Best Film Editing Oscars Predictions (October)

If the prize for Best Sound often goes to the loudest film, the award for Best Film Editing generally goes to the contender with the “most” editing. Naturally, that old adage favours Dune, given its running time of two-and-a-half hours. Joe Walker has been here twice before with unsuccessful nominations in 2017 for Arrival and 2014 for 12 Years a Slave. Could the third time be the charm?

On paper, Belfast may not seem like the most complicated film in an editing sense, but looks can be deceiving. It’s a deceptively difficult film in a construction sense where Úna Ni Dhonghaile is required to meld quiet conversation scenes with frenetic action sequences. If Belfast does take home Best Picture, she could be pulled along for the ride.

While we’re still yet to see West Side Story, the trailers already suggest it’s a whirlwind of extravagant dance sequences that will require razor-sharp film editing from Sarah Broshar and Michael Kahn. Kahn has been collaborating with Steven Spielberg for decades, which has elicited the editor three Oscars thus far. This ties Kahn with three other editors for the most wins in this category. A fourth would make him the most honoured editor in history.

BEST FILM EDITING PREDICTIONS:
1. Dune (Warner Bros.)
Joe Walker
2. Belfast (Focus Features)
Úna Ni Dhonghaile
3. West Side Story (20th Century Studios)
Sarah Broshar and Michael Kahn
4. Licorice Pizza (MGM)
Andy Jurgensen (Paul Thomas Anderson)
5. The Power of the Dog (Netflix)
Peter Sciberras

IN CONTENTION
Don’t Look Up (Netflix)
Hank Corwin
Flee (Neon)
Janus Billeskov Jansen
House of Gucci (MGM)
Claire Simpson
King Richard (Warner Bros.)
Pamela Martin
The Matrix Resurrections (Warner Bros.)
Joseph Jett Sally
Nightmare Alley (Searchlight Pictures)
Cam McLauchlin
No Time to Die (MGM)
Tom Cross and Elliot Graham
Spencer (Neon)
Sebastián Sepúlveda
Tick, Tick… BOOM! (Netflix)
Myron Kerstein and Andrew Weisblum
The Tragedy of Macbeth (A24/Apple TV+)
Reginald Jaynes (Joel Coen)