2021 Oscars - What to expect: 10 Nomination Predictions for Best Picture

With the beginning of every New Year comes much thought, speculation and anticipation about the year’s upcoming Academy Awards nominations. Expectations and forecasts spin around as film lovers around the world are curious which films will be in the running!

Theatres and cinemas around the globe have been locked down for most of 2020 and beyond, so very few of the contending films actually had Box Office exposure, if any sort of theatrical release whatsoever. However, most of the predicted contending films have been, or soon will be, aired on streaming sites like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney Plus and some are even streaming for free on YouTube.

Additional “predicted to be nominated” films, yet to be released, (Nomadland, Minari and The Father - all scheduled for release in February) may or may not hit the theatres and the accessibility to pre-watch these “predicted to be nominated” Best Pictures will certainly be different for audiences than in previous years.

Also, with the pandemic still at hand and the 2021 Oscars being bumped from February 28^th to April 25^th this year, it is still to be seen whether the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles will be able to present the 93^rd annual event or if this year’s Oscars will need to be a viewed from a strictly online venue.

My fingers are crossed that the Academy will receive the go ahead to host the Awards at their regular venue, but if not, I’m sure we can still look forward to an exciting awards season, because the films in this year’s line-up, as always, are simply  phenomenal!

If you’re anything like me, you just NEED to watch all of the nominations prior to the event and to feel somewhat involved in the voting process.

This year with outstanding directors including Chloe’ Zhao, Aaron Sorkin, Lee Isaac Chung, George C. Wolfe, Regina King, Florian Zeller, David Fincher, Paul Greengrass, Spike Lee and Emerald Fennell plus an all-star line-up of A-List, profoundly excellent producers and talent - the “predicted to be nominated films’ list” is definitely HOT.

As usual, I’m going watch them all, and with many of them airing on online streaming sites, film lovers can stay home, enjoy homemade popcorn and watch some of the years’ finest and most captivating films from the comfort of their own cozy sofas.

So, as we prepare for the Oscars over the following weeks leading up to the big event, feel free to leave comments here or at on our FB page about which films you've enjoyed the most, and what your predictions are!!

According to Variety.com, here are the top 10 predictions for this year’s nominations:

THE PREDICTED BEST PICTURE NOMINEES ARE:

1. "Nomadland" (Searchlight Pictures)

PRODUCERS: Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey, Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Chloé Zhao

DIRECTOR: Chloé Zhao

SYNOPSIS: After losing everything in the Great Recession, an old woman embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad.

STARRING: Frances McDormand, David Strathairn, Linda May, Swankie, Bob Wells

2. "The Trial of the Chicago 7" (Netflix)

PRODUCERS: Stuart M. Besser, Matt Jackson, Marc Platt, Tyler Thompson

DIRECTOR: Aaron Sorkin

SYNOPSIS: The story of 7 people on trial stemming from various charges surrounding the uprising at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.

STARRING: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Sacha Baron Cohen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Keaton, John Carroll Lynch, Eddie Redmayne, Mark Rylance, Alex Sharp, Jeremy Strong

3. "Minari" (A24)

PRODUCERS: Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Christina Oh

DIRECTOR: Lee Isaac Chung

SYNOPSIS: A Korean family moves to Arkansas to start a farm in the 1980s.

STARRING: Steven Yeun, Yeri Han, Alan S. Kim, Yuh-jung Youn, Will Patton

4. "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" (Netflix)

PRODUCERS: Todd Black, Denzel Washington, Dany Wolf

DIRECTOR: George C. Wolfe

SYNOPSIS: Chicago, 1927. A recording session. Tensions rise between Ma Rainey, her ambitious horn player and the white management determined to control the uncontrollable "Mother of the Blues". Based on Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson's play..

STARRING: Chadwick Boseman, Dusan Brown, Jonny Coyne, Viola Davis, Colman Domingo, Taylour Paige, Michael Potts, Jeremy Shamos, Glynn Turman

5. "One Night in Miami" (Amazon Studios)

PRODUCERS: Jess Wu Calder, Keith Calder, Jody Klein

DIRECTOR: Regina King

SYNOPSIS: A fictional account of one incredible night in 1964, where four icons of activism, sports and music – Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke – gathered, discussing their roles in the civil rights movement and cultural upheaval of the ’60s.

STARRING: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom, Jr.

6. "The Father" (Sony Pictures Classics)

PRODUCERS: Philippe Carcassonne, Simon Friend, Jean-Louis Livi, David Parfitt, Christophe Spadone

DIRECTOR: Florian Zeller

SYNOPSIS: A man refuses all assistance from his daughter as he ages. As he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality.

STARRING: Olivia Colman, Mark Gatiss, Anthony Hopkins, Imogen Poots, Rufus Sewell, Olivia Williams

7. "Mank" (Netflix)

PRODUCERS: David Fincher, Ceán Chaffin, Eric Roth, Douglas Urbanski

DIRECTOR: David Fincher

SYNOPSIS: 1930s Hollywood is re-evaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish the screenplay of Citizen Kane for Orson Welles.

STARRING: Tom Burke, Lily Collins, Joseph Cross, Charles Dance, Monika Gossman, Ferdinand Kingsley, Jamie McShane, Tuppence Middleton, Toby Leonard Moore, Gary Oldman, Tom Pelphrey, Amanda Seyfried, Sam Troughton

8. "News of the World" (Universal Pictures)

PRODUCERS: Gary Goetzman, Gregory Goodman, Gail Mutrux

DIRECTOR: Paul Greengrass

SYNOPSIS: A Civil War veteran agrees to deliver a girl, taken by the Kiowa people years ago, to her aunt and uncle, against her will. They travel hundreds of miles and face grave dangers as they search for a place that either can call home.

STARRING: Tom Hanks, Helena Zengel, Elizabeth Marvel, Mare Winningham, Michael Angelo Covino, Ray McKinnon

9. "Da 5 Bloods" (Netflix)

PRODUCERS: Jon Kilik, Spike Lee, Beatriz Levin, Lloyd Levin

DIRECTOR: Spike Lee

SYNOPSIS: Four African American vets battle the forces of man and nature when they return to Vietnam seeking the remains of their fallen squad leader and the gold fortune he helped them hide.

STARRING: Delroy Lindo, Clarke Peters, Jonathan Majors, Chadwick Boseman, Isiah Witlock, Jr,, Norm Lewis

10. "Promising Young Woman" (Focus Features)

PRODUCERS: Ben Browning, Emerald Fennell, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, Josey McNamara, Ashley Fox

DIRECTOR: Emerald Fennell

SYNOPSIS: A young woman, traumatized by a tragic event in her past, seeks out vengeance against those who cross her path.

STARRING: Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Laverne Cox, Molly Shannon, Clancy Brown, Jennifer Coolidge, Max Greenfield, Alison Brie, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Connie Britton, Chris Lowell, Adam Brody, Sam Richardson