Oscar 2020 predictions

The Oscars is still regarded as the highest accolade for anyone in the film fraternity. Before we know who will win the golden statues this Monday morning, there are several precursors that strongly suggest who might. 

“Joker” is leading this year’s Oscar nods with 11 nominations, closely followed by “1917,” “The Irishman” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” with 10 nods each. However, the number of nominations may not resonate with the number of wins.

Besides the Golden Globes, which kick start the awards season, there are accolades given by every guild in America- the Writers Guild, Screen Actors Guild, Directors Guild- that allude to possible winners in their respective categories. 

For the very few categories that include foreign films, prestigious international film festivals of the preceding year indicate the frontrunners. Based on these awards and festivals, here are my predictions of Oscar winners in some of the major categories this year. 

Best Picture

✓ “1917”

“Ford v Ferrari”

“The Irishman”

“Jojo Rabbit”

“Joker”

“Little Women”

“Marriage Story”

“Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood”

“Parasite”

Best Director

✓ Sam Mendes, “1917”

Martin Scorsese, “The Irishman”

Todd Phillips, “Joker”

Quentin Tarantino, “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood”

Bong Joon Ho, “Parasite”

Best Actor

✓ Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker”

Antonio Banderas, “Pain and Glory”

Leonardo DiCaprio, “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood”

Adam Driver, “Marriage Story”

Jonathan Pryce, “The Two Popes”

Best Actress

✓ Renée Zellweger, “Judy”

Cynthia Erivo, “Harriet”

Scarlett Johansson, “Marriage Story”

Saoirse Ronan, “Little Women”

Charlize Theron, “Bombshell”

Best Supporting Actor

✓ Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood”

Tom Hanks, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”

Anthony Hopkins, “The Two Popes”

Al Pacino, “The Irishman”

Joe Pesci, “The Irishman”

Best Supporting Actress

✓ Laura Dern, “Marriage Story”

Kathy Bates, “Richard Jewell”

Scarlett Johansson, “Jojo Rabbit”

Florence Pugh, “Little Women”

Margot Robbie, “Bombshell”

Original Screenplay

✓ “Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho, Han Jin Won

“Knives Out,” Rian Johnson

“Marriage Story,” Noah Baumbach

“1917,” Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns

“Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood,” Quentin Tarantino

Adapted Screenplay

✓ “Jojo Rabbit,” Taika Waititi

“The Irishman,” Steven Zaillian

“Joker,” Todd Phillips, Scott Silver

“Little Women,” Greta Gerwig

“The Two Popes,” Anthony McCarten

International Feature

✓ “Parasite,” South Korea

“Corpus Christi,” Poland

“Honeyland,” North Macedonia

“Les Misérables,” France

“Pain and Glory,” Spain

Cinematography

✓ “1917,” Roger Deakins

“The Irishman,” Rodrigo Prieto

“Joker,” Lawrence Sher

“The Lighthouse,” Jarin Blaschke

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Robert Richardson