Here are the 2024 Annual Academy Awards® nominees and my predictions.
* Note: This post will be updated after the event to include the eventual winners.
Best Picture
The Nominees
American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
Barbie
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Maestro
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest
Want to Win
The Zone of Interest
My Prediction
Oppenheimer
Actual Winner
Oppenheimer
I couldn’t finish two of this year’s films. ‘Past Lives’ bored me, and I got halfway through before ditching it. Even worse, and one of the worst films I’ve seen in recent years, was ‘Poor Things’. I gave it 90 minutes before booting it to the curb. I didn’t even watch ‘Maestro’ (after last year’s ‘Tár’, I figured I’d had enough–although I’m sure Bradley Cooper’s performance is excellent). As I stated last year, I am continuously baffled about what anyone sees entertaining about these films.
‘The Holdovers’ is a very well-made and acted film, as is ‘Oppenheimer’–I felt the pace was kept pretty fast even though it does not have much action. ‘Barbie’ was an enjoyable and thought-provoking film. It started conversations around empowering women, and the Oscars snubbing Margo Robbie and Greta Gerwig was just ridiculous (and nominating the male supporting actor was exactly the plot of Barbie!) and prompted more conversations. ‘The Zone of Interest’ is a foreign language film, and it is brilliant. It really makes you get into the heads of the characters, and the background sound accompanying it gives a vivid picture of life inside Auschwitz without ever setting foot inside the compound. This was my favourite film of the ten nominations. ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ was well made and acted, but the courtroom scenes were so boring and drawn out–too realistic of a courtroom scene, I suppose. ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ was too long, but the acting was again top-notch. I enjoyed ‘American Fiction’. It was pretty funny, but I’m not sure it’s an Oscar Best Picture nominee-worthy film.
I predict that ‘Oppenheimer’ will pick up the top award, although I’d pick ‘The Zone of Interest’ given the chance.
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Bradley Cooper
Maestro
Colman Domingo
Rustin
Paul Giamatti
The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy
Oppenheimer
Jeffrey Wright
American Fiction
Want to Win
Cillian Murphy
Oppenheimer
My Prediction
Cillian Murphy
Oppenheimer
Actual Winner
Cillian Murphy
Oppenheimer
This is between Cillian Murphy and Paul Giamatti. Both would be worthy winners (but as a Brit, I’ll root for Murphy). Colman Domingo was also excellent.
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Annette Bening
Nyad
Lily Gladstone
Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Hüller
Anatomy of a Fall
Carey Mulligan
Maestro
Emma Stone
Poor Things
Want to Win
Lily Gladstone
Killers of the Flower Moon
My Prediction
Emma Stone
Poor Things
Actual Winner
Emma Stone
Poor Things
Poor, poor, poor. I have nothing to say about this year’s batch except that Margo Robbie should have been included and win it.
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Sterling K. Brown
American Fiction
Robert De Niro
Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr.
Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling
Barbie
Mark Ruffalo
Poor Things
Want to Win
Robert Downey Jr.
Oppenheimer
My Prediction
Robert Downey Jr.
Oppenheimer
Actual Winner
Robert Downey Jr.
