The 2020 Oscars nominations announcement is just around the corner, so here are all the nominees (and potential winners) to expect. 2019 was an excellent year for cinema, one that sparked many conversations about the medium’s future and the place of the so-called Oscar movie in the blockbuster age. After a very mixed Oscar season last year with epic highs (Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman, Roma) and serious lows (Bohemian Rhapsody, Green Book), it’s no wonder Oscar nerds and critics alike are simultaneously amped up and trepidatious for the coming awards.

This year, however, is very different. The front-runners for Oscar nominations include a whodunnit murder mystery, an adaptation of a literary classic, a Hollywood epic from a beloved auteur, a heart-breaking relationship drama, a comic book villain’s origin reimagined as a grimy prestige drama, a comedy featuring an imaginary Hitler, and a universally beloved Korean satire.

RELATED: What Golden Globes 2020 Winners Means For The Oscars

Hearts will be broken come Oscar nomination morning, but the chances are that at least one thing you loved will be recognized in some form. With that in mind, we’re taking a look at who we expect to be nominated at the 2020 Academy Awards.

BEST PICTURE

  • 1917
  • Ford v Ferrari
  • The Irishman
  • Jojo Rabbit
  • Joker
  • Knives Out
  • Little Women
  • Marriage Story
  • Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
  • Parasite

The Best Picture category has the potential for 10 nominees, but due to the weighted ballot and minimum vote requirement for qualifying, it’s been a few years since the Academy filled out every spot. Still, we’re looking at the possibility of a full ballot, especially since 2019 offered so much in terms of choice. The 10 films listed represent not only the most acclaimed and commercially successful movies of the season but the most talked-about titles, and buzz is just as important for Oscar glory as reviews and box office. These are also the films nominated for the Producers Guild of America award this year and that’s arguably the best method we have of predicting this category. For now, following its surprise Golden Globes wins, 1917 is a hot favorite for the top prize thanks to its stunning technical prowess. However, the Academy are always suckers for a story about Hollywood itself, which gives Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood a major advantage. Tarantino has two Oscars under his belt but never a Best Picture win and given that this is supposed to be his penultimate movie before retirement, the Academy could see this as his time. If the Academy wanted to make a real impact, however, then the winner should be Parasite, which is astoundingly good and an excellent chance to reverse decades of snobbery towards films not in the English language (director Bong Joon-ho has also proven very popular on the campaigning circuit this season).

WHO WILL WIN: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

WHO SHOULD WIN: Parasite

DON’T WRITE OFF: 1917

BEST DIRECTOR

Director Sam Mendes and screenwriter Krysty Wilson-Cairns on the set of 1917
  • Bong Joon-ho - Parasite
  • Sam Mendes - 1917
  • Martin Scorsese – The Irishman
  • Todd Phillips – Joker
  • Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Sadly, it'll likely be yet another all-male Best Director category (although hopefully that's one wrong prediction). This has proven especially tragic this season because the choices available for voters are plentiful and deserving of attention: Lorene Scafaria for Hustlers; Marielle Heller for A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood; Alma Har’el for Honey Boy; Greta Gerwig for Little Women; and Celine Sciamma for Portrait of a Lady on Fire to name but a handful of possibilities. This could be another year dedicated to the big names of directing, particularly Scorsese and Tarantino. Bong Joon-ho looks set to make history as the first South Korean director to receive such a nomination, while Todd Phillips, whose film Joker remains deeply controversial but hugely commercially successful, seems to have enough friends in the business to ensure that he snags that fifth spot. He is, however, the most vulnerable potential nominee right now, especially following the Directors Guild of America nominations where he was overlooked in favor of Taika Waititi for Jojo Rabbit. The Academy likes to award the director who did the most difficult work of the season, and there’s certainly tough competition for that this year, but Sam Mendes’ Golden Globe win gives him a big advantage right now, as does Tarantino’s status as an icon (one without a Best Director trophy to his name, something Mendes already has). Over the past decade or so, the Academy has been happy to split Director and Picture between two movies, so if Tarantino is a favorite for Best Picture, that only benefits Mendes further.

