2020 Oscar Nomination Predictions: FILM EDITING & CINEMATOGRAPHY (September)
Not a lot of major changes in Film Editing and Cinematography this month (Cinematography top 5 is the exact same) even as we’ve just left the Telluride and Toronto International Film Festivals. The biggest move is Netflix’s Marriage Story, which cemented itself as not just an acting and writing contender but in both of these crucial categories as well.
Here are my 2020 Oscar Nomination Predictions in Film Editing and Cinematography for September 16, 2019.
FILM EDITING
Green – moves up Red – moves down Blue – new/re-entry
1. The Irishman (Thelma Schoonmaker) Netflix
2. Ford v. Ferrari (Andrew Buckland, Michael McCusker) 20th Century Fox
3. Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood (Fred Raskin) Sony/Columbia
4. Marriage Story (Jennifer Lame) Netflix
5. Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (Maryann Brandon, Stefan Grube) Disney
NEXT UP (alphabetical by film)
1917 (Lee Smith) Universal
Ad Astra (John Axelrad, Lee Haugen) 20th Century Fox
The Aeronauts (Mark Eckersley) Amazon
Jojo Rabbit (Tom Eagles) Fox Searchlight
Knives Out (Bob Ducsay) Lionsgate
OTHER CONTENDERS (alphabetical by film)
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Anne McCabe) Sony/TriStar
Bombshell (John Poll) Lionsgate
Dark Waters (TBD) Focus Features
The Farewell (Matthew Friedman, Michael Taylor) A24
Harriet (Wyatt Smith) Focus Features
Little Women (Nick Houy) Sony/Columbia
Motherless Brooklyn (Joe Klotz) Warner Bros
Rocketman (Chris Dickens) Paramount
The Two Popes (Fernando Stutz) Netflix
Uncut Gems (TBD) A24
Us (Nicholas Monsour) Universal
Waves (Isaac Hagy, Trey Edward Shults) A24
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Green – moves up Red – moves down Blue – new/re-entry
1. 1917 (Roger Deakins) Universal
2. Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood (Robert Richardson) Sony/Columbia
3. The Irishman (Rodrigo Prieto) Netflix
4. Ford v. Ferrari (Phedon Papamichael) 20th Century Fox
5. The Lighthouse (Jarin Blaschke) A24
NEXT UP (alphabetical by film)
Ad Astra (Hoyte van Hoytema) 20th Century Fox
Dark Waters (Ed Lachman) Focus Features
A Hidden Life (Jörg Widmer) Fox Searchlight
Jojo Rabbit (Mihai Mălaimare Jr.) Fox Searchlight
Marriage Story (Robbie Ryan) Netflix
OTHER CONTENDERS (alphabetical by film)
The Aeronauts (George Steel) Amazon
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Jody Lee Lipes) Sony/TriStar
Bombshell (Barry Ackroyd) Lionsgate
The Farewell (Anna Francesa Solano) A24
Harriet (John Toll) Focus Features
Joker (Lawrence Sher) Warner Bros
Just Mercy (Brett Pawlak) Warner Bros
The Last Black Man in San Francisco (Adam Newport-Berra) A24
Little Women (Yorick Le Saux) Sony/Columbia
The Lion King (Caleb Deschanel) Disney
Motherless Brooklyn (Dick Pope) Warner Bros
Parasite (Hong Kyung-pyo) Neon
Seberg (Rachel Morrison) Amazon
Star Wars Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalker (Dan Mindel) Disney
The Two Popes (César Charlone) Netflix
Uncut Gems (Darius Khondji) A24
Waves (Drew Daniels) A24
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
- 2026 Tribeca Festival Celebrates 25th Anniversary with World Premieres of ‘Hadestown: The Musical,’ ‘Earth, Wind & Fire’ Doc - April 16, 2026
- ‘Beef’ Season 2 Review: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Cailee Spaeny and Charles Melton Sink Their Teeth Into Lee Sung Jin’s Meaty Morality Tale [A-] - April 16, 2026
- George Clooney to be Honored at 51st Chaplin Award Gala by Stephen Colbert, Sam Rockwell and More - April 15, 2026
2026 Tonys: Laurie Metcalf (‘Little Bear Ridge Road,’ ‘Death of a Salesman’) May Join Elite Group of Double-Nominated Performers 
2026 Tribeca Festival Celebrates 25th Anniversary with World Premieres of ‘Hadestown: The Musical,’ ‘Earth, Wind & Fire’ Doc 
Director Watch Podcast Ep. 149 – ‘Killer of Sheep’ (Charles Burnett, 1978) 
‘Lee Cronin’s The Mummy’ Review: Careful the Spell You Cast, Children Will Listen (and Sometimes Kill) [C]