Experts slugfest: Key Oscar races to watch out for in this ‘incredible, crazy season’
With just days to go before the 2025 Oscars air on March 2, Gold Derby editor-in-chief Debra Birnbaum "gathered the brain trust for one final outing" to discuss this "incredible, crazy season with lots of plot twists." She's joined by four top Oscar experts — Variety's Clayton Davis, The Hollywood Reporter's Scott Feinberg, Deadline's Pete Hammond, and Indiewire's Anne Thompson — who debate all of the key races to watch out for in this year's below-the-line categories. Watch the Oscars slugfest video above.
"If Anora wins editing, that is a sign that it's going to be Anora all the way," declares Thompson. "There are two scenarios for Anora: picture and not a whole lot of other things, or sweep. It could go either way, we don't know. And that's why editing will be quite key." She then counters, "It might be Conclave ... I think it's between those two for editing."
More from GoldDerby
SEE 2025 Oscars calendar update
Feinberg notes, "Another interesting thing early on will be international feature. Not to say it will tell us who's going to win Best Picture, but I think it will give a clue about how the evening may be shaping up for Emilia Pérez, and perhaps for Fernanda Torres [I'm Still Here]. There could be little hints that could come out of that one." He also adds that the original screenplay award could be "helpful," especially if The Substance ends up winning over frontrunners Anora and A Real Pain.
Hammond's biggest bellwether to watch out for is adapted screenplay. "I think Conclave will win that," he predicts. "It's already won Golden Globe, Critics Choice, BAFTA. It wasn't eligible at the Writers Guild, so there's a big asterisk. If it wins there and then can add film editing, you have an Argo-style Best Picture victory. Something that's not nominated for Best Director. And we've seen this repeatedly now, with CODA, with Green Book, with Argo."
Adds Davis, "There will be some subtle hints throughout the night, but weird year yields weird results. I know we've had sweepers in the acting categories, but when it comes to the crafts, we're kind of flying blind on [many of them.]" However, he notes that "production and costumes you can take to the bank" for Wicked, which has dominated those categories at the precursors.
Which Oscar expert do you agree with the most? Sound off down in the comments section and join the discussion in our movie forums.
SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions
Best of GoldDerby
Sign up for Gold Derby's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Solve the daily Crossword
