Reporting provided by Camryn Given, Jayme Foltz and Hannah Cron
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down most movie theaters, 2020 still brought us some amazing films. Three Lumination staff members, Camryn, Jayme and Hannah, share who they think will win Oscars at the 93rd Academy Awards.
Actor in a leading role
Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”)
Chadwick Boseman (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”)
Anthony Hopkins (“The Father”)
Gary Oldman (“Mank”)
Steven Yeun (“Minari”)
Camryn’s choice: Steve Yeun
The Walking Dead favorite really proved himself as an incredible actor as the ambitious and determined father in Minari. Yeun’s ability to immediately turn from a caring father to an enraged husband showed his depth and should earn him this award.
Jayme’s Choice: Chadwick Boseman
Chadwick Boseman has played many amazing roles in his career and I can’t help but think that this was one of his best. It was an exceedingly passionate and heart-wrenching performance as he gave life to Levee, a young troubled man looking to make a name for himself in the music industry.
Hannah’s Choice: Chadwick Boseman
Throughout his scenes, you could feel Boseman’s every emotion through the screen. He was a phenomenal talent and by all accounts, an even more phenomenal human being, and this award would be a fitting tribute to his life and legacy.
Actor in a supporting role
Sacha Baron Cohen (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”)
Daniel Kaluuya (“Judas and the Black Messiah”)
Leslie Odom Jr. (“One Night in Miami”)
Paul Raci (“Sound of Metal”)
Lakeith Stanfield (“Judas and the Black Messiah”)
Camryn’s Choice: Daniel Kaluuya
Since Kaluuya didn’t walk away with an award for Get Out I hope that this movie will redeem him of a win. His acting in such a powerful film definitely gave him the space to prove himself.
Jayme’s Choice: Daniel Kaluuya
After seeing Kaluuya in Get Out and Queen & Slim I had high expectations for his performance in Judas and the Black Messiah, and Kaluuya didn’t disappoint. It was electrifying to watch him grace the screen as Fred Hampton.
Hannah’s Choice: Leslie Odom Jr.
Obviously, Leslie Odom Jr. is a talented actor, but what really stunned me about his performance was his voice. I am always so fascinated when an actor manages to sing in a way that sounds like themselves and yet perfectly like the singer they are portraying, and as Sam Cooke, Leslie Odom Jr. was able to do just that.
Actress in a leading role
Viola Davis (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”)
Andra Day (“The United States v. Billie Holiday”)
Vanessa Kirby (“Pieces of a Woman”)
Frances McDormand (“Nomadland”)
Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman”)
Camryn’s Choice: Vanessa Kirby
Kirby’s character is faced with extreme heartbreak, giving her a chance to really define herself as a powerful actress. Kirby’s ability to portray such grief in Pieces of a Women should grant her an Oscar.
Jayme’s Choice: Andra Day
While playing a cultural icon could be a risky move, Andra Day honors the legacy of Billie Holiday with her role. The dramatic transformation she made vocally and physically to bring Holiday to life is nothing short of absolute dedication.
Hannah’s Choice: Carey Mulligan
Wow. Just wow. Carey Mulligan’s Cassie is so complex, and every time you think you have her figured out, she reveals that she isn’t quite what anyone expects her to be. It seems so difficult to play the central character in a story that is inevitably personal to so many people, yet Mulligan pulls it off with such power and nuance. I can’t imagine anyone else in the role, and I never would have expected this out of Carey Mulligan either, but she did it and it was awesome.
Actress in a supporting role
Maria Bakalova (‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”)
Glenn Close (“Hillbilly Elegy”)
Olivia Colman (“The Father”)
Amanda Seyfried (“Mank”)
Yuh-jung Youn (“Minari”)
Camryn’s Choice: Yuh-Jong Youn
Youn had a truly moving performance in Minari. Alongside Yeun, they each poured their soul into their characters which made the film feel so real and powerful.
Jayme’s Choice: Olivia Colman
Colman plays a daughter who doubles as a caretaker for her father who is struggling with dementia. Colman delivers an emotional performance as she grapples with losing her father to his mind in this devastating drama.
Hannah’s Choice: Olivia Colman
In The Father, Olivia Colman’s character finds herself in a situation that so many people live in, caring for a relative with dementia. It is such a sensitive and emotional scenario, but Colman is able to move through it with such honesty.
Animated Feature Film
“Onward” (Pixar)
“Over the Moon” (Netflix)
“A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon” (Netflix)
“Soul” (Pixar)
“Wolfwalkers” (Apple TV Plus/GKIDS)
Camryn’s Choice: Soul
There’s not a doubt in my mind that Soul won’t win this one. That film was too beautifully animated and touched too many hearts to not win.
Jayme’s Choice: Over the Moon
I’m going to take a chance for this category and place my bet on Over the Moon. The film tells the story of a young girl as she struggles to move forward after the loss of her mother. I feel the story was not just relatable, but an exciting adventure filled with out-of-this-world animation and catchy songs. You can never go wrong with a good song.
