Oscars 2021: Who Should Win Every Award (And Who Actually Will)

9. Best Cinematography

Nominees

Judas and the Black Messiah

Mank

News of the World

Nomadland

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Who Should Win: Nomadland

This is the softest field of cinematography nominees in many years, but there's little point arguing with the majesty of Joshua James Richards' dawn-and-dusk lensing on Nomadland.

Though DPs have a tendency to abuse the aesthetic appeal of "magic hour," here it lends enormous character to Fern's journey.

Who Will Win: Nomadland

This is a two-horse race between Nomadland and Mank, but the former has had the edge for most of awards season, even if Mank's Erik Messerschmidt did score a recent upset with the American Society of Cinematographers.

A Mank win is far from impossible, but this will most likely go to Nomadland - the ASC is far from a reliable predictor of the Oscars.