Oppenheimer
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Emily Blunt
Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks
The Color Purple
America Ferrera
Barbie
Jodie Foster
Nyad
Da’Vine Joy Randolph
The Holdovers
Want to Win
Da’Vine Joy Randolph
The Holdovers
My Prediction
Da’Vine Joy Randolph
The Holdovers
Actual Winner
Da’Vine Joy Randolph
The Holdovers
DIRECTING
Anatomy of a Fall
Justine Triet
Killers of the Flower Moon
Martin Scorsese
Oppenheimer
Christopher Nolan
Poor Things
Yorgos Lanthimos
The Zone of Interest
Jonathan Glazer
Want to Win
Oppenheimer
Christopher Nolan
My Prediction
Oppenheimer
Christopher Nolan
Actual Winner
Oppenheimer
Christopher Nolan
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
American Fiction
Written for the screen by Cord Jefferson
Barbie
Written by Greta Gerwig & Noah Baumbach
Oppenheimer
Written for the screen by Christopher Nolan
Poor Things
Screenplay by Tony McNamara
The Zone of Interest
Written by Jonathan Glazer
Want to Win
Oppenheimer
Written for the screen by Christopher Nolan
My Prediction
Oppenheimer
Written for the screen by Christopher Nolan
Actual Winner
American Fiction
Written for the screen by Cord Jefferson
Writing (Original Screenplay)
Anatomy of a Fall
Screenplay by Justine Triet and Arthur Harari
The Holdovers
Written by David Hemingson
Maestro
Written by Bradley Cooper & Josh Singer
May December
Screenplay by Samy Burch; Story by Samy Burch & Alex Mechanik
Past Lives
Written by Celine Song
Want to Win
The Holdovers
Written by David Hemingson
My Prediction
Anatomy of a Fall
Screenplay by Justine Triet and Arthur Harari
Actual Winner
Anatomy of a Fall
Screenplay by Justine Triet and Arthur Harari
Animated Feature Film
The Boy and the Heron
Elemental
Nimona
Robot Dreams
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Want to Win
Robot Dreams
My Prediction
The Boy and the Heron
Actual Winner
The Boy and the Heron
Animated Short Film
Letter to a Pig
Ninety-Five Senses
Our Uniform
Pachyderme
WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko
Want to Win
WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko
My Prediction
WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko
Actual Winner
WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko
Cinematography
El Conde
Edward Lachman
Killers of the Flower Moon
Ridrigo Prieto
Maestro
Matthew Libatique
Oppenheimer
Hoyte van Hoytema
Poor Things
Robbie Ryan
Want to Win
Oppenheimer
Hoyte van Hoytema
My Prediction
Oppenheimer
Hoyte van Hoytema
Actual Winner
Oppenheimer
Hoyte van Hoytema
Costume Design
Barbie
Jacqueline Durran
Killers of the Flower Moon
Jacqueline West
Napoleon
Janty Yates and Dave Crossman
Oppenheimer
Ellen Mirojnick
Poor Things
Holly Waddington
Want to Win
Barbie
Jacqueline Durran
My Prediction
Barbie
Jacqueline Durran
Actual Winner
Poor Things
Holly Waddington
Film Editing
Anatomy of a Fall
Laurent Sénéchal
The Holdovers
Kevin Tent
Killers of the Flower Moon
Thelma Schoonmaker
Oppenheimer
Jennifer Lame
Poor Things
Yorgos Mavropsaridis
Want to Win
Oppenheimer
Jennifer Lame
My Prediction
Oppenheimer
Jennifer Lame
Actual Winner
Oppenheimer
Jennifer Lame
Makeup and Hairstyling
Golda
Karen Hartley Thomas, Suzi Battersby and Ashra Kelly-Blue
Maestro
Kazu Hiro, Kay Georgiou and Lori McCoy-Bell
Oppenheimer
Luisa Abel
Poor Things
Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier and Josh Weston
Society of the Snow
Ana López-Puigcerver, David Martí and Montse Ribé
Want to Win
Maestro
Kazu Hiro, Kay Georgiou and Lori McCoy-Bell
My Prediction
Maestro
Kazu Hiro, Kay Georgiou and Lori McCoy-Bell
Actual Winner
Poor Things
Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier and Josh Weston
Music (Original Score)
American Fiction
Laura Karpman
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
John Williams
Killers of the Flower Moon
Robbie Robertson
Oppenheimer
Ludwig Göransson
Poor Things
Jerskin Fendrix
Want to Win
Oppenheimer
Ludwig Göransson
My Prediction
Oppenheimer
Ludwig Göransson
Actual Winner
Oppenheimer
Ludwig Göransson
Music (Original Song)
The Fire Inside
from Flamin’ Hot; Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
I’m Just Ken
from Barbie; Music and Lyric by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt
It Never Went Away
from American Symphony; Music and Lyric by Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson
Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)
from Killers of the Flower Moon; Music and Lyric by Scott George
What Was I Made For?
from Barbie; Music and Lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell
Want to Win
What Was I Made For?
from Barbie; Music and Lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell
My Prediction
What Was I Made For?
from Barbie; Music and Lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell
Actual Winner
What Was I Made For?
