With the 2025 Academy Awards just around the corner, a plethora of films already released in 2024 are generating buzz in many categories and setting up what promises to be quite a race for Oscar night. Below are some of the most anticipated front-runners in major categories.
Best Picture Contenders
Full-spectrum Best Picture contenders emerge from both established directors and new voices vying for the best award. Dune: Part Two, by Denis Villeneuve, will more than likely receive a nomination due to the critical acclaim and visual splendor outdoing the success of its predecessor. With its production design, sound, and special effects, this is a high-profile entry into the sci-fi genre.
Another probable Best Picture contender, The Piano Lesson is produced by none other than Denzel Washington, directed by his son Malcolm Washington, a play by August Wilson bearing the same title, and it’s a family drama set in the Depression era that toys with legacy and history. With this powerful storyline and major performances, most especially by John David Washington and Danielle Deadwyler, the film is about to perform excellently well.
Next up is Emilia Pérez, by Jacques Audiard, a very unusual story of a Mexican drug kingpin who wishes to start life anew after confirmation surgery. This is quite a provocative story that is sure to raise some eyebrows both on the social level and because of the originality of the film.
Best Director
The Best Director category represents a mix of veterans and innovative talent. Denis Villeneuve (Dune: Part Two) is the apparent frontrunner, as his ability to balance big-scale productions with an artistic vision has been widely acknowledged. Another standout is Jacques Audiard for Emilia Pérez, whose stunningly peculiar storytelling style and ambitious approach to the exploration of character have wowed both critics and festival audiences alike.
This could also be secured for Coralie Fargeat with her The Substance. Heavy in horror moments, this new tale in storytelling boasts an extremely complex and layered performance from Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, which really plays with convention. The audacious direction from Fargeat might just earn her a nomination.
Best Actor
The competition for Best Actor features some powerful performances. One creating quite the significant buzz is Colman Domingo’s in Sing Sing, for which he garnered considerable praise from critics for his performance of an ex-con finding meaning in a prison drama program. Timothée Chalamet remains in the mix for A Complete Unknown, his Bob Dylan performance likely to go over well with the Academy due to its historical relevance and cultural weight.
Conclave‘s Ralph Fiennes and The Brutalist‘s Adrien Brody are other probable nominees; both actors gave subtle performances which introspectively delve deep into their respective character studies. Both films have made a splash at the festivals and might as well see their leads contend nicely for Oscar recognition.
Best Actress
For Best Actress, Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas in Maria took people’s and critics’ attention as a possible frontrunner. In the performance of Jolie as the iconic opera singer, both vulnerability and strength come through, which are elements the Academy voters like.
Other possibilities include Karla Sofía Gascón for Emilia Pérez, who might turn out to be the first trans woman openly nominated in this category. Gascón’s transformative performance, allied to the bold themes of the film, has raised some early conversations that might lead to that historic moment at the Oscars. Also, Danielle Deadwyler for The Piano Lesson, acts quite emotionally and already experienced critical success.
Technical and Visual Categories
Among significant acting and directing categories, the technical categories would also be expected to include Dune: Part Two as a heavy feature. The likely sets of nominations in these categories would include those such as Visual Effects, Cinematography, Sound, and Production Design. Sci-fi landscapes, quite ambitious, combined with attention to detail exhibited by Villeneuve in set and costume design, constitute really high-class entries in these categories.
The Substance could also be a highlight in the categories of prosthetic makeup and visual effects, given a few of its imaginary horror components. An audacious practical effect and immersive sound design could secure The Substance several technical nominations.
These films will continue to be the talk of many discussions and predictions as the 2024 awards season keeps on unfolding and sets up a competitive, diverse Oscar race in 2025.