Fall movie awards season: Top Oscars contenders of 2023

As the summer blockbuster season comes to a close and some of the biggest annual film festivals take place this week, we've entered another one of the most notable times of the year for movies: awards season, where many of the films likely to later compete at the Oscars make their debuts. And this year looks to be a particularly eventful one, both for the drama happening on the big screen and offscreen.

The Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild were still on strike as of press time, with a deal not yet reached with movie studios. Since the strike, those studios have pushed back the release dates of films such as "Dune: Part Two," the sequel to the 2021 sci-fi epic that won six Oscars, and "Challengers," the Luca Guadagnino-directed romance that was initially set to open this year's Venice Film Festival. And this year, two of the biggest awards season contenders are also two of the summer's biggest blockbusters: Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" and Greta Gerwig's "Barbie," the pair comprising the "Barbenheimer" phenomenon, that now have an even stronger chance of earning Oscar nominations with "Dune: Part Two" moving to 2024 and leaving several races wide open.

Yet there are still plenty of movies making the traditional premieres at Toronto International Film Festival (Sept. 7-17), Venice Film Festival (Aug. 30-Sept. 9) and Telluride Film Festival (Aug. 31-Sept. 4), plus films that already earned critical acclaim at Cannes Film Festival earlier this summer and others still yet to make their debut. To help keep track of it all, here are the most notable movie awards season contenders of 2023, listed in roughly chronological order. Release dates are subject to change (even more than usual, with the WGA and SAG strikes.)

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'El Conde' (Sept. 8 in theaters, Sept. 15 on Netflix)

Chilean director Pablo Larraín, who has directed the biopics "Jackie" about Jacqueline Kennedy and "Spencer" about Princess Diana (with another biopic about opera singer Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie in the works), returns to his home country for this film imagining Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet as a 250-year-old vampire. Multiple movies of Larraín's have been Oscar-nominated, including "Jackie" and "Spencer" for Best Actress and "No" for Best International Feature Film, so while you can already cross off "El Conde" in the latter category — Chile submitted the film "The Settlers" instead this year — you may very well see it nominated elsewhere.

'Dumb Money' (Sept. 15 in theaters)

The 2021 GameStop stock market saga, largely fueled by the Reddit community r/wallstreetbets, moves from the computer screen to the big screen with this film featuring an ensemble cast including Paul Dano, Pete Davidson, Vincent D'Onofrio, America Ferrera, Nick Offerman, Anthony Ramos, Seth Rogen, Sebastian Stan and Shailene Woodley. "Dumb Money" is directed by Craig Gillespie, whose previous work includes other real-life tales such as the 2017 Oscar-winning Tonya Harding biopic "I, Tonya" and last year's Hulu series "Pam & Tommy" about the Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee sex tape scandal.

'Foe' (Oct. 6 in theaters, TBA on Prime Video)

Based on the 2018 sci-fi book of the same name by Iain Reid, whose previous novel "I'm Thinking of Ending Things" was also adapted into a movie and who co-wrote this film's screenplay along with director Garth Davis, "Foe" follows a married couple (Oscar nominees Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal) whose life is thrown into disarray when a stranger (Aaron Pierre) appears at their farm with unexpected news. While Davis' directorial feature debut "Lion" earned six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, his follow-up "Mary Magdalene" received a much more muted response. "Foe" could be his comeback, especially after landing a Spotlight Gala premiere at New York Film Festival.

'Anatomy of a Fall' (Oct. 13 in theaters)

This drama by "Sibyl" filmmaker Justine Triet, following a woman (Sandra Hüller) trying to prove her innocence after the suspicious death of her husband, was this year's winner of the prestigious Palme d'Or prize at Cannes Film Festival. Other recent Palme d'Or winners include "Triangle of Sadness," which went on to be nominated for three Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director, and "Parasite," which won four Oscars including Picture and Director. So don't be surprised if "Anatomy of a Fall" receives similar awards attention, especially with Neon, the same distribution company behind those other two films, releasing it.

