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The end is in sight: after months of campaigning, roundtables, red carpets and hot takes, it’s time for the big show. The Academy Awards are Hollywood’s end of season party, its senior prom and sports day all rolled into one, as the film world’s great and good stuff themselves into their tuxedos and/or fanciest frocks for a night of (we hope) entertaining mutual backslapping.
It’s fair to say that, so far, this awards season has been somewhat eventful, from the N-word fiasco at the UK’s normally sedate Baftas to the Timothée Chalamet Balletgate. Now the dust has settled, it looks like a straight fight between Ryan Coogler’s vampire thriller Sinners and Paul Thomas Anderson’s Thomas Pynchon adaptation One Battle After Another for most of the big prizes. Anderson’s chunky auteur project looked for a while as though it might have the edge, but since nomination day, when Sinners got more nods than any other previous film, momentum has appeared to move decisively in its direction. We shall see.
This year there are also quite a lot of noises off. The war with Iran and, further back, the Gaza invasion, may trigger podium outbursts, and the tribute to Rob Reiner in the Oscars’ traditional In Memoriam section will no doubt be genuinely affecting. Host Conan O’Brien could well have his hands full. Come what may, it will be a fascinating night.
How to watch
In the US: The E! channel gets things under way with Brunch at the Oscars at 11am PT/2pm ET on Sunday, followed by Countdown to the Red Carpet at 1pm PT/4pm ET. ABC and Hulu start their coverage with The Oscars Red Carpet Show at 3.30pm PT/6.30pm ET, before the ceremony begins at 4pm PT/7pm ET.
In the UK: ITV has the broadcasting rights, with Oscars Live starting on ITV1 and streaming platform ITVX at 10.15pm GMT.
In Australia: Channel 7 starts showing Red Carpet Live at 9.30am AEDT on Monday, with the ceremony show getting under way at 10am AEDT.
Preparation
Being well informed is the cornerstone of a fruitful Oscars viewing. So here is some homework.
The nominations list in full
Our annual debate over the best picture nominees
The Academy’s CEO chats to Peter Bradshaw
All hail the new Oscar: casting
Why it has all got a bit nasty
The cultural significance of Sinners
The rise of the ‘difficult’ character
The ins and outs of the ‘class photo’ at the nominees lunch
The films that didn’t make it
Tom Cruise gets lifetime achievement Oscar
Plus interviews with key players: Amy Madigan, Renate Reinsve, Wunmi Mosaku, Teyana Taylor, Rose Byrne, Ryan Coogler, Train Dreams’ Joel Edgerton and Clint Bentley, Josh Safdie, The Secret Agent’s Wagner Moura and Kleber Mendonça Filho, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater
Predictions
Look out for Peter Bradshaw’s thoughts on Sunday, but in the meantime here are a few:
Best picture Sinners
Best actor Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another
Best actress Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Best supporting actor Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
Best supporting actress Amy Madigan, Weapons
Best director Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Best adapted screenplay One Battle After Another
Best original screenplay Sinners
Best documentary The Perfect Neighbor
Best animated film Zootopia 2
Best international film Sentimental Value
And finally…
The Guardian’s own In Memoriam section:
Robert Duvall, Robert Redford, Peter Watkins, Rob Reiner, Diane Keaton, Brigitte Bardot, Terence Stamp, Frederick Wiseman, Diane Ladd, Béla Tarr, Pauline Collins, Lee Tamahori, Claudia Cardinale, Marcel Ophuls, Michael Madsen
