IT’S OFFICIALLY OSCAR WEEK!!! Which also means that my favorite season is almost over.. but nevertheless the season starts over and we get to see how the 2021-2022 awards season will pan out with the Cannes Film Festival which is being held in July this year! This Oscar season has been a long time coming – with everything delayed and everyone trying to get everything in before the cutoff date – but has also been super fun because I think this year has been the first year where everything has been so accessible to everyone and I think it’s brilliant! It might make people change their minds about the awards show who knows. So without further ado, I will give you both my predictions and my picks for this year’s awards season in my first annual Oscar Predictions blog post! The top eight prizes will be covered but in this particular post I’m going to cover the below-the-line awards.
Best Cinematography
My Prediction: Joshua James Richards – Nomadland
My Pick: Joshua James Richard – Nomadland
Upset: Erik Messerschmidt – Mank
With a win at both the BAFTA’s and Critics’ Choice Awards, Nomadland‘s cinematographer seems like he has a lock on Best Cinematography at the Oscars tomorrow night! While this is also my personal pick I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Mank‘s showy black and white cinematography homage to Citizen Kane took the top prize.
Best Film Editing
My Prediction: Alan Baumgarten – The Trial of the Chicago 7
My Pick: Yorgos Lamprinos – The Father
Upset: Mikkel E. G. Nielsen – Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7 is the poster child for a win here. Baumgarten pulled out all of the stops he could with Trial and its multiple timelines. But Nielsen (Sound of Metal) has the BAFTA over Baumgarten so I think it could be open to either.
Best Costume Design
My Prediction: Ann Roth – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
My Pick: Alexandra Byrne – Emma.
Upset: N/A
Ann Roth is a legendary costume designer who won an Academy Award for the category before in 1996 for The English Patient. She’s pretty much a lock for the category with her wins at BAFTA’s, Critics’ Choice, and Costume Designer Guild Awards. I don’t see an upset here but I would love Byrne to pick up the award because the costumes in Emma. are unmatched..
Best Production Design
My Prediction: Production Design: Donald Graham Burt; Set Decoration: Jan Pascale – Mank
My Pick: Production Design: Donald Graham Burt; Set Decoration: Jan Pascal – Mank
Upset: Production Design: Mark Ricker; Set Decoration: Karen O’Hara and Diana Stoughton – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Without a doubt one of the most stunning films of awards season I am almost 100% sure this will triumph. The only film that may triumph over Mank is Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom but it doesn’t have the Best Picture nomination to support that. Production Design usually goes hand in hand with a Best Picture nomination.
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
My Prediction: Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
My Pick: Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Upset: Eryn Krueger Mekash, Matthew Mungle and Patricia Dehaney – Hillbilly Elegy
I don’t see Ma Rainey’s missing here but Hillbilly Elegy is exactly what the Academy loves to award but the Academy doesn’t seem to love that particular movie so I’m not betting against Ma Rainey’s.
Best Original Score
My Prediction: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste – Soul
My Pick: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste – Soul
Upset: Emile Mosseri – Minari
I would not be upset if either of the five nominees won here! I have listened to both Soul and Minari‘s scores on repeat since watching both of those movies. I’m predicting Soul but could also see Minari triumphing here as well.
Best Original Song
My Prediction: “Speak Now” from One Night in Miami; Music and Lyric by Leslie Odom Jr. and Sam Ashworth
My Pick: “Speak Now” from One Night in Miami; Music and Lyric by Leslie Odom Jr. and Sam Ashworth
Upset: “Io Si (Seen)” from The Life Ahead; Music and Lyric by Diane Warren; Lyric by Lauren Pausini
Leslie Odom Jr. is a force! And he’s so talented in everything he does (we’ll ignore his involvement with Sia’s latest disaster.) Both songs I have listed up above have an equal probability of winning. “Speak Now” won the Critics’ Choice Award and “Io Si” won the Golden Globe. This award typically goes to the song from a Best Picture nominee or Best Animated Feature nominee and neither of the five come from one. “Io Si” is written by the TWELVE-time nominated Diane Warren. Is this her year? It’s a strong contender and the Academy might decide it’s her time. I’m excited to see!
Best Sound
My Prediction: Nicolas Becker, Jaime Baksht, Michellee Couttolenc, Carlos Cortés and Phillip Bladh – Sound of Metal
My Pick: Nicolas Becker, Jaime Baksht, Michellee Couttolenc, Carlos Cortés and Phillip Bladh – Sound of Metal
Upset: N/A
There’s no way Sound of Metal isn’t taking home the gold for this one.
Best Visual Effects
My Prediction: Andrew Jackson, David Lee, Andrew Lockley and Scott Fisher – Tenet
My Pick: Andrew Jackson, David Lee, Andrew Lockley and Scott Fisher – Tenet
Upset: Sean Faden, Anders Langlands, Seth Maury and Steve Ingram – Mulan
Tenet has its BAFTAs win under its belt and it has Christopher Nolan’s name attached to it so that seems to me to be proof enough. I don’t see Mulan upsetting the category here I just wouldn’t mind it winning.
Best Animated Feature
My Prediction: Pete Docter and Dana Murray – Soul
My Pick: Pete Docter and Dana Murray – Soul
Upset: Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart, Paul Young and Stéphan Roelants – Wolfwalkers
It’s going to take a LOT to beat this one. It’s hands down the best out of the category. Anyone telling you it’s not going to win is lying and trying to throw you off.
Best International Feature
My Prediction: Another Round – Denmark
My Pick: Quo Vadis, Aida? – Bosnia and Herzegovina
Upset: N/A
With a directing nod for Thomas Vinterburg it would seem a win for Another Round is all but cemented. If you have a Hulu subscription all five International Feature Film nominees are available for streaming and I highly suggest checking them out!
Best Documentary Feature
My Prediction: My Octopus Teacher
My Pick: My Octopus Teacher
Upset: Time
I watched My Octopus Teacher way back in September before there was any kind of Oscar buzz around it but I instantly fell in love with it and I am glad it’s receiving the acclaim and attention it it! It picked up the BAFTA, PGA, and ACE so there’s no counting it out as far as stats go. Who knows what the Academy has eyes for this year!
Best Documentary – Short Subject
My Prediction: A Concerto Is a Conversation
My Pick: Do Not Split
Upset: Do Not Split
Best Animated Short
My Prediction: If Anything Happens I Love You
My Pick: Opera
Upset: N/A
Live-Action Short Film
My Prediction: Two Distant Strangers
My Pick: The Present
Upset: N/A
If you need a list of all nominees, here’s a link: https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2021
Happy Oscar weekend, everyone!