'Killers of the Flower Moon' (Oct. 20 in theaters, TBA on Apple TV+)

Martin Scorsese's next film is this adaptation of David Grann's great 2017 nonfiction book detailing the murders of Osage Nation members in early 1920s Osage County, Oklahoma after oil was found on their land, bringing them great wealth. "Killers of the Flower Moon" already premiered earlier this year out of competition at Cannes and earned great acclaim, including for its trio of lead performances: Scorsese regulars Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro as Ernest Burkhart and cattleman William Hale, respectively, and "Certain Women" actress Lily Gladstone as Burkhart's Osage wife Mollie Burkhart.

'The Holdovers' (Oct. 27 in theaters)

Paul Giamatti reunites with "Sideways" director Alexander Payne for this film starring the actor as a teacher at the fictional Barton Academy, tasked with overseeing the students who aren't going home for winter break. Once a steady presence during movie awards season with films such as "Sideways," "Nebraska," "The Descendants" and "About Schmidt," Payne returns with his first movie since 2017's high-concept sci-fi comedy "Downsizing," which wasn't as successful critically or commercially as his earlier work.

'Priscilla' (Oct. 27 in theaters)

The year after "Elvis" was one of the big movie awards season contenders, we get another film about a Presley: this time, his former wife Priscilla Presley (Cailee Spaeny, with "Euphoria" star Jacob Elordi playing Elvis.) Directed by "Lost in Translation" filmmaker Sofia Coppola, who also wrote the script adapting Priscilla's 1985 memoir "Elvis and Me," the film has the support of Priscilla (who is an executive producer on the film and took part in a Hollywood Reporter profile with Coppola), though Elvis Presley Enterprises declined to let Elvis' music be used in the film.

'The Killer' (Oct. 27 in theaters, Nov. 10 on Netflix)

David Fincher's latest movie reunites him with "Se7en" screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker, who adapts the French graphic novel series of the same name about an assassin (Michael Fassbender.) "The Killer" may look more like one of Fincher's genre films than his prestige films, but don't be so sure: The movie is in competition for the prestigious Golden Lion prize at Venice along with several other films on this list, and even Fincher's thrillers have been known to win or be nominated for Oscars, including "Se7en," "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and "Gone Girl."

'Rustin' (Nov. 3 in theaters, Nov. 17 on Netflix)

George C. Wolfe, whose last movie was 2020's Oscar-winning "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," directs this biopic of Bayard Rustin (Colman Domingo), a pioneer both as a civil rights activist who helped organize the 1963 March on Washington and as an openly gay man. Along with Wolfe and Domingo (in a welcome leading role), the film's team includes co-writer Dustin Lance Black, who previously won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar for 2008's "Milk," and executive producers Barack and Michelle Obama through their production company Higher Ground Productions.

'Next Goal Wins' (Nov. 17 in theaters)

Michael Fassbender also stars in the latest film by Oscar-winning "Jojo Rabbit" writer/director Taika Waititi, based on the 2014 documentary of the same name, about soccer coach Thomas Rongen and his attempts to turn around the struggling American Samoa team. "Next Goal Wins" has had a troubled journey to the big screen, between multiple release date delays and reshoots recasting Will Arnett in a role originally played by Armie Hammer, yet a splashy premiere at this year's Toronto International Film Festival — the same festival where "Jojo Rabbit" won the People's Choice Award in 2019 — seems to indicate confidence in the film.

'May December' (Nov. 17 in theaters, Dec. 1 on Netflix)

Director Todd Haynes reunites with actress Julianne Moore, who delivered two of her best performances in Haynes' "Safe" and "Far from Heaven," for this film loosely inspired by the real-life story of Mary Kay Letourneau, following a married couple with a large age gap (Moore and Charles Melton) whose life is thrown into disarray when an actress (Natalie Portman) visits while doing research for a movie about their past. "May December" premiered earlier this year in competition at Cannes, where it received positive reviews and was bought by Netflix.

