With talk in the Academy of postponing the Oscars, these predictions may be farther from the ceremony than was initially thought. What got me to make a new set of predictions was the Cannes Film Festival unveiling their would-be participating films and some movements in the list reflect this announcement (especially in the International Feature category).
Well, without further ado, here are my predictions.
BEST PICTURE
Mank (Netflix)
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Paramount)
Nomadland (Searchlight)
West Side Story (20th Century)
Dune (Warner Bros.)
Ammonite (Neon)
Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)
Tenet (Warner Bros.)
News of the World (Universal)
Soul (Pixar)
Could Jump In: Hillbilly Elegy, The French Dispatch, Stillwater, C’mon C’mon, Annette, On the Rocks, The Father, Minari, Next Goal Wins, I’m Thinking of Ending Things
BEST DIRECTOR
David Fincher – Mank
Steven Spielberg – West Side Story
Chloe Zhao – Nomadland
Denis Vileneuve – Dune
Spike Lee – Da 5 Bloods
Could Jump In: Aaron Sorkin – The Trial of the Chicago 7, Christopher Nolan – Tenet, Francis Lee – Ammonite, Wes Anderson – The French Dispatch, Paul Greengrass – News of the World, Sofia Coppola – On the Rocks, Ron Howard – Hillbilly Elegy, Tom McCarthy – Stillwater, Leos Carax – Annette
BEST ACTOR
Gary Oldman – Mank
Bill Murray – On the Rocks
Tom Hanks – News of the World
Joaquin Phoenix – C’mon C’mon
Anthony Hopkins – The Father
Could Jump In: Adam Driver – Annette, Matt Damon – Stillwater, Eddie Redmayne – The Trial of the Chicago 7, Michael Fassbender – Next Goal Wins, Delroy Lindo – Da 5 Bloods, Ansel Elgort – West Side Story, Timothee Chalamet – Dune, Andrew Garfield – The Eyes of Tammy Faye, John David Washington – Tenet
BEST ACTRESS
Michelle Pfeiffer – French Exit
Kate Winslet – Ammonite
Frances McDormand – Nomadland
Marion Cotillard – Annette
Jennifer Hudson – Respect
Could Jump In: Amy Adams – Hillbilly Elegy, Rachel Zegler – West Side Story, Jessica Chastain – The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman, Jessie Buckley – I’m Thinking About Ending Things, Angelina Jolie – Those Who Wish Me Dead, Jennifer Lawrence – Red, White, and Water, Sidney Flanigan – Never Rarely Sometimes Always
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Tom Burke – Mank
Chadwick Boseman – Da 5 Bloods
David Strathairn – Nomadland
Jesse Plemons – I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Sacha Baron Cohen – The Trial of the Chicago 7
Could Jump In: Benicio del Toro – The French Dispatch, Lucas Hedges – French Exit, Richard E. Grant – Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Jonathan Majors – Da 5 Bloods, Tom Pelphrey – Mank, Mark Rylance – The Trial of the Chicago 7, Charles Dance – Mank, Marlon Wayans – Respect, Bill Murray – The French Dispatch
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Saoirse Ronan – Ammonite
Glenn Close – Hillbilly Elegy
Rashida Jones – On the Rocks
Amanda Seyfried – Mank
Abigail Breslin – Stillwater
Could Jump In: Ariana DeBose – West Side Story, Gabby Hoffman – C’mon C’mon, Toni Colette – I’m Thinking of Ending Things, Lily Collins – Mank, Olivia Colman – The Father, Mary J. Blige – Respect, Elisabeth Moss – Next Goal Wins, Cherry Jones – The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Claire Foy – Louis Wain
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Mank
Da 5 Bloods
On the Rocks
Ammonite
Could Jump In: Soul, The French Dispatch, Tenet, C’mon C’mon, Annette, Stillwater, The King of the Staten Island, BIOS, Minari
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Nomadland
News of the World
Hillbilly Elegy
West Side Story
Dune
Could Jump In: Next Goal Wins, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, Those Who Wish Me Dead, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Respect, The Prom, Mulan
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Soul
Onward
Over the Moon
Where is Anne Frank?
Earwig and the Witch
Could Jump In: Wolfwalkers, The Croods 2, Connected, The Willoughbys, Tom and Jerry, Trolls: World Tour
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Tenet
Mank
The French Dispatch
Dune
West Side Story
Could Jump In: Ammonite, The Trial of the Chicago 7, News of the World, Da 5 Bloods, Respect, Mulan, The Witches
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Dune
Mank
Tenet
West Side Story
The French Dispatch
Could Jump In: Da 5 Bloods, Nomadland, Ammonite, Hillbilly Elegy, Annette, The Trial of the Chicago 7, News of the World
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Mank
Ammonite
The French Dispatch
Dune
West Side Story
Could Jump In: Da 5 Bloods, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Respect, Coming 2 America, The Witches, Mulan, The Prom
BEST FILM EDITING
Mank
Dune
Tenet
News of the World
West Side Story
Could Jump In: Da 5 Bloods, The French Dispatch, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Annette, Stillwater, Next Goal Wins, Nomadland
BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Mank
The French Dispatch
The Witches
Dune
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Could Jump In: Mulan, West Side Story, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Wonder Woman 1984, The Prom, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Tenet
BEST SOUND
Tenet
Dune
West Side Story
Da 5 Bloods
No Time To Die
Could Jump In: News of the World, Mulan, After Yang, Annette, Top Gun: Maverick, Black Widow, Respect
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Dune
Tenet
Godzilla vs Kong
BIOS
Black Widow
Could Jump In: Wonder Woman 1984, Top Gun: Maverick, Mulan, The Witches, No Time To Die, Sonic the Hedgehog, Doolittle
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Dune
Soul
Mank
Da 5 Bloods
Tenet
Could Jump In: The French Dispatch, Annette, Ammonite, The Witches, BIOS, The Last Planet, Minari
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
No Time To Die
Annette
Soul
The Prom
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Could Jump In: Mulan, West Side Story, Respect, Over the Moon
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
Druk
Summer of ‘85
Benedetta
One Second
The Story of My Wife
Could Jump In: Gjirokastra, The Marco Effect, On a Half Clear Morning, Three Floors, Earwig and the Witch, Wake Up on Mars, True Mothers