Best Film Editing Predictions (October)

We know Best Film Editing nominees typically feature either Best Picture contenders or frenetic blockbusters with chaotic editing that makes your head spin. It’s a running joke amongst Oscar pundits that the film with the “most editing” often wins, which helps explain the previous two winners, Bohemian Rhapsody (sigh) and Ford v Ferrari.

As we’re mostly devoid of blockbusters this year (Tenet is really the only non-Best Picture contender in contention here), we may actually see a lineup of genuinely deserving editors, most of which have either been nominated or won before. Two-time winner and perennial David Fincher collaborator Kirk Baxter sits in pole position on pedigree alone, but we’ll naturally have to see how Mank pans out.

Elsewhere, five-time nominee and previous winner William Goldenberg seems a fair chance for News of the World, as does previous nominee Alan Baumgarten for his time-bending editing on The Trial of the Chicago 7. The Academy loves to nominate directors who edit their own films (David Lean, James Cameron, Alfonso Cuarón, the Coen Brothers, to name a few), which bodes well for Chloé Zhao. A nomination for Nomadland would make Zhao the first female filmmaker nominated for editing her own film.

BEST FILM EDITING PREDICTIONS:
1. Mank (Netflix)
Kirk Baxter
2. The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)
Alan Baumgarten
3. Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures)
Chloé Zhao
4. News of the World (Universal Pictures)
William Goldenberg
5. Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)
Adam Gough

MAJOR CONTENDERS:
The Father (Sony Pictures Classics)
Yorgos Lamprinos
Hillbilly Elegy (Netflix)
James Wilcox
Judas and the Black Messiah (Warner Bros.)
Kristan Sprague
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
Andrew Mondshein
The Midnight Sky (Netflix)
Stephen Mirrione
Minari (A24)
Harry Yoon
One Night in Miami (Amazon Studios)
Tariq Anwar
Respect (United Artists Releasing) [Moved to August 2021]
Avril Beukes
Sound of Metal (Amazon Studios)
Mikkel E.G. Nielsen
Tenet (Warner Bros.)
Jennifer Lame