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.
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2021 OSCARS PREDICTIONS:
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
UPDATED: Oct. 8, 2020 (PRE-SEASON)
With the election less than a month away, many films may become contingent on the outcome of Biden versus Trump. “All In: The Fight for Democracy” and “Boys State” are early favorites while “Dick Johnson is Dead” gives a welcoming balance to a devastating subject. Expect many more films to begin to fill this space over the next few weeks.
† = no release date scheduled / could be delayed / may not be eligible
†† = could be campaigned in lead or supporting categories / original or adapted screenplay categories
Courtesy of Sundance Institute
AND THE PREDICTED NOMINEES ARE:
"All In: The Fight for Democracy"(Amazon Studios)Lisa Cortes, Liz Garbus
"Boys State"(Apple TV Plus)Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss
"Dick Johnson is Dead"(Netflix)Kirsten Johnson
"John Lewis: Good Trouble"(Magnolia Pictures)Dawn Porter
"I Am Greta"(Hulu)Nathan Grossman
Courtesy of TIFF
NEXT IN LINE CONTENDERS:
"Rebuilding Paradise"(National Geographic Documentary Films)Ron Howard
"Totally Under Control"(Neon)Alex Gibney, Ophelia Harutyunyan , Suzanne Hillinger
"MLK/FBI"(IFC Films)Sam Pollard
"The Truffle Hunters"(Sony Pictures Classics)Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw
"Oliver Sacks: His Own Life"(Zeitgeist Films)Ric Burns
Courtesy of Toronto Film Festival
TOP-TIER AWARDS CONTENDERS:
"Time"(Amazon Studios)Garrett Bradley
"The Way I See It"(Focus Features)Dawn Porter
"The Human Factor"(Sony Pictures Classics)Dror Moreh
"Giving Voice"(Netflix)James D. Stern, Fernando Villena
"Belushi"(Showtime Documentary Films)R.J. Cutler
"Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution"(Netflix)James Lebrecht, Nicole Newnham
"A Thousand Cuts"(PBS Distribution and FRONTLINE PBS)Ramona S. Diaz
"Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry"(Apple TV Plus)R.J. Cutler
"Athlete A"(Netflix)Bonni Cohen, Jon Shenk
"The Dissident"(Briarcliff Entertainment)Bryan Fogel
Venice Film Festival
ALSO IN CONTENTION:
"Skyblossoms: Diaries of the Next Greatest Generation"(Peacock)Richard Lui
"Mr. Soul!"(Shoes in the Bed Productions)Melissa Haizlip, Sam Pollard
"Collective"(Magnolia Selects)Alexander Nanau
"Miss Americana"(Netflix)Lana Wilson
"Assassins"(Greenwich Entertainment)Ryan White
"On the Record"(HBO Max)Kirby Dick, Amy Ziering
"Feels Good Man"(Wavelength Productions)Giorgio Angelini & Arthur Jonesos
"Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles"(IFC Films)Laura Gabbert
"Untitled 'WeWork' Documentary"(Hulu)Jed Rothstein
"Belly of the Beast"(Idle Wild Films / PBS Independent Lens)Erika Cohn
Courtesy of Sundance Institute
MORE AWARDS CONTENDERS:
"The Fight"(Magnolia Pictures)Eli B. Despres, Josh Kriegman
"Desert One"(HISTORY and Greenwich Entertainment)Barbara Kopple
"The Social Dilemma"(Netflix)Jeff Orlowski
"Coded Bias"(7th Empire Media and PBS Independent Lens)Shalini Kantayya
"Welcome to Chechnya"(HBO Documentary Films)David France
"#UNFIT: The Psychology of Donald Trump"(Dark Star Pictures)Dan Partland
"Rewind"(Independent Lens)Sasha Neulinger
"Finding Ying Yang"(MTV Films and Kartemquin Films)Diane Quon, Jiayan “Jenny” Shi,
"Bedlam"(Independent Lens)Kenneth Paul Rosenberg, Peter Miller
"Softie"(LBx Africa/POV)Sam Soko
Photo courtesy of Shout! Factory
UNRANKED AWARDS CONTENDERS:
"76 Days"(No U.S. Distribution) – Weixi Chen, Hao Wu"Apocalypse '45"(Discovery / Abramorama) – Erik Nelson"Billie"(Greenwich Entertainment) – James Erskine"Blood on the Wall"(National Geographic Documentary Films) – Sebastian Junger, Nick Quested"Bruce Springsteen's A Letter to You"(Apple TV Plus) – Thom Zimny"Coup 53"(Amirani) – Taghi Amirani, Paul Zaentz"Crock of Gold"(Magnolia Pictures) – Julien Temple"Dave Grusin: Not Enough Time"(Jindo Jazz) – Barbara Bentree"Dear Santa"(IFC Films) – Dana Nachman"Disclosure"(Netflix) – Sam Feder"The Last Ice"(National Geographic Documentary Films) – Scott Ressler"My Darling Vivian"(The Film Collaborative) – Matt Riddlehoover"Olympia"(Abramorama) – Harry Mavromichalis, Sid Ganis"Our Time Machine"(POV) – S. Leo Chiang, Yang Sun"Planet of the Humans"(Rumble Media) – Jeff Gibbs"Public Trust"(Patagonia Films) – David Garrett Byars"Red Penguins"(Universal Pictures) – Gabe Polsky"River City Drumbeat"(Argot Pictures) – Anne Flatté, Marlon Johnson"Stray"(Magnolia Pictures) – Joe Sill"Stuntwomen: The Untold Hollywood Story"(Shout! Studios) – April Wright"We Are the Radical Monarchs"(POV) – Linda Goldstein Knowlton"Wuhan, Wuhan"(No U.S. Distribution) – Yung Chang, Gong Cheng
† = 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. The TBD