The Circuit’s 94th Oscars Preview Pod & Predictions!!!

With nominations announced and the awards show right around the corner, it’s time to make my final predictions for who will be taking home statues at the 94th Academy Awards!

Circuit Artwork

You can listen to my Oscars Preview! Podcast with Kieran from the Best Picture Cast podcast where we break down all the major awards in a really engaging discussion here.

Before reading any further, make sure to go back and check out who I would have nominated for the 94th Oscars here. Finished? Perfect. As you can see, my ballots looked pretty similar to the Academy’s (90% in the Best Picture category!). But now that the official nominations are out, it’s time for me to make my official predictions!

For each of the 23 categories, I will pick who I want to win, who will win, and then how I would vote if I had an official ballot. As you’ll see, those could be three different votes; who I am rooting for could be different than who I would vote for, which could also be different than who I expect to win. Some categories will have the same vote for all three, some will have three different votes. But I trust you can follow along fairly easily. Let’s jump in!

Best Picture

Who I Want to Win: Dune

Who Will Win: CODA

What My Ballot Would Look Like:

1- West Side Story

2- CODA

3- Dune

4- The Power of the Dog

5- King Richard

6- Nightmare Alley

7- Licorice Pizza

8- Don’t Look Up

9- Belfast

10- Drive My Car

Best Director

Who I Want to Win: Steven Spielberg (West Side Story)

Who Will Win: Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog)

What My Ballot Would Look Like:

1- Steven Spielberg (West Side Story)

2- Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog)

3- Kenneth Branagh (Belfast)

4- Paul Thomas-Anderson (Licorice Pizza)

5- Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car)

Best Actor

Who I Want to Win: Andrew Garfield (Tick…Tick…Boom!)

Who Will Win: Will Smith (King Richard)

What My Ballot Would Look Like:

1- Andrew Garfield (Tick…Tick…Boom!)

2- Will Smith (King Richard)

3- Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog)

4- Denzel Washington (The Tragedy of Macbeth)

5- Javier Bardem (Being the Ricardos)

Best Actress

Who I Want to Win: Nicole Kidman(Being the Ricardos)

Who Will Win: Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos)

What My Ballot Would Look Like:

1- Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos)

2- Kristen Stewart (Spencer)

3- Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter)

4- Jessica Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye)

5- Penelope Cruz (Parallel Mothers)

Best Supporting Actor Nominees:

Who I Want to Win: Kodi-Smit McPhee (The Power of the Dog)

Who Will Win: Troy Kotsur (CODA)

What My Ballot Would Look Like:

1- Kodi-Smit McPhee (The Power of the Dog)

2- Troy Kotsur (CODA)

3- Ciaran Hinds (Belfast)

4- JK Simmons (Being the Ricardos)

5- Jesse Plemons (The Power of the Dog)

Best Supporting Actress

Who I Want to Win: Ariana DeBose (West Side Story)

Who Will Win: Ariana DeBose (West Side Story)

What My Ballot Would Look Like:

1- Ariana DeBose (West Side Story)

2- Kirsten Dunst (The Power of the Dog)

3- Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard)

4- Judi Dench (Belfast)

5- Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter)

Best Cinematography

Who I Want to Win: Dan Laustsen (Nightmare Alley)

Who Will Win: Dan Laustsen (Nightmare Alley)

What My Ballot Would Look Like:

1- Dan Laustsen (Nightmare Alley)

2- Greg Fraser (Dune)

3- Ari Wegner (The Power of the Dog)

4- Janusz Kaminski (West Side Story)

5- Bruno Delbonnel (The Tragedy of Macbeth)

Best Production Design

Who I Want to Win: West Side Story

Who Will Win: West Side Story

What My Ballot Would Look Like:

1- West Side Story

2- The Power of the Dog

3- Dune

4- The Power of the Dog

5- The Tragedy of Macbeth

Best Original Screenplay

Who I Want to Win: Adam McKay (Don’t Look Up)

Who Will Win: Paul Thomas-Anderson (Licorice Pizza)

What My Ballot Would Look Like:

1- Adam McKay (Don’t Look Up)

2- Paul Thomas-Anderson (Licorice Pizza)

3- Zach Baylin (King Richard)

4- Kenneth Branagh (Belfast)

5- Eskil Vogt (The Worst Person in the World)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Who I Want to Win: Denis Villeneuve (Dune)

Who Will Win: Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Lost Daughter)

What My Ballot Would Look Like:

1- Denis Villeneuve (Dune)

2- Sian Hader (CODA)

3- Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Lost Daughter)

4- Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog)

5- Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car)

Best Animated Feature

Who I Want to Win: Mitchell’s vs. the Machines

Who Will Win: Ecanto

What My Ballot Would Look Like:

1- Mitchell’s vs. the Machines

2- Flee

3- Raya and the Last Dragon

4- Luca

5- Encanto

Best Animated Short

Who I Want to Win: Robin Robin

Who Will Win: Robin Robin

What My Ballot Would Look Like:

1- Robin Robin

2- Boxballet

3- Bestia

4- Affairs of the Art

5- The Windshield Wiper

Best International Feature

Who I Want to Win: Flee

Who Will Win: Drive My Car

What My Ballot Would Look Like:

