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
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.
- Association of Motion Picture Sound (AMPS) Television and Nonfiction Nominations Announced: ‘Adolescence,’ ‘Black Mirror,’ ‘Slow Horses’ and More - March 20, 2026
- Trailer Watch: ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ ‘Dune: Part Three,’ Disclosure Day,’ ‘Wild Horse Nine’ - March 20, 2026
- Six Join 51st Residence of the Festival de Cannes, including Harry Lighton, Mansi Maheshwari, Oliver McGoldrick - March 20, 2026
Director Watch Podcast Ep. 144 – ‘A Matter of Life and Death (Powell and Pressburger, 1946) with Special Guest Jesse Nussman 
Association of Motion Picture Sound (AMPS) Television and Nonfiction Nominations Announced: ‘Adolescence,’ ‘Black Mirror,’ ‘Slow Horses’ and More 
Trailer Watch: ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ ‘Dune: Part Three,’ Disclosure Day,’ ‘Wild Horse Nine’ 
‘Anima’ Review: Sydney Chandler and Takehiro Hira Ground Brian Tetsuro Ivie’s Low-Fi Sci-Fi Road Movie [B+] SXSW