Oscars 2025: Our Favourites for the Various Academy Award Categories

Oscars 2025: Best Picture

Following the nominations for the Best Picture roughly about a month ago, most movie lovers and Oscars’ followers realised fairly quickly that there would not be a clear front runner in this category like last year. The race for the biggest prize at the 2025 Academy Awards is highly competitive, featuring a strong lineup that includes the likes of “Conclave”, "Dune: Part Two," "Nickel Boys", and “Anora”. 

One film that garnered significant attention was "The Brutalist" - Brady Corbet’s stunning homage to the 1950s widescreen melodramas and 1970s moody epics, whose reception was no surprise given its compelling execution. Similarly, "Emilia Perez", Jacques Audiard’s audacious musical, had a strong showing with 13 nominations and looked to be the one to beat, but its momentum was halted by a social media controversy surrounding lead actress Karla Sofia Gascon, which many feel will sway some Oscars voters away from supporting it. 

At this point, for us, the race has come down to two - Anora and The Brutalist. Despite a shutout at the Golden Globes in January, Anora has picked up major awards from the Producers, Directors and Writers Guilds, signalling its strong chances of earning an Oscar. Anora’s blend of provocative screwball comedy and socially aware drama has resonated deeply with both audiences and critics alike, positioning it as a formidable contender for this year’s top honour at the Academy Awards. 

Our Oscars Best Picture prediction is: Anora!

Oscars 2025: Best Director 

At the Cannes Film Festival, an awards ceremony that has increasingly become a reliable predictor of future Oscars contenders, Sean Baker and Anora emerged as frontrunners, and with a Palme d'Or under its belt, this picture continued to gain momentum throughout 2024. Baker’s enthusiastic acceptance speeches championing independent theatrical filmmaking only fueled its buzz, and if Anora picks up the Best Picture award, Baker could easily be on the podium again.

However, The Brutalist, directed by Brady Corbet, has been just as prominent on the Hollywood awards circuit. The monumental epic, starring Adrien Brody as a mid-century Hungarian architect, saw Corbet claim victory over Baker in this category at the Golden Globes, suggesting that his late-season momentum might be strong enough to surpass Anora and position The Brutalist as a serious competitor for the Best Director Oscar. 

Our Oscars Best Director prediction is: Brady Corbet!

Oscars 2025: Best Actor

Adrien Brody and Timothee Chalamet sparked almost immediate Oscar buzz with their performances in the The Brutalist and the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unkown, respectively, and there is no doubt that both actors have earned themselves a strong group of supporters. Lead roles in biopics tend to perform well at the Oscars, and while winning the SAG award doesn’t always guarantee an Academy Award, Chalamet’s recent win does put him firmly in the picture as a proper challenger against Brody in this category. 

However, Brody has been racking up awards all season, and while his momentum was interrupted by Chalamet’s SAG win, the latter faces a challenge from an Academy that has historically been reluctant to recognise young male actors. In fact, no actor under the age of 30 has ever won the Best Actor Oscar - except for Brody himself - who took home the prize at 29 for his role in The Pianist. 

Our Oscars Best Actor prediction is: Adrian Brody!

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Oscars 2025: Best Actress 

On to the Best Actress Award, and while the pair of Fernanda Torres and Cynthia Erivo both have a real chance of making a late surge to claim the award, the real race for us will come between Demi Moore and Mikey Madison. Indeed, Moore has made a remarkable industry comeback with her exceptional performance in The Substance, while Madison, who masterfully tackles a complex tragicomic role in Anora, has won over voters at FYC events, and her campaigning has been determined yet not overbearing, giving her an equal shot at the Oscar. 

Right now, we reckon it’s anyone’s game, but Oscar season often teaches us to bet on tradition when choosing between logic and disruption. The industry appears to be backing Moore, and the Oscars may follow suit. Already a Golden Globe winner, Moore’s heartfelt speech about her treatment in the 1990s has made her a compelling figure and a win here would not only serve as an overdue apology from the industry but also as a victory for female-directed films - both of which have long been overlooked by the Academy. 

Our Oscars Best Actress prediction is: Demi Moore!

Oscars 2025: Best Supporting Actor

While there have been many years in which the Best Supporting Actor category feels completely up for grabs by any of the nominees, this time around feels a whole lot different. One actor has consistently dominated this conversation throughout 2024 from the moment the nominations were announced, and with the number of speeches Kieran Kulkin has already delivered to awards show audiences, we’re expecting one more to come at the Oscars for his outstanding role in A Real Pain. 

Our Oscars Best Supporting Actor prediction is: Kieran Kulkin!

Oscars 2025: Best Supporting Actress 

While most involved with Emilia Perez have suffered the heartbreak of its collapse, Zoe Saldana is certainly not one of those individuals. The actress has successfully navigated the controversy surrounding her co-star Karla Sofia Gascon’s tweets and has been on an impressive winning streak for her outstanding role in the picture. With victories at the Critics’ Choice Awards, BAFTA’s, Golden Globes, and SAG Awards already locked in, an Oscar for Saldana now seems about as close as a certainty as one could expect at the Oscars. 

Our Oscars Best Supporting Actress prediction is: Zoe Saldana!

Oscars 2025: Additional Award Selections

• Best International Film: Emilia Perez
• Best Original Screenplay: Anora
• Best Animated Feature: Flow
• Best Documentary Feature: Porcelain War
• Best Cinematography: The Brutalist
• Best Song: “El Mal” Emilia Perez
• Best Sound: A Complete Unknown
• Best Costume Design: Wicked
• Best Visual Effects: Dune Part Two
• Best Original Score: The Brutalist

Oscars 2025: Betting Odds

All odds taken from Bet365

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