'Napoleon' (Nov. 22 in theaters, TBA on Apple TV+)

Ridley Scott's latest historical epic, starring Joaquin Phoenix as the titular military leader and Emperor of the French, follows Napoleon Bonaparte's rise to power and his relationship with Joséphine (Vanessa Kirby). "Napoleon" reunites Scott and Phoenix after they previously worked together on 2000's "Gladiator," which earned them both Academy Award nominations and ultimately won five Oscars including Best Picture, and also marks one of Phoenix's first roles since winning a long-overdue Oscar, for 2019's "Joker."

'Maestro' (Nov. 22 in theaters, Dec. 20 on Netflix)

Bradley Cooper follows up his directorial debut, 2018's Oscar-winning "A Star is Born" remake, with another film starring, directed and co-written by him, centered on conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre Bernstein (Carey Mulligan.) "Maestro" has already received some criticism prior to its release due to the prosthetic nose Cooper wears to portray the Jewish Bernstein, with some calling it "Jewface," while Bernstein's children released a statement defending Cooper and praising "the depth of his commitment, his loving embrace of our father’s music, and the sheer open-hearted joy he brought" to making the film.

'Saltburn' (Nov. 24 in theaters)

"Promising Young Woman" writer-director Emerald Fennell helms this film following a college student (Barry Keoghan) who becomes infatuated with his schoolmate (Jacob Elordi) and his family, with the cast also including Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant and "Promising Young Woman" star Carey Mulligan. Fennell won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar for "Promising Young Woman," and she may already find herself back at the Academy Awards, as may Keoghan, who earned a well-deserved debut Oscar nomination for last year's "The Banshees of Inisherin."

'The Bikeriders' (Dec. 1 in theaters)

Writer-director Jeff Nichols' first film since 2016, when he released both "Midnight Special" and the Oscar-nominated "Loving," uses Danny Lyon's 1968 photobook of the same name as inspiration for its story following a fictional Midwestern motorcycle club in the 1960s. The cast features Tom Hardy, recent "Elvis" Oscar nominee Austin Butler, Jodie Comer and Michael Shannon, who continues his streak in appearing in all of Nichols' films thus far, including leading roles in "Midnight Special," "Take Shelter" and "Shotgun Stories."

'Poor Things' (Dec. 8 in theaters)

Director Yorgos Lanthimos, screenwriter Tony McNamara and actress Emma Stone reunite after previously working together on 2018's Oscar-winning "The Favourite" with this adaptation of Alasdair Grey's 1992 novel, following a young woman (Stone) who is brought back from the dead by a mad scientist (Willem Dafoe) and thirsts for life, running off with a lawyer (Mark Ruffalo) on a cross-continent trip. "Poor Things" looks to have a distinctive visual style based on its trailer, and an intriguing cast also including stand-up comics Ramy Youssef and Jerrod Carmichael.

'The Zone of Interest' (Dec. 8 in theaters)

Jonathan Glazer's first movie in a decade since his entrancing Scarlett Johansson sci-fi film "Under the Skin" is this loose adaptation of Martin Amis' 2014 novel, following Auschwitz concentration camp commandant Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel) and his wife (Sandra Hüller) who live in a house next to the camp. "The Zone of Interest" premiered earlier this year in competition for the Palme d'Or at Cannes, where it received highly positive reviews as well as four awards including the Grand Prix, the festival's second-most prestigious prize.

'Wonka' (Dec. 15 in theaters)

The latest cinematic adaptation of Roald Dahl's 1964 book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," following the 1971 film starring Gene Wilder and the 2005 movie starring Johnny Depp, is this film starring Timothée Chalamet as the eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka in his early days. A Willy Wonka prequel doesn't sound like the most promising concept, but then, neither did a live-action Paddington Bear movie and "Wonka" director Paul King ended up making two very enjoyable movies out of that with "Paddington" and "Paddington 2", so hopefully he'll be able to pull off a similar feat here.

