Oscars 2027: What to Expect and Early Predictions

The 99th Academy Awards, the Oscars 2027, are expected to be held in March 2027 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, and they will celebrate the films of 2026, a year that has already produced strong contenders from the festival circuit, from the studios, and from streaming. The Oscars are the most important awards in film, watched by millions, and they can change a film’s fortunes, a career, and the history of cinema. This guide does not invent nominees or winners, because the nominations will not be announced until early 2027, and anyone who claims to know them now is guessing. Instead, it explains how the Oscar race works, what to expect from the 2027 ceremony, which kinds of films tend to do well, which festivals and precursors matter, and how to follow the season as it unfolds, so that when the nominations are announced, you will understand what they mean, and when the winners are announced, you will know why they won.

How the Oscars Work: The Academy, the Branches and the Vote

The Academy Awards are voted on by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which has more than ten thousand members, divided into branches for actors, directors, writers, cinematographers, and other crafts. The nominations are chosen by each branch: actors nominate actors, directors nominate directors, and so on, while all members nominate for Best Picture, which can have up to ten nominees. The winners are chosen by all members voting in most categories, except for some technical categories, and the voting is done by secret ballot, with the results kept by the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. The ceremony, which is broadcast around the world, is the culmination of a season that begins at the film festivals in Venice, Telluride and Toronto in the autumn, continues through the Golden Globes, the BAFTAs, and the guild awards, and ends at the Dolby Theatre in March. The Oscar race is a marathon, not a sprint, and a film that is praised in September must stay in the conversation until March to win.

The Festival Circuit: Where Contenders Are Born

The Oscar race begins at the film festivals, where the first contenders are seen, and the three most important are Venice, Telluride and Toronto, all held in late August and September. Venice, the oldest film festival in the world, has launched recent Best Picture winners, and its Golden Lion winner is often a contender. Telluride, a small festival in Colorado, is where the Academy members and the press first see the films that will dominate the season, in an intimate setting without red carpets. Toronto, the largest festival in North America, is where the audience award winner often goes on to Oscar success, because the Toronto audience is a good guide to what the Academy will like. Other festivals, including Cannes in May, Sundance in January, and the New York Film Festival in October, also matter, because a film that wins at Cannes, or that is discovered at Sundance, can build momentum that lasts until March.

Best Picture: What Kind of Film Wins

Best Picture is the most important Oscar, and the kind of film that wins has changed over time, but some patterns remain. The Academy likes films that are about important subjects, that are well made, and that have a strong emotional impact, and recent winners have included films about social issues, about history, and about personal stories. The Academy also likes films that are seen by many people, because a film that no one has seen is unlikely to win, and the box office matters, even if the Academy does not admit it. The ten nominees for Best Picture are chosen by a preferential ballot, where members rank the films, and the film with the broadest support, not necessarily the most first-place votes, wins, which means a film that everyone likes, even if no one loves it, can win. The Best Picture race is the story of the season, and it is the category that the most people follow, because it is the one that defines the year in film.

Acting, Directing and the Craft Categories

The acting categories, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, are the most watched, because the stars are the face of the Oscars, and a win can change a career. The Academy likes transformative performances, where an actor changes their appearance, their voice, or their body, and it likes performances in biographical films, where the actor plays a real person. The directing category is often linked to Best Picture, because the same film usually wins both, but not always, and a director who wins is often the one who has made the most distinctive film of the year. The craft categories, cinematography, editing, production design, costume design, and sound, are voted on by the specialists, and they reward the films that are the most beautiful, the most inventive, and the most technically accomplished. The Oscars are not only about stars, they are about the hundreds of people who make a film, and the craft categories are where their work is recognised.

The Precursors: Golden Globes, BAFTAs and the Guilds

The Oscar race is shaped by the precursor awards, which are held before the Oscars, and which give a guide to who will win. The Golden Globes, held in January, are voted on by journalists, and they are a good guide to the acting categories, but not always to Best Picture. The BAFTAs, the British awards, held in February, are voted on by British film professionals, and they often agree with the Oscars, because many Academy members are also BAFTA members. The guild awards, from the Producers Guild, the Directors Guild, the Screen Actors Guild and the Writers Guild, are the most reliable predictors, because the guild members are also Academy members, and they vote for their peers. A film that wins the Producers Guild, the Directors Guild and the Screen Actors Guild is almost certain to win Best Picture, and a film that loses all three is unlikely to win. The precursors are not the Oscars, but they are the best guide we have, and they are worth following.

Diversity, Streaming and the Changing Academy

The Academy has changed in recent years, with more international members, more women, and more people of colour, and that has changed the kinds of films that win. The Best Picture winner in 2020, Parasite, was the first non-English-language film to win, and it showed that the Academy is now open to films from around the world. Streaming films, from Netflix, Apple and Amazon, have also become contenders, with Netflix winning Best Director and other awards, although a streaming film has not yet won Best Picture. The Academy has also introduced new rules, requiring films to meet diversity standards to be eligible for Best Picture, which has encouraged studios to hire more diverse casts and crews. These changes have made the Oscars more representative, and they have also made the race more interesting, because the films that win now reflect a wider world, and that is a good thing for cinema.