Hannah’s Choice: Soul
I really can’t imagine anything other than Soul winning. Historically, Pixar has dominated this category, with 15 nominations and 10 wins since the Animated Picture category in 2001. Regardless of history, Soul is just a great film. It is surprisingly mature and really moving, as well as having some of the prettiest animation I can recall seeing. Additionally, I would like to give an honorary Oscar to A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmaggedon for having a hilarious title.
Cinematography
“Judas and the Black Messiah,” Sean Bobbitt
“Mank,” Erik Messerschmidt
“News of the World,” Dariusz Wolski
“Nomadland,” Joshua James Richards
“The Trial of the Chicago 7,” Phedon Papamichael
Camryn’s Choice: Mank
This black and white film about the creation of Citizen Kane not only taught me a lot about early film making but also contained some incredibly shot scenes of what it would have looked like The story was captured very successfully and in a visually appealing way that should make it the perfect option for this category.
Jayme’s Choice: Mank
The story behind the classic film Citizen Kane is brought to life in this glorious black and white picture. The story was wonderfully captivating as it was told through a series of flashbacks as Herman J. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman) works to finish a screenplay that will deeply impact 1930’s Hollywood. The black and white. The shots and transitions. Watching Mank really made me feel like I was experiencing 1930’s Hollywood!
Hannah’s Choice: Nomadland
The sweeping shots of the landscapes in this movie were so beautiful. Whether it was the deserts or the ocean or the sky, you could feel the vastness and the natural grandeur of the locations. Maybe it’s because I have spent the past year at home, but I found all of the gorgeous shots in Nomadland super compelling.
Costume Design
“Emma,” Alexandra Byrne
“Mank,” Trish Summerville
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” Ann Roth
“Mulan,” Bina Daigeler
“Pinocchio,” Massimo Cantini Parrini
Camryn’s Choice: Emma
I truly can’t see this award going to any other film given the incredible costumes of such an eloquent period piece. If you haven’t seen Emma, you should consider it just for the dresses.
Jayme’s Choice: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
This film features stunning performances, but what was also stunning about the film was its costumes that captured the essence of the ’20s as Viola Davis brought the “Mother of the Blues” to life.
Hannah’s Choice: Mank
I can’t imagine that it was easy to create costumes that translated well into black and white without losing any of their meaning and visual interest, but the costumes in Mank were so well done, especially for Amanda Seyfried’s character Marion Davies. Her costumes were so pretty and shiny! Considering how great the wardrobe looked in black and white, I can only imagine how beautiful it would have been in color.
Director
Thomas Vinterberg (“Another Round”)
David Fincher (“Mank”)
Lee Isaac Chung (“Minari”)
Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”)
Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”)
Camryn’s Choice: Chloé Zhao
Although I’ll be the first to admit that Nomadland was a very slow-moving film, you can’t disregard the incredible cinematic value it holds. Zhao created a hidden world inside a time that most viewers were so familiar with. To see a woman, recently widowed and living out of her car during the 2008 recession, have such a beautiful story was such an impressive task.
Jayme’s Choice: Chloe Zhao
Nomadland is an exploration of life and freedom. Zhao delivers a film that is straightforward and with no hidden meanings with the story of an ordinary woman who, after losing everything, goes on a journey to discover what more life has to offer. The story is touching, heartfelt and most importantly, human.
Hannah’s Choice: Emerald Fennell
My previous experience with Emerald Fennell was as Camilla in the last season of The Crown, so I was pretty amazed to learn that she wrote and directed Promising Young Woman all on her own and that it was her first film. It is such an ambitious movie, but Fennell’s vision is so clear, and the movie brilliantly mixes its highly stylized atmosphere (bright colors, sparkles, Paris Hilton on the soundtrack) with its haunting and very real premise. I can’t wait to see what she does next!
Best Picture
“The Father”
“Judas and the Black Messiah”
“Mank”
“Minari”
“Nomadland”
“Promising Young Woman”
“Sound of Metal”
“The Trial of the Chicago 7”
Camryn’s choice: Minari
There wasn’t a film in 2020 that emotionally touched me as much as Mianri. It was engaging and compelling and intense, and it found the perfect balance between all of these to make it such a masterpiece of a movie. I thought it had the best acting and the best story and is the most deserving of Best Picture.
Jayme’s Choice: Judas and the Black Messiah
Of all the Oscar films I’ve watched Judas and the Black Messiah was the most memorable with its standout performances by Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield. The thriller is bittersweet yet powerful as it brings to life a great tragedy and turns it into a mesmerizing story.
Hannah’s Choice: Minari
Minari tells such an empathetic and compelling story. The acting is fantastic, the shots are beautiful, and it manages to deliver a narrative that is familiar yet wholly new at the same time. All of the nominated movies are great, but Minari has the most heart.
Be sure to tune in to the 93rd Academy Awards on Sunday, April 25 at 7 p.m. Central Time on ABC to see who made correct predictions!
It proved to be a fairly tough year for our staff’s predictions. After it was all over, Hannah guessed 1/9 correctly, Jayme got 4/9, and Camryn guessed 5/9.