WHO WILL WIN: Sam Mendes

WHO SHOULD WIN: Bong Joon-ho

DON’T WRITE OFF: Quentin Tarantino

BEST ACTOR

Joaquin Phoenix in Joker 2019
  • Antonio Banderas – Pain and Glory
  • Leonardo DiCaprio – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
  • Adam Driver – Marriage Story
  • Taron Egerton - Rocketman
  • Joaquin Phoenix – Joker

Best Actor could be filled out three or four times with potential and worthy nominees and there would still be some painful cuts made, be it Robert De Niro in The Irishman, Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems, or Eddie Murphy in Dolemite is My Name. The competition is that good this year. Driver and Phoenix are locks, with the latter currently the front-runner thanks to his Golden Globe win for Joker and a strong narrative that he’s due a victory. Egerton’s own Globe win helps him out a lot, as does Elton John’s feverish campaigning in his honor, while DiCaprio is DiCaprio and being the star of the Best Picture frontrunner can only help him. Banderas has never been nominated before and he would certainly deserve an Oscar for his work in Pedro Almodovar’s Pain and Glory, but for him, a nomination would probably be the win itself. Joaquin Phoenix has an acclaimed performance on his side in Joker, one of the highest-grossing movies of the year, as well as a lifetime of work in the industry (he’s been acting since he was nine), mountains of respect from his colleagues, and the honorable status as one of the best actors of his generation. A win is not set in stone, however, as his hesitation towards the campaigning process may hinder his victory, which would open the door for the critics’ darling, Adam Driver. Still, actors seldom actually win for their best performance and if Phoenix taking home an Oscar is the equivalent of a lifetime achievement award, it would be well deserved.

WHO WILL WIN: Joaquin Phoenix

WHO SHOULD WIN: Joaquin Phoenix/Antonio Banderas

DON’T WRITE OFF: Adam Driver

Related: Oscars 2020: Best Actor Predictions

BEST ACTRESS

Renee Zellweger in Judy
  • Awkwafina – The Farewell
  • Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story
  • Saoirse Ronan – Little Women
  • Charlize Theron – Bombshell
  • Renee Zellweger – Judy

Best Actress is another category with some tough cuts to make. In a just year, there would be room for Lupita Nyong'o and her career-best work in Us and the criminally underrated Alfre Woodard's stellar turn in Clemency. This is another category where big names look set to dominate, from Johansson landing her first Oscar nomination to Ronan potentially nabbing her fourth. Theron’s turn as former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly in Bombshell is eerily uncanny but the movie itself hasn’t received the same sort of buzz. Renee Zellweger, however, has the ultimate Oscar role this year, playing the iconic Judy Garland in a movie where she does all her own singing. There’s a real excitement around Zellweger’s comeback after several years out of the spotlight which could also greatly help her. She had the toughest job out of the possible nominees and the Academy loves to reward that.

WHO WILL WIN: Renee Zellweger

WHO SHOULD WIN: Saoirse Ronan

DON’T WRITE OFF: Charlize Theron

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Cliff gives Rick advice in the car in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
  • Tom Hanks – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
  • Al Pacino – The Irishman
  • Joe Pesci – The Irishman
  • Brad Pitt – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
  • Song Kang-ho – Parasite

The nominees for the acting categories are voted on by the Screen Actors Guild, so big name recognition and industry buzz greatly help. Hanks, Pacino, and Pitt are utterly beloved by their colleagues and all appeared in big roles in big movies. Hanks played Mr. Rogers while Pacino played Jimmy Hoffa. Joe Pesci turned in one of the year’s best performances in The Irishman, to the point where it felt like he’d never gone away or stopped acting. It’s much quieter than what audiences expect from Pesci, and that may hurt his chances in a category with big work. Brad Pitt, however, has the best narrative: The Hollywood hunk turned respected character actor and beloved producer with pure, unadulterated star power. A true surprise would be for Song Kang-ho, the legendary South Korean actor, to receive a nomination for Parasite, especially if the film’s buzz carries over into other categories (think of Marina de Tavira’s surprise Best Supporting Actress nomination for Roma last year.)

