2023 London Film Festival: Top 10 Oscar contenders

Jacob Sarkisian
·7 min read
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There is nothing better than a film festival. Sitting in cozy cinema theaters all day, catching the hottest hits about to catch fire with audiences, critics, and awards voters — it’s a cinephile’s dream. Over here in the UK, the London Film Festival is us Brits’ best chance of watching said films — and those aforementioned cozy theaters make a nice break from the crisp October London mornings.

Previous films that have played at LFF include “La La Land,” “The Favourite,” and “Marriage Story.” All of these went on to be big contenders in their respective years at the Academy Awards. This year looks set to be a special edition of LFF. There are some major players about to screen that will undoubtedly head into awards season as heavy favorites in some of the biggest categories. So, let’s take a look at 10 movies playing at LFF that could be big Oscar contenders.

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“Killers of The Flower Moon”
Hardly starting off small, are we? Martin Scorsese‘s epic picture depicts the true-life murders of multiple Osage tribe members and the subsequent investigation into the death, which reached all the way up to J. Edgar Hoover. Scorsese teams up with regular collaborators Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro while Lily Gladstone, who is officially campaigning in lead actress and not supporting, could be the breakaway star. Currently, we predict that “Killers of the Flower Moon” will be nominated for Picture, Director for Scorsese, Actor for DiCaprio, Actress for Gladstone, Supporting Actor for De Niro, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Costume Design, and Production Design. 10 in total.

“Maestro”
Scorsese also has a hand in Bradley Cooper‘s sophomore outing as a director after he helmed “A Star is Born.” Scorsese produces, but Cooper stars in, co-writes, and directs this biopic of renowned composer Leonard Bernstein. The early reactions are very good here, suggesting that “A Star is Born” is no fluke — Cooper is the real deal as a director. However, we are not currently predicting that Cooper will be nominated for Best Director. That could change, however. At the moment, though, we think “Maestro” will be nominated for Picture, Actress for Carey Mulligan, Actor for Cooper, Original Screenplay, and Cinematography. Half of what we think “Killers of the Flower Moon” could snag.

“Saltburn”
Speaking of directorial follow-ups… Emerald Fennell, who won Best Original Screenplay for her directorial debut “Promising Young Woman,” is back in contention this year with “Saltburn.” Starring two of the hottest actors around in Barry Keoghan and Jacob Elordi, the film follows an Oxford University student who becomes obsessed with a wealthy classmate and his extravagant, rich family. (Elordi, by the way, turns in a great performance as Elvis Presley in another LFF movie — Sofia Coppola‘s “Priscilla.”) Fennell reaped a Director bid for “Promising Young Woman.” That may be difficult to replicate this year. “Saltburn,” according to our odds charts, is not currently predicted to pick up any Oscar bids, although it is on the precipice in a number of major categories, including Picture, Actor (for Keoghan), and Original Screenplay.

“The Bikeriders”
“Saltburn” stars an actor who has played Elvis… and so does “The Bikeriders.” Austin Butler, who was nominated for Best Actor last year for “Elvis,” looks set to continue his trajectory of becoming one of the biggest movie stars around with his leading role in Jeff Nichols‘ American epic “The Bikeriders.” This one follows the lives of multiple members of a biker gang. Tom Hardy and Jodie Comer join Butler in what could be one of the dark horses of the year. Butler and Comer could contend in the lead acting categories, while Hardy will look to follow up his 2016 Best Supporting Actor bid (for “The Revenant”) with another nod in the same category this year.

“The Boy and the Heron”
Studio Ghibli returns this year with Hayao Miyazaki‘s first feature film as a director since 2013’s “The Wind Rises.” Set to be another magical slice of Japanese cinema, “The Boy and the Heron” will depict a teenage boy’s psychological development as he enters a magical world via an abandoned tower in a new town. The last animated film to be nominated for Best Picture was “Toy Story 3” in 2011 and there have only been two other examples in Oscars history — “Up” in 2010 and “Beauty and the Beast” in 1992. So, don’t expect any miracles here, even if a Miyazaki Best Picture nomination on his return to directing would be a great narrative. Instead, the film will have to settle for a Best Animated Feature bid, which we fully expect it to do.

“The Holdovers”
Back to the realm of reality here, with Alexander Payne‘s latest grounded drama. Paul Giamatti, who should have been nominated for Best Actor for Payne’s “Sideways,” stars as a disliked teacher who must look after students who remain behind during the Christmas break at a college. This has been an early Oscars contender for some time now and we think that the film will be nominated for Picture, Actor for Giamatti, Supporting Actress for Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Original Screenplay, and Editing. Payne is on the precipice of a Best Director bid.

“The Zone of Interest”
While “The Holdovers” looks set to be a somewhat feel-good drama, Jonathan Glazer‘s WWII picture “The Zone of Interest” will be anything but that. The film follows the commandant of Auschwitz and his wife trying to build their dream life while living next to the concentration camp. However, it will likely garner some serious awards attention. We predict that it will be nominated for Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, and Cinematography.

“The Killer”
David Fincher makes a return this year with this film about an assassin who endures a fateful near-miss and then must go on an international manhunt while battling himself and his employers. Michael Fassbender stars in the lead role and will be looking for his first Oscar nomination and Best Actor bid since his 2016 nomination for “Steve Jobs.” Tilda Swinton, who Best Supporting Actress in 2008 for “Michael Clayton” co-stars. At the moment, however, we do not predict that “The Killer” will pick up any Oscar nominations.

“Foe”
This intriguing film is slowly picking up more and more buzz and its LFF screening will only bolster that. The picture, from director Garth Davis, follows Saoirse Ronan‘s Hen and Paul Mescal’s Junior, who cultivate a quiet life on a farm that has been in the latter’s family for generations. That peace is disturbed, however, when an uninvited stranger rocks up with a proposal that throws their life into question. Mescal, like Butler and Keoghan, is developing quite the leading man resume (he also stars in another LFF movie this year: Andrew Haigh‘s “All of Us Strangers”) and this looks set to be another fine slice of drama for Mescal’s filmography. Again, however, we think that “Foe” will struggle to land some concrete Oscar bids. That could change further down the line, however.

“May December”
We finish off this list with a piece of melodrama from Todd Haynes, who is surely one of the most underrated directors around. This one follows an actress (Natalie Portman) who visits an infamous couple in order to research for a film based upon their scandalous past. The scandal? The much older woman (Julianne Moore) started the sexual relationship with the now-man (Charles Melton) when the man was just a boy. One of the most intriguing and provoking films on this list, Haynes could be back in a big way — and the film’s performances could be the best beneficiaries. At the moment, we are predicting that “May December” will land just one bid — for Supporting Actress for Moore. However, the film is on the precipice for Actress (Portman), Supporting Actor (Melton), and Original Screenplay.

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