It’s that time of year again, my favorite time of year. The nominations for the 89th Annual Academy Awards are announced tomorrow morning, and there are a lot of close races. I actually enjoy the nominations more than the awards, because once the nominations are announced, frontrunners to win generally emerge and it gets a little bit more predictable. But nominations present all kinds of scenarios and questions. The following is me doing my best to answer these scenarios and questions.
For Best Picture predictions, since the category can end up anywhere between 5-10 nominees, I’ve ranked them in the order I think they are likely to be nominated. The remaining categories are predicted as is. Check back tomorrow morning and see how I did!
Best Picture
1. La La Land
2. Moonlight
3. Manchester by the Sea
4. Arrival
5. Lion
6. Hidden Figures
7. Hell or High Water
8. Hacksaw Ridge
9. Fences
10. Loving
Best Director
Damien Chazelle, La La Land
Garth Davis, Lion
Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea
Denis Villeneuve, Arrival
Best Actor
Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge
Ryan Gosling, La La Land
Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic
Denzel Washington, Fences
Best Actress
Amy Adams, Arrival
Annette Bening, 20th Century Women
Isabelle Huppert, Elle
Natalie Portman, Jackie
Emma Stone, La La Land
Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water
Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea
Dev Patel, Lion
Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Nocturnal Animals
Best Supporting Actress
Viola Davis, Fences
Naomie Harris, Moonlight
Nicole Kidman, Lion
Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures
Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea
Best Original Screenplay
Hell or High Water
Jackie
La La Land
The Lobster
Manchester by the Sea
Best Adapted Screenplay
Arrival
Fences
Hidden Figures
Lion
Moonlight
Best Animated Feature Film
Finding Dory
Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
Your Name
Zootopia
Best Foreign Language Film
Land of Mine, Denmark
A Man Called Ove, Sweden
The Salesman, Iran
Tanna, Australia
Toni Erdmann, Germany
Best Documentary – Feature
I Am Not Your Negro
Life, Animated
O.J.: Made in America
13th
Tower
Best Documentary – Short Subject
Close Ties
Extremis
Joe’s Violin
The Mute’s House
The White Helmets
Best Live Action Short Film
Graffiti
La Femme et le TGV
Nocturne in Black
The Rifle, the Jackal, the Wolf and the Boy
Timecode
Best Animated Short Film
Blind Vaysha
Borrowed Time
Inner Workings
Pearl
Piper
Best Original Score
Hidden Figures
Jackie
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Best Original Song
“Audition (The Fools Who Dream),” La La Land
“Can’t Stop the Feeling,” Trolls
“City of Stars,” La La Land
“Drive It Like You Stole It,” Sing Street
“How Far I’ll Go,” Moana
Best Sound Editing
Arrival
Deepwater Horizon
Hacksaw Ridge
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Sully
Best Sound Mixing
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
The Jungle Book
La La Land
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Best Production Design
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Hail, Caesar!
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Silence
Best Cinematography
Arrival
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Silence
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Deadpool
A Man Called Ove
Star Trek Beyond
Best Costume Design
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Florence Foster Jenkins
Jackie
La La Land
Love & Friendship
Best Film Editing
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight
Best Visual Effects
Arrival
Doctor Strange
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
The Jungle Book
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story