We’re on the cusp of discovering who will win the very first Academy Award for Best Casting. As the first new category at the Oscars since Best Animated Feature was introduced in 2002, it’s tricky to know how this one will go. What criteria will members be using to determine their choice? Will they vote for casting directors they’ve worked for? Will it just match Best Picture? Or SAG ensemble? And what precursor awards could be telling us which way the wind is blowing?
The Casting Society has been handing out its awards for over four decades. The problem is that they split their choices into six different categories. And contenders must be a member to be eligible for nominations. That ruled out Oscar nominees Cassandra Kulukundis (One Battle After Another) and Gabriel Domingues (The Secret Agent).
That being said, Francine Maisler (Sinners) was able to best fellow Oscar nominees Nina Gold (Hamnet) and Jennifer Venditti (Marty Supreme) in the “big budget drama” category. It was Maisler’s 17th win overall with CSA. Maisler also won the Critics Choice Award‘s first-ever prize for Best Casting back in January, but couldn’t replicate that win at the BAFTAs in late February, where local favourite I Swear took their prize.
So where does that leave us? Maisler is a casting legend. She’s worked across TV and film for over 30 years. She’s worked with acclaimed filmmakers like Alejandro González Iñárritu, Luca Guadagnino, Denis Villeneuve, and Greta Gerwig. She’s been responsible for some of the biggest ensembles in modern film history, including all three Dune films, The Big Short, Little Women, and Don’t Look Up. And Sinners is her latest triumph, as evidenced by its SAG ensemble win. It seems only fitting that someone of her standing would take this inaugural casting award.
BEST CASTING PREDICTIONS:
1. Sinners – Francine Maisler (Warner Bros.) – BAFTA, CCA, CSA
2. One Battle After Another – Cassandra Kulukundis (Warner Bros.) – BAFTA, CCA
3. Hamnet – Nina Gold (Focus Features) – BAFTA, CCA, CSA
4. Marty Supreme – Jennifer Venditti (A24) – BAFTA, CCA, CSA
5. The Secret Agent – Gabriel Domingues (NEON)
Will win: Sinners
Should win: Sinners
Possible upset: Hamnet
