As the summer is left behind and, along with it, the many big blockbusters that have packed in audiences in our local multiplexes, our thoughts turn to awards season. In the coming months, particularly during the autumn film festivals and release calendar, we will be treated to films that have a chance at performing at next year’s Oscars.
Oscar host
Last year’s Oscar host, Jimmy Kimmel, has said that he will not return to presenting duties in 2025, and so far, the Academy hasn’t said who will. No doubt, facilitating a ceremony of this magnitude is no small task, and while there have been some names bandied about, there’s been no confirmation of who will be given one of the hardest and most rewarding jobs in Hollywood.
However, there are some rumours as to which films might end up in the running for the top gong at the event following this year’s Cannes, Venice and Toronto film festivals taking place and some meaty propositions presented.
Qualifying for Best Picture in 2025
To be in with a shot of being nominated for Best Picture in 2025, according to the Academy themselves, a feature must be over forty minutes in length, screen for seven consecutive days with at least one screening daily between 1st January to midnight at the end of December 31st in Los Angeles County, California.
Our picks so far
First up is a recent awards winner; Pedro Almodóvar’s The Room Next Door, which just won the Golden Lion in Venice. The movie is Almodóvar’s fist in the English language, and while reviews have been mixed-to-positive, its odds of at least a mention in the main category are good.
Looking back at Cannes, it would be hard to look past Sean Baker’s Anora, which bagged the prestigious Palme d’Or at the festival back in May. Jaques Audilard’s film Emilia Pérez is getting a Netflix release pretty soon (along with an Oscar-qualifying run), and buzz around that one from the Croisette was also very strong.
Britain’s own Steve McQueen’s new film, Blitz, is due to open this October’s BFI London Film Festival, and the Apple-backed project has some pretty strong word-of-mouth ahead of that world premiere.
Don’t ignore Warner Bros., either. They have three strong contenders in big budget sci-fi Dune: Part Two, released earlier this year, the October-bowing Joker: Folie à Deux, though reviews have been mixed so far, and also Clint Eastwood’s reported final film, Juror #2, which has been given a surprise early debut on screens in November.
Out of Telluride, Jason Reitman’s true story, Saturday Night, which is set on the night the very first SNL was broadcast scored great reviews.
Also, don’t ignore James Mangold’s Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown or even a late-in-the-year behemoth from Ridley Scott; a certain sequel titled Gladiator II for which there is some decent buzz – perhaps one of the British filmmaker’s best. Don’t forget, the first Gladiator scored 12 nominations back in 2001.
We’ll keep you updated as we continue into this exciting period with our extensive coverage from the final festivals of the year.
