As March approaches, the year’s most anticipated award show is around the corner.
On March 15, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will mark the end of the 2025 award season with the 98th Academy Awards — commonly referred to as the Oscars.
Standing at just 13.5 inches tall, the Oscar statuette remains the highest achievement in the film industry. Dwindling viewership aside, the ceremony continues to celebrate excellence across every facet of filmmaking. This year, 50 films received nominations across 23 categories.
While it may feel insurmountable to watch every contender before the ceremony, here are my predictions for which performances, directors and films will walk away with a golden knight.
Best Actress — Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Focused, flawless and electric, Jesse Buckley delivers a commanding performance as Agnes Shakespeare in Hamnet. She carries the emotional weight of the film with remarkable precision, portraying a mother navigating unimaginable grief. It’s the kind of layered restrained performance one would expect the academy to gravitate toward, but Buckley’s execution of the role elevates the award to a higher calibre and raises the bar for what it means to win Best Actress.
Best Actor — Timothee Chalamet, Marty Supreme
Fuelled in part by a viral marketing campaign, Marty Supreme quickly became one of the year’s most satisfying releases. Timothée Chalamet delivers a performance that propels the film forward, anchoring it with effortless confidence and charisma. Currently, I can’t think of an actor better suited for the role, let alone an actor as consistently reliable as Chalamet. This year marks his third Oscar nomination, making him the youngest actor since Marlon Brando to achieve the feat.
Though young, Chalamet is no longer the green actor the academy once saw him as. With his introduction as actor and producer on Marty Supreme, his industry footprint should squash any lingering doubts about whether he’s ready for an Oscar. Following last year’s frontrunner campaign for A Complete Unknown, a win here would not simply reward a strong performance — it would place him firmly on the trajectory toward the kind of career-defining greatness he clearly intends to achieve.
Best Supporting Actor — Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value
In Sentimental Value, Stellan Skarsgård portrays a once celebrated egomaniacal director estranged from his two daughters. His performance is restrained, flawed and deeply human.
While the Skarsgård name has rarely been recognized by the academy, this season’s trend of honouring long overdue veterans works in his favor. Whether it’s due to vote splitting or genuine consensus, a Skarsgård win would align with the academy’s recent pattern of celebrating seasoned performers.
Best Supporting Actress — Amy Madigan, Weapons
This category once again presents one of the tightest races of the year. My prediction for best supporting actress goes to Amy Madigan for her scene stealing role as Aunt Gladys in Weapons.
The Academy has shown increasing openness to genre performances, particularly in horror. In Weapons, Madigan balances sharp, often campy, comedic timing with a chilling and unsettling presence, delivering a performance that lingers with the viewer. As the film’s sole nomination, her recognition carries even greater weight.
Her biggest competition appears to be Teyana Taylor for One Battle After Another. Though a true prediction for this award may hinge on the Screen Actors Guild awards, Madigan’s decades-long career and early headstart this award season gives her the momentum to make it to the Oscar stage.
Best Original Song — “Golden,” KPop Demon Hunters
“Golden” became the defining song of the summer. Beyond its popularity, the track succeeds because it authentically captures the sound and spectacle of modern K-pop — precisely what the film sets out to replicate.
Having stacked up wins from the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Awards and Grammys, “Golden” enters the ceremony with undeniable momentum — at this point, it feels less like a prediction and more like a formality.
Best Animated Feature Film — KPop Demon Hunters
While this category can occasionally surprise, the winner is often clear long before nominations are announced. This year is no exception.
KPop Demon Hunters has dominated the conversation since the summer when it set streaming records for Netflix and even broke onto the Billboard Hot 100. More importantly, its cultural impact extends well beyond animation. It hasn’t only been the most visible and commercially successful nominee in the category — it has been the most defining, by a wide margin.
Best International Feature Film — The Secret Agent
One of the most competitive categories of the year, The Secret Agent would secure Brazil’s second consecutive win if awarded.
The film follows Armando (Wagner Moura), a professor fleeing persecution during the height of Brazil’s military dictatorship. Gaining major recognition at Cannes and continued momentum throughout this award season, The Secret Agent feels strikingly relevant. Its themes of authoritarianism, resistance and journalistic freedom align closely with the Academy’s longstanding tendency to reward films in this category based on resonance and urgency rather than achievement alone.
Best Director — Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
After sweeping major precursor awards, including Critics’ Choice, the Golden Globes and most recently the BAFTAs, Paul Thomas Anderson is poised to finally claim the Oscar for Best Director.
This being his fourth nomination in the category, Anderson has evolved from indie darling to industry mainstay and given the acclaim surrounding One Battle After Another, this feels like the year academy voters finally give Anderson his flowers.
Best Picture — One Battle After Another
While Best Picture may not be as hard to predict as other categories, how the voting skews can vary significantly year to year. One consistent trend among voters is an appreciation for sweeping stylized epics with blockbuster appeal. Based on early awards season momentum and major precursor wins, Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another is the clear front runner.
After securing both the Critics’ Choice Award and Golden Globe for Best Picture, Anderson’s nearly three-hour magnum opus has maintained acclaim since its trailer debuted in March 2025. Anderson has long been considered an academy favourite and with One Battle After Another presenting his strongest work to date, the momentum alone makes this film difficult to beat.
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While at the time of writing, the Screen Actors Guild Awards have yet to air, these predictions reflect the momentum shaping this year’s race. Still, every Oscar ceremony comes with surprises.
Sinners, despite under performing at earlier ceremonies, broke the academy record with 16 award nominations. Though not favoured heavily in my predictions, it could emerge as a dark horse, particularly in categories such as original score, Best Director or even in the acting categories.
Whether you’re building your own predictions or simply tuning in to see what momentum holds the 98th Academy Awards — hosted by Conan O’Brien — will air Sunday, March 15 at 8 p.m. on CTV and Disney+.