In less than a month, the most prestigious and recognised film awards ceremony in the world will return for the 85th time.

The Academy Awards are not exactly famous for delivering shocks or surprises, and in recent years this has become especially apparent. Last year, we all already knew The Artist would win Best Picture, and The King’s Speech the year before was almost a dead-cert as well.

This year may provide a few more surprises though, as many of the categories are shared by numerous films and filmmakers genuinely deserving of recognition and celebration. There will always be front-runners when it comes to the Oscars, especially as the date nears, but surely this year there will be a few surprises.

Let’s have a look at the films which could provide an upset…

 

10. Amour

This French language drama has been mostly met with high praise from critics and audiences everywhere. Other films such as Lincoln and Zero Dark Thirty are more likely to pick up the Best Picture award, but with an American-French film winning the top prize last year, could Amour follow suit?

Although not a mainstream director, Michael Haneke has always impressed with films such as Funny Games – where he shrewdly comments on accepted levels of violence and its portrayal in the media.

So, could Amour surprise us all by becoming the worthy winner of the Academy’s 85th Best Picture Oscar? Even if it doesn’t, Haneke is also up for Best Director. The competition is strong in this category as well, but unlike the Best Picture group of nominees, there is no stand-alone favourite.

As Amour is also up for Best Foreign Language Film, I doubt it will win both. As the Best Picture category is full of potentials, I think the Academy will play it safe (as usual) and award Amour with the Best Foreign Language Film award instead.

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