from Barbie; Music and Lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell
Production Design
Barbie
Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
Killers of the Flower Moon
Production Design: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Adam Willis
Napoleon
Production Design: Arthur Max; Set Decoration: Elli Griff
Oppenheimer
Production Design: Ruth De Jong; Set Decoration: Claire Kaufman
Poor Things
Production Design: James Price and Shona Heath; Set Decoration: Zsuzsa Mihalek
Want to Win
Barbie
Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
My Prediction
Poor Things
Production Design: James Price and Shona Heath; Set Decoration: Zsuzsa Mihalek
Actual Winner
Poor Things
Production Design: James Price and Shona Heath; Set Decoration: Zsuzsa Mihalek
Sound
The Creator
Ian Voigt, Erik Aadahl, Ethan Van der Ryn, Tom Ozanich and Dean Zupancic
Maestro
Steven A. Morrow, Richard King, Jason Ruder, Tom Ozanich and Dean Zupancic
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Chris Munro, James H. Mather, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor
Oppenheimer
Willie Burton, Richard King, Gary A. Rizzo and Kevin O’Connell
The Zone of Interest
Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn
Want to Win
The Zone of Interest
Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn
My Prediction
Oppenheimer
Willie Burton, Richard King, Gary A. Rizzo and Kevin O’Connell
Actual Winner
The Zone of Interest
Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn
As I mentioned in my Best Picture rundown, the sound for ‘The Zone of Interest’ is the cleverest piece of sound production I’ve heard. Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn did their research and added a huge backdrop of sounds coming from inside the Auschwitz concentration camp. It made watching the film an intense experience: First, there was the film you saw, it was superbly acted and hard to avoid. Then, there was the German language, so I had to read the dialogue and hear how the actors were delivering the lines. Finally, there’s the sound, which gives you a picture of life for the prisoners inside the camp and the soldiers.
Edit: I should have trusted the Academy to vote correctly and predict The Zone of Interest as I wanted!
Visual Effects
The Creator
Jay Cooper, Ian Comley, Andrew Roberts and Neil Corbould
Godzilla Minus One
Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi and Tatsuji Nojima
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Stephane Ceretti, Alexis Wajsbrot, Guy Williams and Theo Bialek
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Alex Wuttke, Simone Coco, Jeff Sutherland and Neil Corbould
Napoleon
Charley Henley, Luc-Ewen Martin-Fenouillet, Simone Coco and Neil Corbould
Want to Win
Godzilla Minus One
Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi and Tatsuji Nojima
My Prediction
Godzilla Minus One
Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi and Tatsuji Nojima
Actual Winner
Godzilla Minus One
Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi and Tatsuji Nojima
International Feature Film
Io Capitano
Italy
Perfect Days
Japan
Society of the Snow
Spain
The Teachers’ Lounge
Germany
The Zone of Interest
United Kingdom
Want to Win
The Zone of Interest
United Kingdom
My Prediction
The Zone of Interest
United Kingdom
Actual Winner
The Zone of Interest
United Kingdom
When a nominee for Best International Feature Film is also a nominee for Best Picture, everyone else might as well go home (I could be wrong…) Edit: I wasn’t.
Documentary (Feature)
Bobi Wine: The People’s President
Moses Bwayo, Christopher Sharp and John Battsek
The Eternal Memory
Maite Alberdi
Four Daughters
Kaouther Ben Hania and Nadim Cheikhrouha
To Kill a Tiger
Nisha Pahuja, Cornelia Principe and David Oppenheim
20 Days in Mariupol
Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner and Raney Aronson-Rath
Want to Win
20 Days in Mariupol
Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner and Raney Aronson-Rath
My Prediction
20 Days in Mariupol
Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner and Raney Aronson-Rath
Actual Winner
20 Days in Mariupol
Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner and Raney Aronson-Rath
The best documentary of the year (‘Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie’) wasn’t nominated because it was made for a streaming platform (Apple TV+). The system is broken and needs fixing, but they won’t. Go figure.
Documentary (Short Subject)
The ABCs of Book Banning
Sheila Nevins and Trish Adlesic
The Barber of Little Rock
John Hoffman and Christine Turner
Island in Between
S. Leo Chiang and Jean Tsien
The Last Repair Shop
Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers
Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó
Sean Wang and Sam Davis
Want to Win
Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó
Sean Wang and Sam Davis
My Prediction
Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó
Sean Wang and Sam Davis
Actual Winner
The Last Repair Shop
Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers
My Results
Last year, I correctly predicted 18 out of 22 awards. This year, it’s 17 out of 22. Some I should have gone with my gut. (That’s 16, 17 or 18 in the last three years).
This post was updated after the event to show the winners.