By Art U News Staff
On Sunday, April 24, the Academy of Motion Pictures and Arts will be celebrating the past year in film. Following “Parasite’s” historic Best Picture win last year, the question remains: Which of this year’s eight nominees will prevail? While signs point to Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland” capping off its tremendous awards season run with the evening’s top award, we won’t officially know until we hear the words, “And the Oscar goes to…”
As we’ve done in previous years, the Art U News staff is sharing our predictions of which films will take home a prized Oscar. Taking part in this year’s predictions are Kirsten Coachman (Editor), Rosalea Collinge (Copy Editor), Shou June Lin (Layout Designer), and Greta Chiocchetti (Staff Reporter). The 93rd Oscars will air live Sunday, April 25, at 5 p.m. (PST) on ABC. The pre-show, featuring musical performances from the Original Song nominees, will begin at 3:30 p.m. (PST) on ABC.
Best Picture
“Nomadland” KC, RC, SJL
“Sound of Metal” GC
Other nominees: “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Mank,” “Minari,” “Promising Young Woman,” “The Father,” “The Trial of the Chicago 7”
Directing
Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”) KC, RC, SJL
Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”) GC
Other nominees: Thomas Vinterberg (“Another Round”), David Fincher (“Mank”), Lee Isaac Chung (“Minari”)
Actor in a Leading Role
Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”) GC
Chadwick Boseman (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”) KC, RC, SJL
Other nominees: Anthony Hopkins (“The Father”), Gary Oldman (“Mank”), Steven Yuen (“Minari”)
Actress in a Leading Role
Viola Davis (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”) RC, SJL
Andra Day (“The United States vs. Billie Holiday”) KC
Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman”) GC
Other nominees: Vanessa Kirby (“Pieces of a Woman”), Frances McDormand (“Nomadland”)
Actor in a Supporting Role
Daniel Kaluuya (“Judas and the Black Messiah”) KC, RC, SJL
Leslie Odom, Jr. (“One Night in Miami…:”) GC
Other nominees: Sacha Baron Cohen (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”), Paul Raci (“Sound of Metal”), LaKeith Stanfield (“Judas and the Black Messiah”)
Actress in a Supporting Role
Olivia Colman (“The Father”) RC
Yuh-Jung Youn (“Minari”) GC, KC, SJL
Other nominees: Maria Bakalova (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan”), Glenn Close (“Hillbilly Elegy”), Amanda Seyfried (“Mank”)
Animated Feature Film
“Soul” (Pete Docter and Dana Murray) GC, KC, RC, SJL
Other nominees: “Onward” (Dan Scanlon and Kori Rae), “Over the Moon” (Glen Keane, Gennie Rim, and Peilin Chou), “A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon” (Richard Phelan, Will Becher, and Paul Kewley), “Wolfwalkers” (Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart, Paul Young, and Stéphan Roelants)
Best International Feature
“Another Round” (Denmark) KC, RC, SJL
“Better Days” (Hong Kong) GC
Other nominees: “Collective” (Romania), “The Man Who Sold His Skin” (Tunisia), “Quo Vadis, Aida?” (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Best Documentary Feature
“My Octopus Teacher” (Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed, and Craig Foster) GC, KC, RC
“Time” (Garrett Bradley, Lauren Domino, and Kellen Quinn) SJL
Other nominees: “Collective” (Alexander Nanau and Bianca Oana), “Crip Camp” (Nicole Newnham, Jim LeBrecht, and Sara Bolder), “The Mole Agent” (Maite Alberdi and Marcela Santibáñez)
Adapted Screenplay
“The Father” (Screenplay by Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller) KC
“Nomadland” (Written for the screen by Chloé Zhao) RC, SJL
“One Night in Miami…” (Screenplay by Kemp Powers) GC
Other nominees: “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” (Screenplay by Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Dan Swimer, Peter Baynham, Erica Rivinoja, Dan Mazer, Jena Friedman, Lee Kern; Story by Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Dan Swimer, Nina Pedrad), “The White Tiger” (Written for the screen by Ramin Bahrani)