WHO WILL WIN: Brad Pitt

WHO SHOULD WIN: Joe Pesci

DON’T WRITE OFF: Tom Hanks

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

  • Laura Dern – Marriage Story
  • Jennifer Lopez – Hustlers
  • Florence Pugh – Little Women
  • Margot Robbie – Bombshell
  • Zhao Shuzhen – The Farewell

Laura Dern seems to have had this award all locked up since Marriage Story premiered. She’s a beloved figure in the industry and has had a stellar past few years thanks to works like Big Little Lies and Twin Peaks: The Return. Jennifer Lopez knocked us all out with her layered and utterly charismatic work in Hustlers, a reminder of just how good an actress she can be. Robbie has the one-two punch of Bombshell and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in her corner, but she has way more to do in Bombshell to secure the nomination, while Florence Pugh is a stand-out in Little Women as well as one of the most buzzed-about young actresses currently working thanks to films like Midsommar. Chinese actress Zhao Shuzhen has charmed and broken audiences’ hearts in The Farewell but could prove the most vulnerable nominee here, especially with Scarlett Johansson possibly primed for a double nomination with Jojo Rabbit.

WHO WILL WIN: Laura Dern

WHO SHOULD WIN: Laura Dern

DON’T WRITE OFF: Margot Robbie

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

  • The Irishman
  • Jojo Rabbit
  • Joker
  • Little Women
  • The Two Popes

Steve Zaillian had the unenviable job of turning a possibly true but probably made-up story about gangsters and hitmen into a three and a half-hour drama that doesn't lag for a second, and he pulled that off with aplomb in The Irishman. If Taika Waititi and Greta Gerwig miss out on director nominations, celebrating them in the screenplay category would be a smart move. Anthony McCarten, the screenwriter of The Two Popes, has written three previous Best Picture nominees and has a way of landing awards attention, which certainly doesn't hurt. Joker, meanwhile, has the buzz in its favor that can't be ignored.

WHO WILL WIN: The Irishman

WHO SHOULD WIN: The Irishman

DON’T WRITE OFF: Little Women

Related: Oscars 2020: Best Supporting Actress Predictions

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Al Pacino in Columbia Pictures “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"
  • The Farewell
  • Knives Out
  • Marriage Story
  • Parasite
  • Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Noah Baumbach has the critics’ favor in his corner for Netflix’s Marriage Story, which may be his best film out of a career of great work. The competition is tough, with two-time screenplay winner Quentin Tarantino right behind him, as well as Rian Johnson’s brilliant work in Knives Out. Lulu Wang’s The Farewell, based on her own family, is tender and deftly drawn in a way that deserves attention but may be overlooked in favor of the bigger names, while Parasite’s screenplay is receiving far less attention than its direction but is worthy of far more praise. There are no unworthy winners here.

WHO WILL WIN: Marriage Story

WHO SHOULD WIN: Knives Out

DON’T WRITE OFF: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Dean-Charles Chapman and George MacKay in 1917
  • 1917
  • The Irishman
  • Joker
  • The Lighthouse
  • Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

After many years of being snubbed by the Academy, the legendary Roger Deakins finally landed his first Oscar win two years ago with Blade Runner 2047. He looks set to add another trophy to his shelf with 1917, a movie famously produced to look as if it was made in one continuous shot. Even people who didn't like Joker had to admit that its cinematography by Laurence Sher was stunning, while The Lighthouse (a movie that really should be receiving more awards attention than it's getting) and its vintage-style aesthetic is entirely up the Academy's alley.