1- Flee (Denmark)

2- Drive My Car (Japan)

3- The Worst Person in the World (Norway)

4- Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (Bhutan)

5- The Hand of God (Italy)

Best Documentary Feature

Who I Want to Win: Flee

Who Will Win: Summer of Soul

What My Ballot Would Look Like:

1- Flee

2- Summer of Soul

3- Attica

4- Writing with Fire

5- Ascension

Best Documentary Short

Who I Want to Win: The Queen of Basketball

Who Will Win: Audible

What My Ballot Would Look Like:

1- The Queen of Basketball

2- Lead Me Home

3- Audible

4- When We Were Bullies

5- Three Songs for Benazir

Best Live Action Short

Who I Want to Win: The Long Goodbye

Who Will Win: The Long Goodbye

What My Ballot Would Look Like:

1- The Long Goodbye

2- Please Hold

3- The Dress

4- On My Mind

5- Ala Kachuu- Take and Run

Best Costume Design

Who I Want to Win: Jenny Beavan (Cruella)

Who Will Win: Jenny Beavan (Cruella)

What My Ballot Would Look Like:

1- Jenny Beavan (Cruella)

2- Paul Tazwell (West Side Story)

3- Jacqueline West (Dune)

4- Luis Sequeira (Nightmare Alley)

5- Massimo Cantini (Cyrano)

Best Editing

Who I Want to Win: Myron Kerstein (Tick…Tick…Boom!)

Who Will Win: Joe Walker (Dune)

What My Ballot Would Look Like:

1- Peter Sciberras (The Power of the Dog)

2- Myron Kerstein (Tick…Tick…Boom!)

3- Joe Walker (Dune)

4- Hank Corwin (Don’t Look Up)

5- Pamela Martin (King Richard)

Best Makeup & Hairstyling

Who I Want to Win: House of Gucci

Who Will Win: The Eyes of Tammy Faye

What My Ballot Would Look Like:

1- The Eyes of Tammy Faye

2- House of Gucci

3- Dune

4- Cruella

5- Coming 2 America

Best Sound

Who I Want to Win: West Side Story

Who Will Win: Dune

What My Ballot Would Look Like:

1- West Side Story

2- Dune

3- No Time to Die

4- The Power of the Dog

5- Belfast

Best Visual Effects

Who I Want to Win: Dune

Who Will Win: Dune

What My Ballot Would Look Like:

1- Dune

2- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

3- Spider-Man: No Way Home

4- Free Guy

5- No Time to Die

Best Original Score

Who I Want to Win: Hans Zimmer (Dune)

Who Will Win: Hans Zimmer (Dune)

What My Ballot Would Look Like:

1- Hans Zimmer (Dune)

2- Germaine Franco (Encanto)

3- Nicholas Britell (Don’t Look Up)

4- Jonny Greenwood (The Power of the Dog)

5- Alberto Iglesias (Parallel Mothers)

Best Original Song

Who I Want to Win: Lin-Manuel Miranda (Dos Oruguitas-Encanto)

Who Will Win: Lin-Manuel Miranda (Dos Oruguitas-Encanto)

What My Ballot Would Look Like:

1- Lin-Manuel Miranda (Dos Oruguitas-Encanto)

2- Billie Eilish (No Time to Die- No Time to Die)

3- Van Morrison (Down to Joy- Belfast)

4- Beyonce Knowles-Carter (Be Alive- King Richard)

5- Diane Warren (Somehow You Do- Four Good Days)

Total Nominations (Projected Wins)

The Power of the Dog- 12 (1)

Dune- 10 (4)

West Side Story- 7 (2)

Belfast- 7

King Richard- 6 (1)

Drive My Car- 4 (1)

Nightmare Alley- 4 (1)

Don’t Look Up- 4

CODA- 3 (2)

Encanto- 3 (2)

Being the Ricardos- 3 (1)

Licorice Pizza- 3 (1)

The Lost Daughter- 3 (1)

Flee- 3

The Tragedy of Macbeth- 3

Cruella- 2 (1)

The Eyes of Tammy Faye- 2 (1)

The Worst Person in the World- 2

Tick…Tick…Boom!- 2

Parallel Mothers- 2

No Time to Die- 2

Summer of Soul- 1 (1)

The Long Goodbye- 1 (1)

Audible- 1 (1)

Robin Robin- 1 (1)

Spider-Man: No Way Home- 1

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings- 1

Free Guy- 1

Spencer- 1

Mitchell’s vs. the Machines- 1

Raya and the Last Dragon- 1

Luca- 1

Cyrano- 1

House of Gucci- 1

Coming 2 America- 1

Four Good Days- 1

Boxballet- 1

Bestia- 1

Affairs of the Art- 1

The Windshield Wiper- 1

Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom- 1

The Hand of God- 1

Attica- 1

Writing with Fire

Ascension- 1

The Queen of Basketball- 1

Lead Me Home- 1

When We Were Bullies- 1

Three Songs for Benazir- 1

Please Hold- 1

The Dress- 1

On My Mind- 1

Ala Kachuu- Take and Run- 1