How to Follow the Oscar Season

The best way to follow the Oscar season is to watch the films, to read the reviews, and to follow the precursors, because the race unfolds over months, and the story changes. Start with the festivals in September, watch the films that are praised, and note which ones stay in the conversation. Follow the Golden Globes in January, the BAFTAs in February, and the guild awards, and see which films win consistently. When the nominations are announced, usually in January, read the list, watch the nominated films, and make your own predictions, because the fun of the Oscars is not only watching the ceremony, it is arguing about who should win. On the night, watch the ceremony, enjoy the speeches, and remember that the Oscars are not a perfect measure of quality, they are a snapshot of what the Academy liked in a given year, and a great film that does not win is still a great film.

The Films of 2026: What We Know So Far

The films of 2026, which will compete at the Oscars in 2027, include a mix of studio blockbusters, independent films, and international films, and the early reviews from festivals suggest a strong year. Films that premiered at Cannes, Venice, and Toronto in 2026 have been praised by critics, and several have been tipped as Best Picture contenders, although it is too early to name them with confidence. The studios have also released big films in the summer and in December, which are the traditional Oscar seasons, and those films will be in the conversation. The films of 2026 are diverse, with stories from different countries, with different genres, and with different styles, and that diversity is a good sign, because the Oscars are at their best when they honour a wide range of films, not only one kind.

The International Films and the Best International Feature Category

The Best International Feature category, formerly Best Foreign Language Film, is one of the most interesting at the Oscars, because it honours films from around the world, and the winner is often a film that would not otherwise be seen by American audiences. Each country submits one film, the Academy shortlists fifteen, and then nominates five, and the winner is chosen by all members. Recent winners have included films from South Korea, Denmark, Japan, and Germany, and the category has become more competitive, with more countries submitting strong films. In 2027, the international films will be among the most talked-about, because they tell stories that Hollywood does not tell, with different cultures, different languages, and different perspectives, and they remind the audience that cinema is global.

The Host, the Show and the Ceremony

The host of the Oscars is one of the most important choices, because the host sets the tone for the night, and a good host can make the ceremony entertaining, while a bad host can make it awkward. Recent hosts have included comedians, actors, and presenters, and the Academy has experimented with no host, with multiple hosts, and with a single host, and the results have varied. The ceremony itself, which lasts about three hours, includes the awards, the performances, the tributes, and the speeches, and it is broadcast live, with no second take, which means anything can happen. The 2027 ceremony, at the Dolby Theatre, will be the ninety-ninth, and it will be a celebration of a century of the Academy, which makes it special, and the Academy will want it to be memorable.

The Economics of an Oscar Win

Winning an Oscar can change a film’s fortunes, because a Best Picture win can add millions to the box office, can increase streaming views, and can make a film’s stars more valuable. A win for an actor can lead to bigger roles, higher pay, and more opportunities, and a win for a director can lead to bigger budgets and more creative freedom. The Oscar campaign itself is expensive, with studios spending millions on screenings, on advertisements, and on events, and that cost is a barrier for smaller films, which cannot afford to compete. The economics of the Oscars are part of the story, because they show that the awards are not only about art, they are also about business, and the films that win are often the ones that can afford to campaign, as well as the ones that deserve to win.

The Red Carpet and the Fashion of the Oscars

The red carpet at the Oscars is one of the most watched fashion events in the world, with stars wearing dresses and suits designed by the best designers, and with the fashion being discussed as much as the awards. The red carpet is a tradition, with photographers, with interviews, and with moments that become iconic, such as a dress that is remembered for years. The fashion is part of the Oscars, because the ceremony is a celebration, and a celebration needs glamour, and the stars, who are the face of film, bring it. In 2027, the red carpet will be as glamorous as ever, with new styles, new designers, and new moments that will be talked about on Monday morning.

The Oscars will continue, because film will continue, and the ceremony, for all its flaws, is still the night when cinema is celebrated, when the best films are honoured, and when the world watches. In 2027, the ninety-ninth Oscars will be a milestone, a step towards a century, and it will be a night to remember, with great films, great winners, and great moments that will be talked about for years.

My Take:

I think the Oscars matter, and I think they matter for a reason that has nothing to do with the gold statue: they are the one night when the whole world talks about film, and that conversation is valuable, because it makes people watch films they would not otherwise watch. I have discovered films because they were nominated for an Oscar, I have watched films from other countries because they were contenders, and I have argued about films with friends because of the Oscars, and those are good things. I know the Oscars are imperfect, I know they have made mistakes, and I know they have ignored great films, but I still think they matter, because they give film a moment in the spotlight, and film deserves that moment, in a world where television and streaming dominate. I will be watching in 2027, as I always do, and I hope the winners are films that deserve it.

