The final ten films announced for Best Picture in late January really only brought one minor surprise in the form of F1. It wasn’t entirely unexpected, given it had landed a PGA nomination. But it was hardly amongst the most critically lauded films of the year, so seeing it included as one of the ten best films of the year was still a bit of a stretch.
As for our eventual winner, One Battle After Another added a BAFTA win for Best Film (plus five other categories) to its previous Best Picture victories at the Critics Choice Awards and the Golden Globes. The real test comes this weekend with the PGA, where it will face the task of winning on a preferential ballot for the first time.
Expect one of two things to happen: either One Battle After Another wins and the race is well and truly over, or Sinners pulls off an “upset” and proves it benefits more from the preferential voting system the Academy will also use. If the latter occurs, we’ve got a genuine race on our hands. Do I see it happening? Eh, never say never.
BEST PICTURE PREDICTIONS:
1. One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.) – BAFTA, CCA, GG, PGA
2. Sinners (Warner Bros.) – BAFTA, CCA, GG, PGA, SAG
3. Hamnet (Focus Features) – BAFTA, CCA, GG, PGA, SAG
4. Marty Supreme (A24) – BAFTA, CCA, GG, SAG, PGA
5. Sentimental Value (NEON) – BAFTA, CCA, GG, PGA
6. Frankenstein (Netflix) – CCA, GG, SAG, PGA
7. Bugonia (Focus Features) – CCA, GG
8. The Secret Agent (NEON) – GG
9. Train Dreams (Netflix) – CCA, PGA
10. F1 – PGA