The city of Los Angeles is buzzing with excitement as the biggest night in the film industry approaches. The 93rd Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, will take place this Sunday, and the competition for the prestigious Best Picture award is fierce. With movies like “Anora,” “The Brutalist,” and “Conclave” in contention, there is no clear frontrunner for the top prize.
Hollywood’s biggest stars, including Timothee Chalamet and Demi Moore, will grace the red carpet in hopes of taking home their first Oscars. The ceremony will be broadcasted live on Walt Disney’s ABC network at 4 p.m. Pacific time (0000 GMT on Monday).
This year’s host, comedian Conan O’Brien, has promised to deliver a mix of humor, celebration of filmmakers, and serious moments, including tributes to Los Angeles as it recovers from the devastating wildfires that occurred in January. While he may touch upon U.S. politics, O’Brien has stated that he will not dwell on it.
In an interview with reporters, O’Brien shared, “Good jokes are really important, but there’s also more than that. We’re trying to go for different tones, different textures.” This approach is sure to keep the audience engaged throughout the show.
The Oscars race this year has been full of twists and turns, with no single movie dominating the precursor film awards. This adds to the excitement as the drama will continue until the very end of the ceremony. According to Oscars pundits, any of the three films mentioned earlier could take home the Best Picture award. “Anora” tells the story of a sex worker with a chance at a Cinderella story, while “The Brutalist” follows a Jewish immigrant and architect chasing the American dream. “Conclave” imagines the secret proceedings for choosing a pope. Other contenders for the top prize include the blockbuster musical “Wicked,” a prequel to “The Wizard of Oz,” and “A Complete Unknown,” the Bob Dylan biopic starring Chalamet.
Netflix’s musical “Emilia Perez” leads the nominations this year, but its chances of victory were dampened when offensive social media posts from its star Karla Sofia Gascon surfaced. Gascon, the first openly transgender person nominated for an acting Oscar, disappeared from the awards circuit but is expected to attend Sunday’s ceremony. Her co-star, Zoe Saldana, is the favorite to win the Supporting Actress award for her role as a fixer who helps a Mexican drug lord (Gascon) transition to a woman and start a new life.
The winners of the coveted gold Oscar statuettes are chosen by the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which comprises approximately 11,000 actors, producers, directors, and film craftspeople.
Behind all the glitz and glamour, Hollywood is also fighting to maintain its position as the center of the global film industry. Interestingly, none of the ten Best Picture contenders were filmed in Los Angeles, the home of most major film companies for over a century.
In the acting categories, Kieran Culkin is the favorite to win the Supporting Actor award for his role in “A Real Pain,” where he travels to Poland with his cousin to study their family history. The Best Actor award could go to either Chalamet or Adrien Brody, who stars in “The Brutalist,” according to awards experts. Brody, who won the Best Actor award at the age of 29 for “The Pianist” in 2002, is the youngest winner in this category. Chalamet, at just nine months younger than Brody was at the time, could break this record if he wins.
In the Best Actress category, Demi Moore is widely expected to take home the award for her role in “The Substance.” However, some pundits believe that Brazil’s Fernanda Torres, who stars in “I’m Still Here,” could pull off an upset win. With the academy’s increased international membership, Torres could have an advantage, according to Ian Sandwell, movies editor at Digital Spy. He says, “She could well be a surprise and the only one to take it away from Demi on the night.”
This year, the producers have decided to scrap the tradition of having musicians perform each of the nominated original songs. Instead, they want to focus on the songwriters. However, they have promised many musical moments, including a performance by
