2021 Oscar Predictions: FILM EDITING (December)

The Trial of the Chicago 7 makes a jump over Mank, just as it did in original screenplay, as it feels like it just might be a stronger contender than Fincher’s Mankiewicz/Citizen Kane imbroglio.

The Father moves back up into the top 5, partially on the strength of its LAFCA win for best editing and because Ma Rainey is a more likely in director than here if it’s going to get both lead acting wins.

Da 5 Bloods moves up as The Midnight Sky moves down but I’m wondering if Minari or Sound of Metal might end up stronger than expected. Nomadland stays at #1 for now but the Academy is not that friendly to directors who cut their own films, even if they reward them elsewhere. Alfonso Cuarón can tell you that.

Here are my ranked 2021 Oscar predictions in Film Editing for December.

Green – moves up; Red – moves down; Blue – new entry this month

1. Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures)
Chloé Zhao

2. The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)
Alan Baumgarten

3. Mank (Netflix)
Kirk Baxter

4. News of the World (Universal Pictures)
William Goldenberg

5. The Father (Sony Pictures Classics)
Yorgos Lamprinos

6. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
Andrew Mondshein

7. Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)
Adam Gough

8. Tenet (Warner Bros)
Jennifer Lame

9. Judas and the Black Messiah (Warner Bros)
Kristan Sprague

10. The Midnight Sky (Netflix)
Stephen Mirrione

Other Contenders (alphabetical by film)

Minari (A24)
Harry Yoon

Nine Days (Sony Pictures Classics)
Jeff Betancourt and Michael Taylor

One Night in Miami… (Amazon Studios)
Tariq Anwar

Palm Springs (Hulu/Neon)
Andrew Dickler and Matt Friedman

Pieces of a Woman (Netflix)
Dávid Jancsó

The Prom (Netflix)
Peggy Tachdjian and Danielle Wang

Promising Young Woman (Focus Features)
Frédéric Thoraval

Sound of Metal (Amazon Studios)
Mikkel E.G. Nielsen

The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Paramount Pictures)
Jay Rabinowitz

The Trial of the Chicago 7 image courtesy of Niko Tavernise/Netflix

• Author
• Recent Posts

Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

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), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) 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.

Latest posts by Erik Anderson (see all)

• 2024 North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA) Nominations - December 21, 2024
• 2024 Philadelphia Film Critics Circle (PFCC) Winners: ‘Anora’ Named Best Film Among its Six Awards - December 21, 2024
• 2024 Utah Film Critics Association (UFCA) Nominations - December 21, 2024