WHO WILL WIN: 1917

WHO SHOULD WIN: 1917

DON’T WRITE OFF: Joker

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

  • Dolemite is My Name
  • Downton Abbey
  • Little Women
  • Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
  • Rocketman

The costume design category is typically defined by its love for lavish historical design and bombastic costuming. There’s plenty of that to choose from this year, be it the Elton John fashions of Rocketman or the recreation of 1960s Los Angeles style in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Downton Abbey ticks all the boxes for period drama clothing, while Dolemite is My Name benefits from the name of Ruth E. Carter, who won in this category last year for Black Panther. The voters in this category don’t usually go for subtlety, so that could work in Rocketman’s favor (Elton John never did subtlety either).

WHO WILL WIN: Rocketman

WHO SHOULD WIN: Dolemite is My Name

DON’T WRITE OFF: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

BEST EDITING

  • 1917
  • Ford v Ferrari
  • The Irishman
  • Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
  • Uncut Gems

Typically, Best Editing goes to work that is dramatic and showy, but then again, this award went to Bohemian Rhapsody last year, which is one of the most abysmally edited movies of recent memory. 1917's editing required making the movie look as though no editing had taken place, which could work against it with voters who don't notice the work required. Ford v Ferrari has some of the sharpest and most dynamic editing work of the season, as does Uncut Gems, but the latter may prove too esoteric and anxiety-inducing for some (which, in fairness, is the point). The Irishman also has the legendary Thelma Schoonmaker at the helm, and she should never be underestimated.

WHO WILL WIN: The Irishman

WHO SHOULD WIN: The Irishman

DON’T WRITE OFF: Ford v Ferrari

BEST MAKE-UP AND HAIRSTYLING

  • Bombshell
  • Joker
  • Rocketman

This category is usually dominated by heavy prosthetics work but this could be a season where more effectively subtle work gets its due, be it the startlingly uncanny work behind turning Charlize Theron into Megyn Kelly in Bombshell or the deliberately slapdash but now iconic work in Joker, creating a new cinematic villain from a familiar face. The instantly recognizable nature of Joker may work in its favor but Bombshell’s deceptively difficult work shouldn’t be overlooked.

Related: Oscars 2020: Best Actress Predictions

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Leonardo DiCaprio as Rick melting down in his trailer in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
  • Little Women
  • The Irishman
  • Jojo Rabbit
  • Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
  • Parasite

As with costuming, the production design is a category where big work and historical aesthetics tend to dominate, which greatly benefits Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and The Irishman, both of which recreated very specific periods in time down to the smallest detail. Credit should also go to Jojo Rabbit for its take on war-stricken Germany in a way that is realistic but still rooted in Taika Waititi’s more madcap sensibility, as well as Parasite and the lavish home at the center of the action, a location that is simultaneously beautiful and unnerving. Hollywood has the upper hand for taking on 1969 Los Angeles, a period that may be familiar to many an Academy voter.

WHO WILL WIN: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

WHO SHOULD WIN: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

DON’T WRITE OFF: The Irishman

BEST SCORE

Joker dances on the stairs
  • 1917
  • Joker
  • Little Women
  • Marriage Story
  • Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Best Score could be dominated by some of the biggest composers in film today: Thomas Newman, Randy Newman, Alexandre Desplat, and the legendary John Williams. The most-hyped contender, however, is a relative newcomer. Hildur Guðnadóttir, the Icelandic cellist who recently won an Emmy for her work in Chernobyl, just became the first solo woman to win the Golden Globe for Best Original Score for her work on Joker. It's a truly stunning piece of work, one that even the biggest haters of Joker have to admit is brilliant. It sounds like nothing else in film this year and deserves every inch of praise it gets.

