Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit THE COLLECTIVE.
2021 OSCARS PREDICTIONS:
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
It’s been three years since Greig Fraser scored his first nomination for “Lion” and by the looks of “Dune,” he may be able to go the way of Roger Deakins when he teamed up with director Denis Villeneuve. It won’t be easy as the black and white images from David Fincher’s “Mank” could make an easy choice for Emmy nominee Erik Messerschmidt. There’s also a few talented female DP’s in the mix this year as well as Tami Reiker’s work on “One Night in Miami” will be helped by her already impressive work on “The Old Guard.” Worth stating that it’s almost criminal that Dariusz Wolski has yet to be cited by the Academy when his resume includes “Crimson Tide” among others.
† = no release date scheduled / could be delayed / may not be eligible
†† = could be campaigned in lead or supporting categories / original or adapted screenplay categories
Photo courtesy of Netflix
AND THE PREDICTED NOMINEES ARE:
"Dune"(Warner Bros.)Greig Fraser (director of photography)
"Mank"(Netflix)Erik Messerschmidt (director of photography)
"Nomadland"(Searchlight Pictures)Joshua James Richards (director of photography)
"West Side Story"(20th Century Studios)Janusz Kaminski (director of photography)
"News of the World"(Universal Pictures)Dariusz Wolski (director of photography)
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.
NEXT IN LINE CONTENDERS:
"One Night in Miami..."(Amazon Studios)Tami Reiker (director of photography)
"Tenet"(Warner Bros.)Hoyte van Hoytema (director of photography)
"The Trial of the Chicago 7"(Netflix)Phedon Papamichael (director of photography)
"Judas and the Black Messiah"(Warner Bros.)Sean Bobbitt (director of photography)
"Mulan"(Walt Disney Pictures)Mandy Walker (director of photography)
Photo courtesy of Netflix
TOP-TIER AWARDS CONTENDERS:
"The Father"(Sony Pictures Classics)Ben Smithard (director of photography)
"Da 5 Bloods"(Netflix)Newton Thomas Sigel (director of photography)
"No Time to Die"(United Artists Releasing)Linus Sandgren (director of photography)
"Hillbilly Elegy"(Netflix)Maryse Alberti (director of photography)
"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"(Netflix)Tobias A. Schliessler (director of photography)
"Emma."(Focus Features)Kave Quinn (production designer), Stella Fox (set decorations)
"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"(Netflix)Tobias A. Schliessler (director of photography)
"Eternals"(Marvel Studios)Ben Davis (director of photography)
"Black Widow"(Marvel Studios)Gabriel Beristain (director of photography)
"Minari"(A24)Lachlan Milne (director of photography)
Photo courtesy of YouTube
ALSO IN CONTENTION:
"Promising Young Woman"(Focus Features)Benjamin Kračun (director of photography)
"Wonder Woman 1984"(Warner Bros.)Matthew Jensen (director of photography)
"Respect"(United Artists Releasing)Kramer Morgenthau (director of photography)
"The Starling"(Netflix)Lawrence Sher (director of photography)
"Ammonite"(Neon)Stéphane Fontaine (director of photography)
"I'm Thinking of Ending Things"(Netflix)Łukasz Żal (director of photography)
"First Cow"(A24)Christopher Blauvelt (director of photography)
"The United States vs. Billie Holiday"(Paramount Pictures)Andrew Dunn (director of photography)
"Death on the Nile"(20th Century Studios)Haris Zambarloukos (director of photography)
"Antlers"(Searchlight Pictures)Florian Hoffmeister (director of photography)
Photo courtesy of Searchlight Pictures
UNRANKED AWARDS CONTENDERS:
"Emma."(Focus Features) – Christopher Blauvelt (director of photography)†"Greyhound"(Apple TV Plus) – Shelly Johnson (director of photography)†"Hamilton"(Disney Plus) – Declan Quinn (director of photography)†"The Humans"(A24) – Lol Crawley (director of photography)†"I'm Your Woman"(Amazon Studios) – Bryce Fortner (director of photography)†"The Invisible Man"(Universal Pictures) – Stefan Duscio (director of photography)†"The King of Staten Island"(Universal Pictures) – Robert Elswit (director of photography)†"Let Them All Talk"(HBO Max) – Steven Soderbergh (director of photography)†"The Midnight Sky"(Netflix) – Martin Ruhe (director of photography)†"Nine Days"(Sony Pictures Classics) – Wyatt Garfield (director of photography)†"The Old Guard"(Netflix) – Tami Reiker (director of photography)†"The Outpost"(Screen Media Films) – Lorenzo Senatore (director of photography)†"The Personal History of David Copperfield"(Searchlight Pictures) – Zak Nicholson (director of photography)†"The Prom"(Netflix) – Matthew Libatique (director of photography)†"Radioactive"(Amazon Studios) – Anthony Dod Mantle (director of photography)†"Sound of Metal"(Amazon Studios) – Daniël Bouqet (director of photography)†"Wendy"(Searchlight Pictures) – Sturla Brandth Grøvlen (director of photography)†"The White Tiger"(Netflix) – Paolo Carnera (director of photography)†
† = no release date scheduled / could be delayed / may not be eligible
†† = could be campaigned in lead or supporting categories / original or adapted screenplay categories
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars is Hollywood’s most prestigious artistic award in the film industry. Since 1927, nominees and winners are selected by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). 17 branches are represented within the near 10,000 person membership. The branches are actors, associates, casting directors, cinematographers, costume designers, directors, documentary, executives, film editors, makeup and hairstylists, marketing and public relations, members-at-large, members-at-large (artists’ representatives), music, producers, production design, short films and feature animation, sound, visual effects, and writers.