It is that wonderful time of year again for cinephiles, award season! The Academy Award nominations have been released, and everyone is starting to think about who will win the coveted awards. In this piece, we will go through each of the main categories and look at the contenders and see who the most likely winner is!

Best Picture

• Arrival
• Fences
• Hacksaw Ridge
• Hell or High Water
• Hidden Figures
• La La Land
• Lion
• Manchester By The Sea
• Moonlight

The best picture race this year is full of many movies that could steal the show at a moment’s notice. Films like Manchester By The Sea and Hidden Figures are led by powerful acting performances, and the stories behind Hell or High Water and Hacksaw Ridge seem to captivate audiences to the very end. However, the movie that seems to encapsulate the character of the academy awards the most is La La Land. The musical has 14 nominations, which is now a record, and it is expected to win at least half of them, including best picture.

Winner: La La Land

Best Director:

• Denis Villeneuve - Arrival
• Mel Gibson - Hacksaw Ridge
• Damien Chazelle - La La Land
• Kenneth Lonergan - Manchester By The Sea
• Barry Jenkins - Moonlight

The best director race usually follows closely to the best picture race, so it would be no surprise to see Damien Chazelle get the award for best director along with La La Land winning best picture. However, that does not mean he has the award in the bag. Denis Villeneuve did some pretty remarkable things in Arrival, and Mel Gibson’s triumphant return with Hacksaw Ridge is nothing short of fantastic. Nonetheless, If trends continue to follow the past, then Chazelle should walk away with his first Best Director award.

Winner: Damien Chazelle

Best Actor

• Casey Affleck - Manchester By The Sea
• Andrew Garfield - Hacksaw Ridge
• Ryan Gosling - La La Land
• Viggo Mortensen - Captain Fantastic
• Denzel Washington - Fences

The best actor race has seen better days, after the turmoil of the #Oscarsowhite campaign that shrouded last years’ ceremonies. However, with Denzel Washington’s return to the Oscars, this should not be a problem this year. His competition will be fierce, but the winner is not so easily foretold. Casey Affleck already has a win at the Critic’s Choice Awards, and Ryan Gosling’s singing chops in La La Land are all the talk in Hollywood. This very tight race could change at any moment, but as of right now, the winner will be Casey Affleck.

Winner: Casey Affleck

Best Actress:

• Isabelle Huppert - Elle
• Ruth Negga - Loving
• Natalie Portman - Jackie
• Emma Stone - La La Land
• Meryl Streep - Florence Foster Jenkins

While Meryl Streep is virtually a shoe-in for an Oscar nomination with every movie she performs in, all is not certain in this awards category. Emma Stone put on a great show In La La land alongside Ryan Gosling, and Isabelle Huppert could very well be a surprise contender come show time. However, the masterful performance that will win the award will be Natalie Portman’s turn as Jackie Kennedy in the biopic, Jackie.

Winner: Natalie Portman

Best Supporting Actor

• Mahershala Ali - Moonlight
• Jeff Bridges - Hell Or High Water
• Lucas Hedges - Manchester By The Sea
• Dev Patel - Lion
• Michael Shannon - Nocturnal Animals

Mahershala Ali has been the front runner of this category ever since Moonlight was released a few months ago, and it does not seem like it is going to change. Jeff Bridges put on a great performance in Hell or High Water, and Dev Patel’s Lion has been up for much debate throughout the awards’ season. Yet, Ali’s acting in Moonlight seems to be the clear choice as of this writing.

Winner: Mahershala Ali

Best Supporting Actress:

• Viola Davis - Fences
• Naomie Harris - Moonlight
• Nicole Kidman - Lion
• Octavia Spencer - Hidden Figures
• Michelle Williams - Manchester By The Sea

Best Supporting Actress has plenty of intrigue this year, as any one of these women could be the winner of the award. Octavia Spencer could be a repeat winner after her role in Hidden Figures, and Nicole Kidman is never one to be discounted during award’s season. Yet, I cannot help but feel that Viola Davis is the current favorite; her turn in Fences is a powerful one, and it is long past due for Davis to receive an academy award.

Winner: Viola Davis

Best Animated Feature

• Kubo and the Two Strings
• Moana
• My Life As A Zucchini
• The Red Turtle
• Zootopia

This year’s animated feature award is also a tight race, with all five having a serious shot at winning the golden statue. Pixar is noticeable absent from this year’s awards, but they will be ready come next year’s awards. The two juggernauts are the two Disney films, Zootopia and Moana. They were both darlings for the critics and extremely successful at the box office as well. Yet, Zootopia seems to be the favorite at the moment. However, this could change at any moment before the show.

Winner: Zootopia.

While there are plenty of other awards to go around during the show, these are the ones that will get people talking leading off to show time on February 26^th. The Oscars are always an amazing night in Hollywood, and all eyes will be on the stars for the night. Only time will tell who the winners are, and the world is waiting with baited breath to see the results!