WHO WILL WIN: Joker

WHO SHOULD WIN: Joker

DON’T WRITE OFF: 1917

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

Frozen 2 Elsa at Ahtohallan
  • “Glasgow” – Wild Rose
  • “I’m Gonna Love Me Again” – Rocketman
  • “Into the Unknown” – Frozen II
  • “Spirit” – The Lion King
  • “Stand Up” – Harriet

The two biggest potential names in this category are Elton John for Rocketman and Beyoncé for The Lion King. “Glasgow” from Wild Rose has Mary Steenburgen as a co-writer, and the Oscar-winning actress’s highly unique story of going in for an operation and waking up with music in her head that inspired her to become a musician is a fascinating one that will grab many a voter’s attention. Don’t write off Frozen 2 either, although “Into the Unknown” is far less of an inescapable earworm than “Let It Go”.

WHO WILL WIN: Frozen II

WHO SHOULD WIN: Wild Rose

DON’T WRITE OFF: Rocketman

BEST SOUND EDITING

George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman resting on the ground in 1917
  • 1917
  • Avengers: Endgame
  • Ford v Ferrari
  • Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
  • Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Sound editing focuses on selecting the various sound recordings required for a scene and assembling them for the mixing process. The sound categories tend to confuse a lot of people, including Academy voters, who don't entirely know the difference between the two fields. Big, loud blockbusters tend to do well here, as do action and war movies, hence our predictions. For sheer technical prowess, 1917 has an edge over The Rise of Skywalker, if only because the Academy loves to vote for prestigious war dramas over bombastic sci-fi sagas.

WHO WILL WIN: 1917

WHO SHOULD WIN: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

DON’T WRITE OFF: Ford v Ferrari

Related: Oscars 2020: Best Director Predictions

BEST SOUND MIXING

  • 1917
  • Avengers: Endgame
  • Ford v Ferrari
  • Rocketman
  • Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Sound mixing refers to the process of actually putting together the various sounds of a movie, from dialogue and score to background noise. There’s typically a lot of crossover here with sound editing, although we’ve given a shout out to Rocketman here because music-focused movies with big concert scenes tend to play well with this category (see the success of Bohemian Rhapsody in the sound categories last year despite some questionable technical decisions.) If 1917 is winning sound editing then the chances are the mix will win too.

WHO WILL WIN: 1917

WHO SHOULD WIN: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

DON’T WRITE OFF: Ford v Ferrari

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

  • 1917
  • Avengers: Endgame
  • The Irishman
  • The Lion King
  • Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Disney fought hard to avoid having their remake of The Lion King classified as an animated movie (something the Golden Globes went ahead and did anyway), and its effects are certainly well-done, but that ambiguity over its status may hinder its success. As always, blockbusters do very well here, but The Irishman has fans in its corner thanks to its use of de-aging technology. Arguments continue, however, over how good said de-aging actually was. Avengers: Endgame is the biggest movie of the year – and, indeed, of all time – and if the Academy wants to acknowledge it in any way, here would be the best and most worthy place to do so.

WHO WILL WIN: Avengers: Endgame

WHO SHOULD WIN: Avengers: Endgame

DON’T WRITE OFF: The Irishman

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

  • Frozen 2
  • I Lost My Body
  • Klaus
  • Missing Link
  • Toy Story 4

Disney and Pixar tend to dominate this category, even in years where the competition is, frankly, far superior. Frozen 2 is now the biggest animated movie of all time but it’s not one critics were as wild about compared to its predecessor. Laika surprised everyone by winning the Golden Globe this year for the gorgeous Missing Link, and they certainly deserve an Oscar for years of criminally overlooked work. The indie hits here are two Netflix titles: I Lost My Body and Klaus, both of which have proven extremely popular with animation aficionados, but given that the category is voted on by everyone and not just experts, big-name recognition may reign supreme.

