey - The Six Triple Eight
Best live-action short
Anuja
I'm Not a Robot
The Last Ranger
A Lien
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent
Best animated short
Beautiful Men
In the Shadow of the Cypress
Magic Candies
Wander to Wonder
Yuck!
Best documentary short
Death by Numbers
I Am Ready, Warden
Incident
Instruments of a Beating Heart
The Only Girl in the Orchestra
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