MIAMI.- The voting stage for awards Oscar officially ended. Now, the film industry’s big winners are expected to be kept in sealed envelopes and voters to remain silent. However, in recent years, anonymous ballots have become a crucial part of awards season.
Recently, Variety reported that digital voting for this year’s Oscars was synchronized with the Academy’s Screening Room, where members can see the nominated films.
Under a new rule, members must see all nominees in a category before they can vote. Until then, those candidates remain inactive in the vote.
The change delayed voting for some members, as in previous years some voters simply rushed to vote. While the new format is still largely honor-driven, the setup incentivizes members to view more candidates or refrain from categories they haven’t completed.
The media presented some of the most notable conclusions of voters.
Close race for Best Picture
Ryan Coogler’s vampire drama, Sinnersand Paul Thomas Anderson’s political thriller, One Battle After Anotherare, by a wide margin, the top two choices among Best Picture voters.
Both films are so dominant that it is difficult to identify a clear contender for third place.
What makes the race especially attractive is the psychology of voters who admire both films, reports Variety. In at least six conversations with share voters, a pattern emerged: Many suggested that One Battle After Another will win, but his vote was for Sinners.
In some cases, that same division extended in a better direction: Paul Thomas Anderson is going to win, but the voter consulted preferred Ryan Coogler.
That means the Best Director category could also be split, despite Anderson’s sweeping win in previous awards.
Best Actor points to Michael B. Jordan
Best Actor is, by a considerable margin, the most dispersed category in this poll. Variety points out that the support is distributed among several contenders, although one thing is clear: Michael B. Jordan has garnered enough support to become the clear favorite for his first Oscar.
Still, a significant number of votes also went to Leonardo DiCaprio for One Battle After Another and Ethan Hawke for Blue Moon.
Surprisingly, what was not reflected in a significant number were the votes for Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme nor broad support for Wagner Moura in The secret agent. Both are still in the conversation, but not to the level their campaigns expected.
Sean Penn regains the lead
The race for best supporting actor appears to have narrowed down to three contenders: Delroy Lindo for SinnersSean Penn by One Battle After Another and Stellan Skarsgård for Sentimental Value.
The first votes showed strong support for Lindo, followed closely by Skarsgård and with little movement for Penn. But in the last 48 hours before voting closed, the situation changed.
Penn’s push in the final minutes makes him a likely winner, which would give him a third Oscar.
Skarsgård remains the uncertain option. Many voters had not yet seen Sentimental Value when contacted, meaning the latest viewings may have solidified support for the veteran Swedish actor.
Amy Madigan vs. Wunmi Mosaku
The supporting actress category generated some of the most nuanced conversations in the voting.
Amy Madigan’s performance in Weapons appears to generate wide acceptance among Los Angeles film industry voters, the kind of local support that can be decisive in a close race. His SAG Award win reflects that strength.
But Wunmi Mosaku, of Sinnerscould be the most interesting contender in the category. He appears to be gaining support from two different groups: committed voters of Sinners who review the film on the ballot, and the followers of One Battle After Anotherwho appear to be using the category to recognize another notable performance.
In at least some cases, voters who favored One Battle After Another in the best film, director and actor categories they chose Mosaku over co-nominee Teyana Taylor in the best supporting actress category.
