Oscar season has arrived, and because the nominations have recently been released, I thought I’d give my predictions and why I’ve chosen them.

BEST PICTURE

The Father

Judas and the Black Messiah

Mank

Minari

Nomadland – PREDICTED WINNER

Promising Young Woman

Trial of the Chicago 7

Sound of Metal

This award is practically made for a movie like Nomadland, that follows a woman in her sixties that decides to live and travel in her van after losing everything during the recession. With the intimate setting full of sunsets, mountains and national parks, it creates an atmosphere like no other. This is the perfect movie for this award, and it is a no-brainer that it’s my predicted winner.

BEST DIRECTOR

David Fincher

Emerald Fennell

Lee Issac Chung

Chloé Zhao – PREDICTED WINNER

Thomas Vinterberg

Although this category is closer than Best Picture, and Emerald Fennell made a great movie with Promising Young Woman, there should still be a clear winner in Chloé Zhao for her work in Nomadland, especially considering it’s also been honored and praised in other award shows this year as well.

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal

Anthony Hopkins – The Father

Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – PREDICTED WINNER

Steven Yeun – Minari

Gary Oldman – Mank

Awarding Chadwick Boseman would be an honorable way to commemorate his life and career as an actor. Boseman died unexpectedly to the public, with no one being aware that he was battling stage 4 cancer, even while filming some of his roles. He brought a certain charm to all of this performances, whether it be his great performance this year as one of the horn players for Ma Rainey’s band, or playing the trailblazing baseball player Jackie Robinson, or even being an actual superhero for Black Panther, he proved himself as one of the greatest and hardworking actors of our time, and this award would only solidify it.

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman

Andra Day – The United States vs. Billie Holiday

Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman

Frances McDormand – Nomadland

This category is possibly the closest of all this year, my pick goes to Viola Davis because her portrayal of the iconic blues singer is too good to not be awarded. I could also see an argument for Carey Mulligan’s manipulative character in Promising Young Woman, but ultimately, I think Davis will come out the winner. 

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Lakeith Stanfield – Judas and the Black Messiah

Leslie Odom Jr. – One Night in Miami

Sacha Baron Cohen – The Trial of the Chicago 7

Daniel Kaluuya – Judas and the Black Messiah – PREDICTED WINNER

Paul Raci – Sound of Metal

Judas and the Black Messiah has two nominations in this category this year, but I would consider Daniel Kaluuya the leading actor in this movie. This movie tells the story of the Black Panther Party leader, Fred Hampton, but from a fairly different standpoint. In this depiction of his life, it is seen through the lens of William O’Neal, a man who was given a plea deal by the FBI in exchange for him to go undercover and infiltrate the Black Panther Party and gain information on Hampton, which eventually would lead to his assaination. Due to Kaluuya’s portrayal of one of the most polarizing and misunderstood activists of all time, I’d like to see him win in this category.

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Yuh-jung Youn – Minari

Glenn Close – Hillbilly Elegy

Maria Boklova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm – PREDICTED WINNER

Olivia Colman – The Father

Amanda Seyfried – Mank

Comedies rarely get any praise at award shows, and so to see Maria Boklova on the nomination list was a pleasant surprise. She acts alongside an already iconic character in Borat, and was still able to steal the show completely. At times, you would forget she was even acting, and that should be a testament to her incredible improv in this movie. Along with all of the praise she’s gotten for her acting skills, she’s also now known for the infamous Rudy Gulliani scene, which I can see being another motivating factor for the academy. Overall, Boklova was the best actress in the category, but the question is whether the Oscars themselves will take the leap and award her on a performance rooted in absurdity and improv.