2026 Oscar Predictions: The Awards Alchemist’s Updates With Festival Awards and Heading Into Critics Season
It’s November, and with that, we enter phase three of the race: critics’ awards. Last week, the Gotham nominations kicked things off, with other regional... Read More
Mark Johnson
Mark Johnson has been a prominent voice in film coverage and the Oscar race since 2009. He launched his career with his own website, Award Contenders, before joining forces with Clayton Davis at Awards Circuit from 2011 to 2020. After continuing his insightful work at Awards Daily from 2020 to 2024, Mark now contributes to both The Contending and AwardsWatch. His renowned Oscar predictions column, The Awards Alchemist (formerly Good As Gold), has solidified his reputation in the industry. A member of the Critics Choice Association, Mark regularly attends major film festivals, including Telluride, Nantucket, and Middleburg, offering in-depth analysis and predictions throughout awards season.
2025 Middleburg Film Festival Day 4: ‘Is This Thing On?,’ ‘Rental Family,’ ‘Wake Up Dead Man’
The final day at the Middleburg Film Festival felt refreshingly low-key, a welcome breather after the whirlwind of films, panels, and parties. Don’t get me... Read More
2025 Middleburg Film Festival Day 3: ‘The Secret Agent,’ ‘A House of Dynamite,’ Critics Chat and the Annual Concert Celebration Featuring Kris Bowers
I opened day three at Middleburg with one of their signature events: Talk Back to the Critics. Mae Abdulbaki (Screen Rant), Jen Chaney (NY Times),... Read More
2025 Middleburg Film Festival Days 1 and 2: ‘After the Hunt,’ ‘It Was Just an Accident,’ ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,’ ‘Train Dreams’
Nestled in the rolling hills of Virginia’s Loudoun County, the Middleburg Film Festival feels like a not-so-secret handshake among cinephiles from the South Atlantic states.... Read More
2026 Oscar Predictions: The Awards Alchemist’s Updates Following Venice and Telluride
For Oscar pundits, phase one is now complete. The “way too early” stretch when predictions are stitched together from Sundance or Cannes crumbs is in... Read More
Telluride Dispatch #4: ‘Cover-Up,’ ‘Tuner,’ and the Friends We Made Along the Way
The final day of the 52nd Telluride Film Festival, September 2, always hits with a bittersweet pang. The cinematic highs are tempered by the looming... Read More
Telluride Dispatch #3: Dad Mode with ‘Sentimental Value,’ ‘Hamnet,’ ‘Frankenstein’
Day three of the 52nd Telluride Film Festival has revealed a striking theme woven through its lineup: imperfect fathers. Across many of the films I... Read More
Telluride Dispatch #2: Parties Galore, ‘Bugonia’ and ‘Jay Kelly’
Yesterday was an easygoing two-film day, bookended by parties. I kicked things off at the Focus Features event, where Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal dropped... Read More
Telluride Dispatch #1: ‘La Grazia,’ ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere,’ ‘Ballad of a Small Player’
The 52nd Telluride Film Festival began yesterday, August 29, and my ninth journey to this cinematic mecca started with a drive that felt like plunging... Read More
2026 Oscar Predictions: The Awards Alchemist Previews the Historic Debut of the Casting Category and Fall’s Early Contenders
Film festival season is nearly here, and some of the mystery around separating contenders from pretenders will begin to lift once we’re in the mountains... Read More
‘Frankenstein’ to Receive Visionary Honor from Palm Springs International Film Awards 
Robert Yeoman to be Honored with American Society of Cinematographers’ Lifetime Achievement Award 
National Board of Review: ‘One Battle After Another’ Tops in Film, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor; Netflix Lands Four in Top 10 
41st Spirit Awards Nominations: ‘Peter Hujar’s Day,’ ‘Lurker,’ ‘Train Dreams’ Lead