Oscar 2023 predictions: Who will win best actor, best actress and best film awards

Although it is predicted that “Everything Everywhere All at Once” will win Best Picture, the new Academy is likely to find a way to give at least one trophy to other nominees in the category. The race is too close to call in other categories, but “All Quiet on the Western Front” is emerging as the only viable alternative to “Everything Everywhere All at Once” in the International Feature Film category.

As the much-anticipated 95th Academy Awards draws near, film enthusiasts are on the edge of their seats waiting to find out who will take home the coveted trophies. With many of the major Oscar categories being unusually tight this year, it’s anyone’s guess as to who will win. Despite the lack of clear frontrunners, we’re going to try and make some predictions for the major categories.

Best Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once

While the preferential ballot system used by the Academy can be unpredictable, there are some factors that favour certain films. In this case, SAG, PGA, WGA, and Spirit winner “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is likely to come out on top. The film’s socially relevant message and wildly entertaining storytelling are just some of the reasons why it’s a strong contender for the Best Picture category. Although “All Quiet on the Western Front” won the BAFTAs, Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan’s diverse multiverse crowdpleaser is an unpredictable and fresh take on traditional storytelling. Plus, it was a theatrical hit, grossing $107 million worldwide, which gives it an edge over other contenders like “The Fabelmans,” which was only streamed by Netflix.

Best Director: Daniels

While Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans” is a highly personal film that showcases his talent as a director, it’s not likely to win him an Oscar this year. Instead, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert are the likely winners in this category. Their genre-exploding quest to scramble people’s brains before getting them right in the feels was a hit with audiences, and their fresh and unique filmmaking voices are a welcome addition to the industry. The fact that they won the Directors Guild Awards, a frequent harbinger of Oscar success, also works in their favour. The Daniels have emerged victorious at the DGA and the Critics Choice Award, whereas Spielberg, who campaigned extensively for his most personal film, has not won an award since the Golden Globes.

Best Actress: Michelle Yeoh

This year’s Best Actress category has always been a two-woman contest, with Cate Blanchett and Michelle Yeoh as the front-runners. Blanchett’s portrayal of a powerfully flawed orchestra conductor in “Tár” is impressive, but it is Yeoh’s multiverse-saving, laundry-owning wife and mom in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” that steals the show. Yeoh won the important Screen Actors Guild Awards, and she is poised to win the Oscar as well. This is Yeoh’s moment to shine, after a long career that includes her iconic roles in global action movies. She is the first Asian actress to win the Best Actress award, and it is a historic moment for the Asian community.

Best Actor: Austin Butler

Austin Butler seems to be the favourite to win this year’s Best Actor award. He delivered a transformational performance as Elvis Presley in Elvis, capturing the essence of the iconic musician while making the role his own. Butler did his own singing and choreography, and he held onto his Elvis voice long after the film wrapped. This level of commitment is certainly award-worthy. While Brendan Fraser’s transformational performance in “The Whale” won him the Screen Actors Guild and Critics Choice awards, we’re still giving Butler the advantage. The demands of his role were simply greater, and as a result, “Elvis” received a lot more attention in the other categories this year.

Best Supporting Actress: Jamie Lee Curtis

The Best Supporting Actress category this year is the most tumultuous, with Angela Bassett winning at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice, Jamie Lee Curtis taking SAG, and Kerry Condon victorious at the British Academy Film Awards. Curtis has a good chance of winning the Academy Award as the Screen Actors Guild winner has taken home the award 12 out of the last 13 years, which is a promising sign. Curtis is a well-loved performer and a member of Hollywood royalty, which further boosts her chances of winning her first Oscar in her illustrious career.

Best Supporting Actor: Ke Huy Quan

After years of exile and struggling to land a job in Hollywood, Ke Huy Quan’s comeback performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once has earned him a spot as a frontrunner in the acting categories. Despite losing the BAFTA, Quan’s consistently outstanding work on the film has made each of his multiple roles believable, and it’s no wonder he’s received so many awards. Through it all, Quan has remained humble, enthusiastic, and authentic, making him the perfect candidate for a feel-good narrative that Academy voters will love. It’s clear that Ke Huy Quan deserves recognition as one of the great actors in this category, and we hope he wins.

Best Original Screenplay: Everything Everywhere All at Once

This category often rewards young, up-and-coming talent, and Everything Everywhere All at Once fits the bill perfectly. The film’s one-of-a-kind feeling and ostentatiously original screenplay are qualities that voters prize highly in this category. Additionally, since the modern path to the Best Picture win almost always runs through the screenplay categories, it’s unlikely that the writers-directors of Everything Everywhere All at Once, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, will lose here. Although Tár is the most erudite nominee and Banshees is the most quotable, we predict that Everything Everywhere All at Once will take home the prize.

Best Adapted Screenplay: Women Talking

Canadian filmmaker Sarah Polley faced a huge challenge with Women Talking, a film that has received mixed reviews. However, Polley’s remarkable adaptation of Miriam Toews’ novel about sexual assault, featuring eight Mennonites in a barn, runs for one hour and 44 minutes, demonstrating her writing skills and precision. Polley, who was previously nominated for an Oscar for writing Away from Her, has already won the Scripter Award and the Writers Guild Award, making her a strong contender for the Oscar. Despite the challenging subject matter, Polley’s sensitive and thoughtful approach has marked Women Talking as a favourite since its premiere at the Telluride Film Festival.

Best International Feature: All Quiet on the Western Front

The best-picture nominee almost never loses in this category, so we predict that All Quiet on the Western Front, which was beloved by the craft branches, will storm to victory. This adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s perfect novel made some unnecessary additions to the book but succeeded fully in hammering home the horrors of war. It earned nine Oscar nominations, won seven British Film Academy awards, and is one of the easiest calls of the night.

Best Documentary Feature: Navalny

Although none of the nominated documentaries really distinguished themselves this year outside of their particular niches, Navalny, about Russian anti-Putin activist Alexei Navalny investigating his attempted assassination by poison in 2020, plays like a spy thriller. The film has been available on streaming on HBO Max since January and won top honours from the Producers Guild and British Film Academy just as the war in Ukraine entered its second year. We predict that Oscar voters will likely follow suit, saluting the movie and the defiant bravery of its hero.

Best Animated Feature: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Guillermo del Toro’s stop-motion-animated take on the classic fairytale Pinocchio is the clear favourite to win Best Animated Feature at the 2023 Oscars. The film is a dark and agreeably weird version of Carlo Collodi’s 19th-century folk tale, which is exactly the kind of story that del Toro excels at telling. So far, Pinocchio has won just about every award it’s been up for this season, making it a sure bet to take home the Oscar. With his previous wins as a director and producer for The Shape of Water, del Toro is well on his way to adding a third Oscar to his collection.