Oscars 2017 Nomination Predictions

Ahead of my yearly predictions post, which will come later in December/early January (whenever the official nominations come out), I felt it was appropriate to maybe make some early predictions for who will be nominated for the Academy Awards – otherwise known as the Oscars.

Who knows what will actually go down, as the various other award shows have yet to pan out (BAFTAs, SAGs, Golden Globes, etc.). I know, these things are pretty much just self-congratulatory circle-jerks, but I enjoy them a tremendous amount, culminating in the best one of them all in February.

It’s more or less impossible to make an accurate prediction on the technical Oscars already, not to mention the short films/animated shorts and documentary categories, so I’ll skip those and just focus on the acting, directing, and writing awards.

I haven’t seen every movie on this list yet – namely because some haven’t come out in wide release yet. So we’re going off the buzz that a lot of these movies have generated at other awards shows, online, etc., as well as the legacy that some of these actors/directors/writers/musicians have both inside and outside of the Oscars.

I’m betting heavy on ‘Moonlight’, ‘Manchester by the Sea’, ‘La La Land’, and ‘Silence’ overall – those four will, without a doubt, end up with the most total nominations.

We’ll go with one prediction for the awards themselves, which will be that ‘Moonlight’ wins Best Picture. What a great film. Anyway – let’s go!

Best Picture
Moonlight
Manchester by the Sea
La La Land
Silence
Hacksaw Ridge
Arrival
Hell or High Water
Fences

Best Director
Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea
Martin Scorsese, Silence
Denis Villeneuve, Arrival
Damien Chazelle, La La Land

Could Make It: Jeff Nichols, Loving; Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge; Denzel Washington, Fences

Best Actor
Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Denzel Washington, Fences
Joel Edgerton, Loving
Tom Hanks, Sully
Ryan Gosling, La La Land

Could Make It: Michael Keaton, The Founder; Jake Gyllenhaal, Nocturnal Animals

Best Actress
Natalie Portman, Jackie
Amy Adams, Arrival
Annette Bening, 20th Century Women
Ruth Negga, Loving
Emma Stone, La La Land

Best Supporting Actor
Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water
Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea
Dev Patel, Lion
Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals

Best Supporting Actress
Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea
Naomie Harris, Moonlight
Viola Davis, Fences
Greta Gerwig, 20th Century Women
Felicity Jones, A Monster Calls

Best Original Screenplay
Hell or High Water
Moonlight
Manchester by the Sea
Loving
The Lobster

Best Adapted Screenplay
Arrival
Fences
Lion
Sully
Silence

Best Original Score
La La Land
Star Wars: Rogue One
Arrival
Moana
The Light Between Oceans

Best Original Song
‘How Far I’ll Go’ – Moana
‘The Fools Who Dream’ – La La Land
‘City of Stars’ – La La Land
‘Can’t Stop The Feeling’ – Trolls (Thanks, JT.)
‘I’m Still Here’ – Miss Sharon Jones

Best Animated Picture
Moana
Zootopia
Kubo and the Two Strings
Finding Dory
Kung Fu Panda 3