Original Screenplay
“Minari” (Written by Lee Isaac Chung) SJL
“Promising Young Woman” (Written by Emerald Fennell) KC, RC
“Sound of Metal” (Screenplay by Darius Marder and Abraham Marder; Story by Darius Marder and Derek Cianfrance) GC
Other nominees: “Judas and the Black Messiah” (Screenplay by Will Berson & Shaka King; Story by Will Berson & Shaka King and Kenny Lucas & Keith Lucas), “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Written by Aaron Sorkin)
Cinematography
“Judas and the Black Messiah” (Sean Bobbitt) GC
“Nomadland” (Joshua James Richards) KC, RC, SJL
Other nominees: “Mank” (Erik Messerschmidt), “News of the World” (Dariusz Wolski), “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Phedon Papamichael)
Film Editing
“Sound of Metal” (Mikkel E. G. Nielsen) GC, KC
“Nomadland” (Chloé Zhao) SJL
“Promising Young Woman” (Frédéric Thoraval) RC
Other nominees: “The Father” (Yorgos Lamprinos), “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Alan Baumgarten)
Sound
“Sound of Metal” (Nicolas Becker, Jaime Baksht, Michelle Couttolenc, Carlos Cortés, and Phillip Bladh) GC, KC, RC, SJL
Other nominees: “Greyhound” (Warren Shaw, Michael Minkler, Beau Borders, and David Wyman), “Mank” (Ren Klyce, Jeremy Molod, David Parker, Nathan Nance, and Drew Kunin), “News of the World” (Oliver Tarney, Mike Prestwood Smith, William Miller, and John Pritchett), “Soul” (Ren Klyce, Coya Elliott, and David Parker)
Production Design
“The Father” (Production Design: Peter Francis; Set Decoration: Cathy Featherstone) GC
“Mank” (Production Design: Donald Graham Burt; Set Decoration: Jan Pascale) KC, RC, SJL
Other nominees: “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (Production Design: Mark Ricker; Set Decoration: Karen O’Hara and Diana Stoughton), “News of the World” (Production Design: David Crank; Set Decoration: Elizabeth Keenan), “Tenet” (Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Kathy Lucas)
Original Score
“Minari” (Emile Mosseri) GC
“Soul” (Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Jon Batiste) KC, RC, SJL
Other nominees: “Da 5 Bloods” (Terence Blanchard), “Mank” (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross), “News of the World” (James Newton Howard)
Original Song
“Husavik” from “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga”
(Music and Lyric by Savan Kotecha, Fat Max Gsus, and Rickard Göransson) RC
“Speak Now” from “One Night in Miami…”
(Music and Lyric by Leslie Odom, Jr. and Sam Ashworth) KC, SJL
Other nominees: “Fight For You” from “Judas and the Black Messiah” (Music by H.E.R. and Dernst Emile II; Lyric by H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas), “Hear My Voice” from “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Music by Daniel Pemberton; Lyric by Daniel Pemberton and Celeste Waite), “Io Sì (Seen)” from “The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se)” (Music by Diane Warren; Lyric by Diane Warren and Laura Pausini”
Makeup & Hairstyling
“Emma” (Marese Langan, Laura Allen, and Claudia Stolze) GC
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal, and Jamika Wilson) KC, RC, SJL
Other nominees: “Hillbilly Elegy” (Eryn Krueger Mekash, Matthew Mungle, and Patricia Dehaney), “Mank” (Gigi Williams, Kimberley Spiteri, and Colleen LaBaff), “Pinocchio” (Mark Coulier, Dalia Colli, and Francesco Pegoretti)
Costume Design
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (Ann Roth) GC, KC, SJL
“Mulan” (Bina Daigeler) RC
Other nominees: “Emma” (Alexandra Byrne), “Mank” (Trish Summerville), “Pinocchio” (Massimo Cantini Parrini)
Visual Effects
“Mulan” (Sean Faden, Anders Langlands, Seth Maury, and Steve Ingram) GC, RC
“Tenet” (Andrew Jackson, David Lee, Andrew Lockley, and Scott Fisher) KC, SJL
Other nominees: “Love and Monsters” (Matt Sloan, Genevieve Camilleri, Matt Everitt, and Brian Cox), “The Midnight Sky” (Matthew Kasmir, Christopher Lawrence, Max Solomon, and David Watkins), “The One and Only Ivan” (Nick Davis, Greg Fisher, Ben Jones, and Santiago Colomo Martinez)