Who will triumph at the Oscars 2019?

It’s awards season again, which means that soon cinemas will be screening the year’s best offerings from Hollywood and beyond to light up the dull winter days. Hosted a week ago and packed with surprises, the Golden Globes have already given us a taste of what’s to come. Here are some of the films which we think could win big at the most esteemed event of the cinematic year, the eagerly awaited Oscars ceremony.

Roma, the latest feature by Alfonso Cuarón, seems set to take home some of those iconic golden trophies. Having won Best Film in Venice, the movie could find the same success of titles which premiered at the Italian festival: Birdman, La La Land and The Shape of Water; not to mention Gravity, which previously went on to win the Mexican filmmaker an Academy Award for Best Director.

If, as we believe, features that are highly rated by this prestigious jury are likely to do well in the US, then Yorgos Lanthimos’s female-fronted historical comedy-drama The Favourite – which also screened first in Venice to critical acclaim – could prove a huge triumph. Likewise, Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut A Star Is Born (which has made Cooper, and, more surprisingly, Lady Gaga, surefire nominees in the acting category) could sweep up some awards. Indeed, this remake of a remake of a remake (you get the picture) is a strong frontrunner amongst predictions. Every day the competition gets hotter and hotter, with bookies updating their figures on a daily basis, as various international awards are unveiled ahead of the big night on 25^th February at Dolby Theater; in fact, it’s a bit like the first week of World Cup, when the hype for each favourite team changes match by match.

Other films with notable performances tipped for nominations include Can You Ever Forgive Me? – a biopic of biographer Lee Isreal starring Melissa McCarthy – and The Wife, for which heavyweight actress Glenn Close has been widely lauded. Damien Chazelle’s newest entry, First Man, though perhaps not gaining the same hype as previous films, still ticks all the Oscars boxes, and features solid lead and supporting performances by Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy, respectively. Steve Carell (Beautiful Boy) and Robert Redford (Old Man and the Gun) may also get a look in, but Christian Bale’s performance as Dick Cheney in Vice could be a likely winner.

Some more unlikely winners, if the Golden Globes are anything to go by, might come in the form of Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, which took home Best Drama Picture this month despite the controversy during production, which caused several upheavals amongst the cast and creative team. Given its uphaul of The Favourite in the Best Comedy/Musical category, Peter Farrelly’s Green Book could also be a possible contender. 

With any luck, we might even see some diversity this year, with Marvel’s Black Panther having found some recognition, and Moonlight director Barry Jenkins’s latest offering If Beale Street Could Talk highly rated amongst critics.

The editorial unit