The 97th Academy Awards will broadcast live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles this Sunday evening at 7 p.m. EST. The ceremony will be hosted by Conan O'Brien and viewers across America can tune in on ABC or Hulu to watch.

In Fayetteville, Ga., film industry insiders may watch the festivities at a glam viewing party at Enzo near Trilith Studios, where Captain America, Guardians of the Galaxy and the recent SNL biopic Saturday Night were filmed. That event will be emceed by Atlanta movie expert and Silver Screen Capture writer Stephen Michael Brown and a portion of ticket proceeds help the neighboring Two Sparrows Village in Union City, which is a supportive living environment for adults with intellectual disabilities.

This year, the major awards are anyone's guess, so Brown joined GPB’s Kristi York Wooten in the Talk Studio to break down the Oscar nominees and wager predictions for the main categories.



TRANSCRIPT

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Kristi York Wooten: Welcome, Stephen.

Stephen Brown: Thank you so much, Kristi. It's an honor.

Kristi York Wooten:  Let's start with Best Picture.

Stephen Brown: Most people have seen Wicked because that's so popular. But a lot of these movies are sort of topical or interesting or maybe straight-out-of-the-headlines type issues. Emilia Pérez went from leading to Anora being the one that was leading. And then as of the Screen Actors Guild Awards [on Feb. 23], Conclave was the winner there. So there's definitely now a feeling that Anora or Conclave could be the one.

Kristi York Wooten: Yeah, it feels like there could be some upsets or a wild card that jumps in there. I know that there was a lot of talk about The Brutalist. And I had a sort of mixed reaction — some beautiful elements to that film, but it also felt a little bloated to me, personally. I thought it was going to be about architecture altogether, but nope. Especially for someone who is from Atlanta and knows John Portman, who kind of was a brutalist and a modernist in his own right, with all his concrete buildings in downtown Atlanta. But also A Complete Unknown: Do you think there's any chance there, that — that biopic about Bob Dylan starring Timothée Chalamet can make it all the way to Best Picture?

Stephen Brown: I do feel it could. There is definitely a notion in Oscar races that it's all about timing. The Best Actor: Throughout the entire season, Adrien Brody has been the leading contender and award winner for The Brutalist. However, this week, we've had a little shocker because the Screen Actors Guild just anointed Timothée Chalamet for playing Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. So, that shook up the race a little bit. I think come Oscar night, Sunday night, you can see it go either way. 

Kristi York Wooten: Demi Moore won [Best Actress] at the Golden Globes and has been kind of a favored actress to win [an Oscar] this year. What do you think?

Stephen Brown: Absolutely. So, Demi Moore has the body of work, but she was also in a "body horror" movie, The Substance, which is a little grisly and gross for some people's tastes. However, I believe that many Academy voters aren't even watching the movie. They realize that she's someone who's gone unrecognized. She's given great speeches. However, if they have seen the movie, it's really good. There is another actress, Fernanda Torres, who's in I'm Still Here. Mikey Madison, in Anora could also be a dark-horse contender. She won at BAFTA [the British version of the Oscars].

Kristi York Wooten: We've got also Cynthia Erivo [for Wicked] in that category.

Stephen Brown: You know, she's spectacular. In a different year, she would have a really huge shot. I think the fact that the Wicked movies have been divided in two [Part 1 in 2024 and Part 2 slated for the end of 2025] has sort of the  Lord of the Rings effect [of making voters wait until the second movie is released].

Promotional materials and memorabilia including an autographed script will go to the winners of door prizes at the second annual Oscar party at Enzo in the Trilith community on March 2, 2025.

Promotional materials and memorabilia including an autographed script will go to the winners of door prizes at the second annual Oscar party at Enzo in the Trilith community on March 2, 2025.

Credit: GPB/File

Kristi York Wooten: All right. Actress in a Supporting Role?

Stephen Brown: This race has gone for Zoë Saldaña in Emelia Perez nearly every single time. And so I think Zoë Saldaña has been seen as somebody who did a great job in Avatar movies and Guardians of the Galaxy movies, and they hadn't seen her sing and dance and speak Spanish and do all the things that she does in Emelia Perez. So, I think a lot of people will reward her for that.

Kristi York Wooten: You know, I really want to talk about Isabella Rossellini for a minute. Her facial expressions and everything were just incredible in Conclave. She's kind of my secret favorite! Let's talk about the Actor in a Supporting Role [category].

Stephen Brown: Almost every awards precursor that's happened so far has gone for Kieran Culkin, who plays one of the two mismatched cousins on the trip in A Real Pain. I think if there were any strange upset, it could be Edward Norton, who plays Pete Seeger in A Complete Unknown.

Kristi York Wooten:  This was just a very sweet turn for him.

Stephen Brown: It was! A most sweeter, gentler side of Edward Norton, that we think of as Fight Club and American History X.

Kristi York Wooten: Stephen Brown, thank you for being here. 

Stephen Brown: Thank you, Kristi.



Who will win?

Stephen Michael Brown

Predictions:

  • Best Picture: Conclave
  • Best Director: Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
  • Actor in a Leading Role: Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown 
  • Actress in a Leading Role: Demi Moore, The Substance
  • Actor in a Supporting Role: Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
  • Actress in a Supporting Role: Zoë Saldaña, Emilia Perez

Preferences:

  • Best Picture: The Substance
  • Best Director: Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
  • Actor in a Leading Role: Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
  • Actress in a Leading Role: Demi Moore, The Substance
  • Actor in a Supporting Role: Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
  • Actress in a Supporting Role: Ariana Grande, Wicked



Kristi York Wooten

Predictions:

  • Best Picture: Conclave
  • Best Director: Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
  • Actor in a Leading Role: Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown 
  • Actress in a Leading Role: Demi Moore, The Substance
  • Actor in a Supporting Role: Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice
  • Actress in a Supporting Role: Zoë Saldaña, Emilia Perez

Preferences:

  • Best Picture: A Complete Unknown
  • Best Director: Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
  • Actor in a Leading Role: Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown 
  • Actress in a Leading Role: Demi Moore, The Substance
  • Actor in a Supporting Role: Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown 
  • Actress in a Supporting Role: Isabella Rossellini, Conclave

Follow along at home with the full list of nominees here.

Tags: Georgia  Movies  Academy Awards  Trilith Studios  fayetteville  Oscar nominated films