The award-season buzz that usually begins this time of year may be more of an indistinguishable hum, but that hasn’t stopped the world’s most acclaimed filmmakers from doing their thing.
With the recent release of the Golden Globes nominations, featuring British names including Riz Ahmend in Sound of Metal and Carey Mulligan in Promising Young Woman, we’ve pulled together an overview of some of the most exciting films of the year destined to win big:
Nomadland
Directed by Chloé Zhao, this film follows an older woman travelling through the West of America after she loses everything in the Great Recession of 2008. With Frances McDormand playing the nomadic lead, we are sure this is going to be something to behold.
The Trial of the Chicago 7
This film retells the real stories of seven activists on trial after a violent uprising surrounding the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. This Netflix-produced film is directed by Aaron Sorkin and stars famous names such as Sacha Baron Cohen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Minari
American-Korean director Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari tells of a Korean family who have moved to Arkansas in pursuit of their American dream by starting a farm. Set in the 1980s, the story mirrors the personal experience of Chung himself and captures a timely message about migration in America.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Based on the ten-play series by August Wilson, George C. Wolfe has brought Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom to the big screen for Netflix. The film captures rising tensions during a recording session in 1927 and is starring none other than the magnificent Viola Davis as the ‘Mother of the Blues’.
One Night in Miami
Also based on a play of the same name, Regina King’s directorial debut tells the story of a fictionalised meeting between Mohammed Ali, Sam Cooke, Malcolm X and Jim Brown in a Motel Room in 1964. With stellar acting that bears uncanny resemblance to the real people, this Amazon Prime number is a must watch!
With the Oscars being postponed from February to April this year, keep your eyes peeled for the slightly later announcement of the nominations in mid-March.
Trips to the cinema could still be off the cards for some time, so get your at-home Oscars watch-list together and switch the screen for the ‘stream’!
What’s the best film you’ve seen this year? Let us know your thoughts via Facebook and Twitter.