Hollywood’s awards season reaches its pivotal moment as the Academy prepares to announce Oscar nominations, with Paul Thomas Anderson’s politically charged thriller “One Battle After Another” positioned as the frontrunner. The film featuring Leonardo DiCaprio as a former revolutionary battling white supremacists could deliver Anderson his long-awaited Oscar after 11 previous nominations.
This year’s ceremony introduces significant changes, including a new category for Best Casting and plans to move the Oscars to YouTube by 2029. The Academy is also implementing stricter viewing requirements for voters, mandating either streaming through official channels or documented cinema attendance.
While blockbuster sequels like “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and “Wicked: For Good” achieved commercial success, they face diminished awards traction. James Cameron notably dismissed Oscar campaigning, stating, “You can play the awards game, or you can play the game I like to play and that’s to make movies people actually go to.”
The acting categories feature intriguing narratives: Timothée Chalamet (“Marty Supreme”) leads a competitive Best Actor field against DiCaprio and Michael B. Jordan (“Sinners”). Potential first-time nominees include established stars like Adam Sandler (“Jay Kelly”) and Jacob Elordi, while Amy Madigan could secure her first nomination in 40 years for horror film “Weapons.”
International talent shines particularly bright from Ireland, with Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal expected recognition for “Hamnet,” while British representation appears weaker with Wunmi Mosaku (“Sinners”) as the strongest contender.
Netflix’s animated phenomenon “KPop Demon Hunters” dominates the animation category and could win Best Original Song for “Golden,” while the ceremony itself will be hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien on March 15th.