Predicting The 89th Annual Academy Awards

We’ve finally come to the big moment where I lay down my best predictions as to who will be taking home Oscars in all 24 categories. This year is a little different from last, in that it’s pretty much been a one-track award season for a certain little musical (as opposed to last year, where things were a little uncertain heading into the big night), but, as always, there’s plenty of room for surprises to happen, so let’s dive right in.

Best Live Action Short
Ennemis Intérieurs
La Femme et le TGV
Silent Nights
Sing
Timecode

Best Documentary Short
Extremis
4.1 Miles
Joe’s Violin
Watani: My Homeland
The White Helmets

Best Animated Short
Blind Vaysha
Borrowed Time
Pear Cider and Cigarettes
Pearl
Piper

As usual, there’s nothing to really base a good prediction on for the short categories, aside from the buzz surrounding the nominees. This year, the buzz is around Ennemis Intérieurs, Joe’s Violin, and Piper. Last year’s buzz went 0 for 3, while the previous year went 3 for 3, so we’ll just have to wait and see how things go this Sunday.

Best Sound Mixing
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
13 Hours

This will probably be a pretty easy win for La La Land, especially given that it’s a musical with the singing done live on the set (just like Les Miserables, a film that won this same award four years ago). The only competition here would appear to be from Hacksaw Ridge, a big, noisy war movie that just might jump in and take it, but the best bet still lies with La La Land, especially after its big win with the Cinema Audio Society.

Best Sound Editing
Arrival
Deepwater Horizon
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Sully

When it comes to Sound Editing, I think this will more than likely go to Hacksaw Ridge precisely for the reason I mentioned earlier. It’s a big, noisy war pic where the sound effects are very noticeable, and are sure to grab the Academy’s attention. There’s also the fact that it won both major film awards from the Motion Picture Sound Editors, putting it in prime position to win here. However, be on the lookout for La La Land to jump in, especially if it’s going to sweep. Most Academy members don’t really know the difference between Sound Mixing and Editing anyway, so it could easily happen.