'All of Us Strangers' (Dec. 22 in theaters)

Andrew Haigh, whose filmography includes the 2015 Oscar-nominated marriage drama "45 Years," writes and directs this loose adaptation of Taichi Yamada's 1987 novel "Strangers," following a man (Andrew Scott) who develops a relationship with a mysterious neighbor (Paul Mescal) and just as mysteriously returns to his childhood home to find his long-dead parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell) now seemingly alive and unaged. Haigh's first film since 2018's "Lean on Pete," "All of Us Strangers" has already been selected to screen at the Telluride, New York and BFI London film festivals.

'The Iron Claw' (Dec. 22 in theaters)

Sean Durkin writes and directs this film based on the real-life Von Erich family, a wrestling dynasty that had great success in the ring but suffered a series of tragedies outside it, enough to coin the phrase the "Von Erich curse." Durkin already has two great movies to his name with 2011's "Martha Marcy May Marlene" and 2020's "The Nest," and this film could garner his largest audience yet, with acclaimed studio A24 producing and distributing it, and a cast that includes stars such as Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White and Harris Dickinson.

'The Color Purple' (Dec. 25 in theaters)

Alice Walker's 1982 novel that was made into a film three years later by Steven Spielberg gets another cinematic adaptation — this one based on the stage musical, with singer Fantasia Barrino reprising her role as protagonist Celie. Directed by Ghanaian filmmaker Blitz Bazawule, who earned a Best Music Film Grammy nomination for his work on Beyoncé's "Black is King," "The Color Purple" certainly has a strong enough pedigree behind it, between the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Tony-winning musical and original film with 11 Oscar nominations to its name.

'Ferrari' (Dec. 25 in theaters)

Michael Mann's first film in nearly a decade follows Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver) during the summer of 1957, a tumultuous year for him and his wife (Penélope Cruz) personally and professionally, building up to that year's Mille Miglia race. Even Mann's more recent work including "Blackhat," "Public Enemies" and "Miami Vice" have their passionate defenders, but — as its prime Christmas Day release date and high-profile screenings at festivals including Venice and New York Film Festival suggest — "Ferrari" could be a return to the director's awards season era, with Oscar-nominated films such as "The Insider," "Ali" and "Collateral."

'The Boy and the Heron' (TBA)

A decade after releasing his previous movie "The Wind Rises" and declaring his intention to retire from feature filmmaking, Oscar-winning director and animator Hayao Miyazaki has made at least one more film. Despite already coming out in Japan in July under the title "How Do You Live?," the movie remains largely a mystery — no trailers or other promotional material save for a single poster were released in advance — yet any new Miyazaki film should be event viewing. Toronto International Film Festival seems to agree, selecting it as this year's opening film, the first-ever animated movie to open the festival.

'Evil Does Not Exist' (TBA)

One of the greatest moments in recent Oscars history was when Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi's brilliant 2021 film "Drive My Car" ran an awards campaign that largely through positive word-of-mouth saw the movie — despite being a three-hour arthouse title with the relatively tiny distributor Janus Films — earn Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay and International Feature Film nominations, winning the last award. Not one to rest on his laurels ("Drive My Car" was actually his second 2021 film after "Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy"), Hamaguchi is back with this new movie about a village whose serenity is threatened by a planned glamping site, which'll also screen at Belgium’s Film Fest Ghent as a seperate film, "Gift," with a live score by "Drive My Car" composer Eiko Ishibashi.

'Origin' (TBA)

"Selma" filmmaker Ava DuVernay writes and directs this drama, based on Isabel Wilkerson's acclaimed 2020 nonfiction book "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents" that views racism in the U.S. through the lens of a caste system, with an ensemble cast that includes Aunjanue Ellis, Niecy Nash-Betts, Jon Bernthal and Vera Farmiga. After the critical and commercial disappointment of DuVernay's last movie, the 2018 young adult novel adaptation "A Wrinkle in Time," this sounds like a return to form to the quality of DuVernay's earlier films, as well as her Emmy-winning Netflix miniseries "When They See Us."

Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Fall movie awards season: Top Oscars contenders of 2023