My strongest feeling is about the Best Picture race, because I believe it should be won by the best film, not by the film with the best campaign, and the campaign has become too important. Studios spend millions on Oscar campaigns, on screenings, on advertisements, and on parties, and that money can influence the vote, which is unfair to smaller films that cannot afford it. I have seen great films lose because they did not have a campaign, and I have seen good films win because they had a great campaign, and that is wrong. I think the Academy should limit campaigning, or the studios should agree to spend less, because the Oscars should be about the films, not about the marketing, and a film that is great should win on its own merits, without a million-dollar campaign behind it.

I also believe the Academy has become more open, and I believe that is a good thing, because the Oscars used to be dominated by a small group of older, white, American men, and their taste was narrow. Now the Academy is more diverse, more international, and more open to different kinds of films, and the winners reflect that, with Parasite winning Best Picture, with films from around the world being nominated, and with more women and people of colour winning. I think that change is overdue, and I think it has made the Oscars better, because a wider Academy makes better choices, and better choices make for a better ceremony. I hope the Academy continues to change, because the world is changing, and the Oscars should change with it, or they will become irrelevant.

Another thing I care about is the craft categories, because they are the ones that recognise the people who make a film, the cinematographers, the editors, the designers, and the sound mixers, and they are often ignored by the audience, who only care about the actors. I think that is a shame, because a film is not only about the stars, it is about the hundreds of people who work behind the scenes, and their work is what makes a film great. I have watched films because of their cinematography, I have admired editing that made a story work, and I have been moved by a score that made a scene unforgettable, and those are the things that the craft categories celebrate. I hope the ceremony gives them more time, because they deserve it, and the people who win them deserve to be celebrated as much as the actors.

Finally, I think the Oscars should be fun, and I think they have forgotten that in recent years, because the ceremony has become too long, too serious, and too focused on speeches that go on for too long. I remember the Oscars when they were entertaining, when the host was funny, when the musical numbers were great, and when the night felt like a celebration, not a lecture. I hope the 2027 ceremony brings back that fun, because the Oscars are a party, and a party should be enjoyable, and the audience, who watch for three hours, deserve to be entertained. I will be watching, I will be hoping for great winners, and I will be hoping for a great show, because the Oscars, at their best, are a celebration of cinema, and cinema deserves a great party.

There is one more thing I want to say, and it is about the films that do not win, because they are often the ones that last, and the Oscars do not always get it right. Citizen Kane did not win Best Picture, Vertigo did not win, and 2001: A Space Odyssey did not win, but those films are now considered among the greatest ever made, while the films that beat them are forgotten. That is a reminder that the Oscars are a snapshot, not a verdict, and that a film’s greatness is decided by time, not by a vote. I hope the 2027 winners are great films, but I also hope the films that lose are remembered, because they may be the ones that matter in fifty years, and the Oscars, for all their importance, are only one night in a film’s life.

I also think the international category is the most important at the Oscars, because it is the one that introduces audiences to films they would never see otherwise. I have discovered films from Korea, from Denmark, from Japan, and from many other countries because they were nominated for Best International Feature, and those films have changed how I think about cinema, because they tell stories from different cultures, with different values, and with different styles. I think the Academy should give this category more time in the ceremony, because it deserves it, and the filmmakers who win it deserve to be celebrated as much as the Best Picture winner, because their achievement, making a great film in a language that most of the audience does not speak, is remarkable.

I also think the red carpet is part of the fun of the Oscars, because it is a celebration of glamour, and glamour is part of cinema. I have watched the red carpet, I have admired the dresses, and I have enjoyed the interviews, because they show the stars as people, not only as actors, and they make the night feel special. I hope the 2027 red carpet is glamorous, because the Oscars deserve glamour, and the audience deserves a night that feels like a celebration, not only a ceremony.

Frequently Asked Questions

When are the Oscars 2027?

The 99th Academy Awards are expected to be held in March 2027 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, celebrating the films of 2026.

When are the Oscar 2027 nominations announced?

Oscar nominations are usually announced in January, a few weeks before the ceremony, after voting by the Academy’s branches.

How many films can be nominated for Best Picture?

Up to ten films can be nominated for Best Picture, chosen by a preferential ballot where Academy members rank the films.

What are the best predictors for the Oscars?

The guild awards, from the Producers, Directors and Screen Actors Guilds, are the most reliable predictors, along with the BAFTAs and the Golden Globes.

Has a non-English film ever won Best Picture?

Yes, Parasite won Best Picture in 2020, the first non-English-language film to do so, after winning at Cannes and the Golden Globes.

How are Oscar winners chosen?

Nominations are chosen by each Academy branch, and winners are chosen by all members voting by secret ballot, with results kept by PricewaterhouseCoopers.