From vampires and blues music to William Shakespeare, 2025 was a spectacular year in film. BruinLife predicts the winners of the upcoming Academy Awards in March, the most coveted ceremony for cinema.
Best Picture – “Sinners”
“Sinners” has already made movie history, even if it doesn’t end up taking home the Academy’s most prestigious honor – though it very well might. With 16 nominations, Ryan Coogler’s fifth feature film has set the record for most Oscar-nominations, demonstrating the film’s overwhelming resonance and wide reach across numerous branches of the Academy. Gothic horror meets social commentary in this gripping and unexpected story of vampires, Black resilience and the Delta Blues. Confronting America’s dark history and legacy of generational trauma, “Sinners” expertly explores complex themes and is a stand-out for its writing, score and cinematography, making it a likely pick for the movie industry’s top prize.
Best Director – Paul Thomas Anderson (“One Battle After Another”)
Paul Thomas Anderson has, somehow, never won an Oscar. Despite being one of the most celebrated directors working today – with “There Will Be Blood” and “Boogie Nights” among his credits – Anderson’s experimental approach has long made him an unconventional choice. But with the critical success of his newest thriller, “One Battle After Another,” this might finally change. This action-packed dystopian adventure masterfully uses visual storytelling in its nuanced exploration of rebellion and corruption. Having already taken home a Golden Globe in the same category, Anderson is this year’s strongest – and long-overdue – Oscar contender.
Best Actor – Timothée Chalamet (“Marty Supreme”)
At the age of 30, Timothée Chalamet has built up one of the most impressive resumes for a contemporary actor. His performance as a ping pong star with big dreams in “Marty Supreme” was no exception. After its release on Christmas Day 2025, the actor has garnered critical acclaim and been on a pop cultural phenomenon of a press run. The Oscar nominations success of “Marty Supreme” has totaled Chalamet’s career nominations to four, including one for Best Picture as a producer of “Marty Supreme.” The Gen Z star has already picked up the Critics’ Choice Award and Golden Globe for Best Actor for “Marty Supreme” and it’d be no surprise if he took home his first Academy Award in March.
Best Actress – Jessie Buckley (“Hamnet”)
Irish actress Jessie Buckley put forth a groundbreaking performance in “Hamnet,” a historical biographical tragedy about William Shakespeare and his wife after the passing of their young child. She is widely agreed to be a shoo-in for Best Actress, having received critical acclaim for her harrowing portrayal of loss and grief. Leaving audiences stricken, Buckley’s turn has been hailed by viewers and received dozens of regional critics’ awards. Awards followers predict that her main competition is Rose Byrne, whose Oscar nomination is the sole nomination for her film, in comparison to “Hamnet’s” eight. Like Chalamet, Buckley has picked up the Critics’ Choice Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, trailblazing ahead of her fellow Best Actress nominees in “precursor” wins.
Best Supporting Actor – Delroy Lindo (“Sinners”)
The 2026 Best Supporting Actor is stacked with veterans and newcomers, making this year’s competition more intense. Stellan Skarsgård is impressive in “Sentimental Value,” with his subtle yet comforting role as Gustav Borg, but due to the tense competition, his performance falls behind. On the other hand, Jacob Elordi’s monstrous performance as Frankenstein’s monster is shockingly human, signaling his leap to more dramatic roles when compared to his roles as manipulative men. Now Benicio del Toro’s and Sean Penn’s roles as Sergio St. Carlos and Colonel Lockjaw in “One Battle After Another” are opposites in characterization yet equally compelling, with del Toro’s aloofness juxtaposing the intensity and pure malice Penn brings to the table.
Delroy Lindo as Delta Slim may take the Oscar. His performance balances comedy, sincerity and heartbreak so well that he steals the show every time he’s on screen. He’s the comedic relief and protector of the Blues, central to the plot. Every one of his scenes carries weight from the recollection of his friends’ lynching, to his sacrifice towards the climax of the film, making it a clear victory for Lindo.
Best Supporting Actress – Teyana Taylor (“One Battle After Another”)
Supporting categories are murkier than lead performance categories this season, as acting and Oscars veteran Amy Madigan (“Weapons”) seems neck and neck against first-time Oscar nominee Teyana Taylor. Both have received acclaim and regional critics’ awards for their respective roles, with Madigan taking home the Critics’ Choice Award and Taylor taking home the Golden Globe. Come March, it seems that the main factor bringing Taylor ahead is the strength of her film, “One Battle After Another.” Predicted for wins in Director and Adapted Screenplay, “Battle” is up for 13 Oscars. Madigan’s “Weapons” has one lone nomination in Madigan herself. In close acting races, the Academy is known for rewarding the performance in a more-winning film—for example, last year Mikey Madison (“Anora”) triumphed over her season-long competitor Demi Moore (“The Substance”), for the title of Best Actress after her film also took home major awards for Best Picture, Director and Screenplay.
Best Animated Feature – “KPop Demon Hunters”
The Best Animated Feature has been dominated by the two giants of animation, Pixar and DreamWorks, but in recent years, the medium has grown more inclusive. Indie and international films such as “Acro” and “Little Amelie or the Character of Rain” earned nominations, although amazing and heartfelt, they enter competition with a disadvantage, as general audiences haven’t heard of them until their nominations.
DreamWorks absence is felt, with Disney carrying the weight with “Zootopia 2,” a strong candidate for the award as it becomes the most profitable animated movie of all time, while Pixar’s “Elio” is an emotionally rich film worthy of its nomination, and unfortunately, underperformed during its theatrical stint. Leaving the clear winner, Sony Animation Studios’ “KPop Demon Hunters,” which shattered streaming records and earned massive critical acclaim, propelled its main theme, “Golden,” onto the Billboard Hot 100 for seven months and counting, making the film the clear and inevitable winner for this year.
