When it comes to the end of the year for movies, it’s a big conversation for the awards season that starts in December. There are many award shows through the span of that time, specifically from December to February. But here is the big one, the Academy Awards, and these are the nomination predictions for the major categories including; Best Picture, Best Director, all acting categories, and both screenplay awards. As well as honorable mentions in some categories that may have a chance.

Best Picture

1. Arrival
2. Hacksaw Ridge
3. Moonlight
4. Manchester By the Sea
5. La La Land
6. Hell or High Water
7. Lion
8. Loving

Honorable Mentions: Florence Foster Jenkins, Fences, Silence

Front Runners: Loving has all the parts of an Oscar-winning film, and will be the safe bet for the win this year, but La La Land is one of the few feel good movies this year and from the technical beauty this movie is showing in trailers, it can be a sure win with the momentum it is leaving now.

Best Director

1. Mel Gibson- Hacksaw Ridge
2. Damien Chazelle- La La Land
3. Barry Jenkins- Moonlight
4. Kenneth Longergan- Manchester By the Sea
5. Denis Villeneuve- Arrival

Honorable Mentions: Jeff Nichols- Loving, Denzel Washington- Fences, Martin Scorsese- Silence, David Mackenzie- Hell or High Water, Tom Ford- Nocturnal Animals

Front Runners: Hands down Damien Chazelle can be a major front runner win for this well-deserved director. Already winning many awards for this category, delivering a musical that can rank with classics like the Wizard of Oz and West Side Story, leaving Chazelle the most likely winner for this category.

Best Actor

1. Casey Affleck- Manchester by the Sea
2. Andrew Garfield- Hacksaw Ridge
3. Ryan Gosling- La La Land
4. Joel Edgerton- Loving
5. Denzel Wahington- Fences

Honorable Mentions: Hugh Grant- Florence Foster Jenkins

Front Runners: Casey Affleck who delivers one of the best performances of his career, as a man who has to deal with his brother’s death in Manchester by the Sea, is sweeping the other awards, and would not be surprised if he does it here.

Best Actress

1. Natalie Portman- Jackie
2. Ruth Negga- Loving
3. Amy Adams- Arrival
4. Emma Stone- La La Land
5. Isabelle Huppert- Elle

Honorable Mention: Annette Bening- 20^th Century Women

Front Runners: Probably one of the hardest categories this year. With Amy Adams having two films with huge Oscar buzz don’t be surprised if you see her leave with a statue on Oscar night. But Natalie Portman and Ruth Negga deliver career changing performances that can take away that statue from Adams.

Best Supporting Actor

1. Mahershala Ali- Moonlight
2. Jeff Bridges- Hell or High Water
3. Dev Patel- Lion
4. Lucas Hedges- Manchester by the Sea
5. Michael Shannon- Nocturnal Animals

Honorable Mentions: Ben Foster- Hell or High Water, Simon Helberg- Florence Foster Jenkins, Liam Neeson- Silence, Aaron Taylor Johnson- Nocturnal Animals

Front Runners: Although Jeff Bridges in Hell or High Water, delivering one of high best performances in years can be a threat but Mahershala Ali being the only real contender with his performance as a hard skin but yet caring drug dealer will win the award.

Best Supporting Actress

1. Viola Davis- Fences
2. Naomie Harris- Moonlight
3. Nicole Kidman- Lion
4. Michelle Williams- Manchester by the Sea
5. Octavia Spencer- Hidden Figures

Front Runners: It is really hard not to see Viola Davis win this category. She delivers one of the best performances of the year as a mother in between the hostile of her son and husband. Anyone who wins over her would be a disappointing choice by the Academy. That being said, though, I would watch out of Naomie Harris who is long overdue for a win.

Best Original Screenplay

1. La La Land
2. Hell or High Water
3. Kenneth Lonergan
4. Moonlight
5. Loving

Honorable Mentions: The Nice Guys, The Lobster

Front Runners: Main runners would have to be Manchester by the Sea, Hell or High Water, and Loving, the latter being the obvious Oscar choice but wouldn’t count out Hell or High Water, with its intense story and written tension.

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. Lion
2. Arrival
3. Nocturnal Animals
4. Fences
5. Hidden Figures

Honorable Mentions: Silence

Front Runners: There is really no clear front runner for this category compared to the rest but if I were to put my money on a winner it would be Lion, with a heart breaking script about a men finding his real mother, who is in major talks to win this year.