WHO WILL WIN: Frozen II

WHO SHOULD WIN: Missing Link

DON’T WRITE OFF: Toy Story 4

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

For Sama Movie Poster
  • American Factory
  • Apollo 11
  • For Sama
  • Honeyland
  • One Child Nation

American Factory comes courtesy of Netflix and the Obamas, the first film released under the latter’s production company, and the streaming service has some Oscar cred in this category. Apollo 11 was one of the big theatrical hits of the genre in 2019, while For Sama made history by becoming the BAFTA's most-nominated feature documentary. This is a category that often rises and falls based on how many voters actually saw the nominated movies (Academy members are not obliged to watch all the films.) In such circumstances, the big name recognition of Barack and Michelle Obama’s involvement in American Factory could be a tipping point to success, although For Sama has arguably made the most headlines out of all 2019 documentaries.

WHO WILL WIN: For Sama

WHO SHOULD WIN: For Sama

DON’T WRITE OFF: American Factory

Related: Oscars 2020: Best Supporting Actor Predictions

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM

So-dam Park and Woo-sik Choi in Parasite
  • Atlantics
  • Les Miserables
  • Pain and Glory
  • The Painted Bird
  • Parasite

It’s been a truly stellar year for foreign language cinema and the longlist of ten potential nominees only proves that. This one seems like Parasite’s to lose, and for good reason. It really is as excellent as everyone says it is. That’s not to say that Bong Joon-ho is lacking in worthy opponents for the trophy. Pedro Almodovar made his best work in years with the beautiful Pain and Glory, and Mati Diop’s stellar feature directorial debut Atlantics is one that must be seen to be believed. Les Misérables, the French choice for 2019, was chosen over the beloved Portrait of a Lady on Fire but it definitely stands on its own two feet, while The Painted Bird, a deeply violent and controversial title, may prove too shocking for the win but will be respected enough to land a nomination. Still, if Parasite loses this one then it will be the biggest shock of the night.

WHO WILL WIN: Parasite

WHO SHOULD WIN: Parasite

DON’T WRITE OFF: Pain and Glory

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

Hair Love
  • Dcera
  • Hair Love
  • Hors Piste
  • The Physics of Sorrow
  • Sister

The short categories tend to be the ones that most voters either skip over or pick at random, so predicting these winners and nominees is something of a wild stab in the dark. Pixar and Disney do well because of name recognition but they’re absent from proceedings this year. Hair Love has a lot of internet love and the power of Sony Animation in its corner.

WHO WILL WIN: Hair Love

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT

  • A Sister
  • Brotherhood
  • Little Hands
  • Miller and Son
  • The Neighbor’s Window

Short films tend to do best with voters when they focus on hot-button issues and there's certainly no shortage of options with this year's longlist, from kidnapping (Little Hands) to transgender identity (Miller and Son) to terrorism (Brotherhood). The Neighbor's Window, a thriller about a New York couple spying on their neighbors, comes courtesy of Oscar-nominated documentarian Marshall Curry, which doesn't hurt its chances. Miller and Son also recently won a Student Oscar, so the Academy may have some familiarity with it.

WHO WILL WIN: The Neighbor’s Window

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

  • After Maria
  • Fire in Paradise
  • Learning To Skate in a Warzone (if you’re a girl)
  • St. Louis Superman
  • Walk Run Cha-Cha

Netflix could do very well in this category with four entries on the shortlist. After Maria follows three Puerto Rican women dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, while Fire in Paradise shows the devastation of the fires that engulfed Paradise, California, in 2018. Walk Run Cha-Cha comes courtesy of the New York Times' Op-Docs, telling the story of two dancers who emigrated to America after the Vietnam War, while Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (if you’re a girl) won the IDA Documentary Awards' short category. Fire in Paradise may hit very close to home for Californian voters, especially right now as wildfires engulf Australia, a topic that was at the forefront of many a speech during the Golden Globes.

WHO WILL WIN: Fire in Paradise

NEXT: Oscars 2020: Best Picture Predictions