Best Actress Oscars 2023 Predictions and Contenders

Manori Ravindran International Editor Banijay Group CEO Marco Bassetti may be making a smart marketing move by delivering a Mipcom keynote on Oct. 18, but the Italian executive insists that “PR, for us, comes after.” At the first major TV market for the “Survivor” distributor since its $2.2 billion acquisition of Endemol Shine Group in 2020, Bassetti has a clear message: Producers, including Banijay, need a more equitable business model against the streamers. “It’s the golden age of content, but I’m not sure it’s the golden age of revenue share for producers,” Bassetti tells Variety from Banijay Group’s Paris headquarters in late September. “We need to be careful if we want to continue creating value in the industry. We need to fight to allow producers to keep their model as it was before.”

If you’re hoping for an Oscar nomination, perhaps you should consider adapting a novel or news story into a screenplay. Usually one of the more competitive categories, Adapted Screenplay is looking almost wide open at this stage of this particular awards season.

There are a number of categories where a worthy nominee won’t make the cut this Oscar season, but this Original Screenplay is worth keeping an eye on. Currently, there are at least three “likely” nominees.

Violent crime continues to ravage Philadelphia as shootings and homicides devastate area residents. Retired Philadelphia police officer Nick Gerace told "Fox & Friends First" where he is placing the blame. "This all extends to Larry Krasner, our failed, radical district attorney here in Philadelphia," he told Todd Piro and Carley Shimkus on Wednesday.

Actress and Broadway icon Angela Lansbury died on Tuesday, October 11. She was 96.

There will be some heartwarming news in the Oscar race for Supporting Actor in 2023. Barring some unforeseen event, acclaimed actor Brendan Gleeson should finally land an Academy Award nomination for his performance in “The Banshees of Inisherin.” And, the comeback story of the year, Ke Huy Quan, is likely to stand right beside him for his work in “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” The other three nominees in this category are honestly a coin flip.

There are a lot of interesting races this awards season, but the Supporting Actress (and Supporting Actor for that mattter) field is practically wide open. There are very few givens although many are assuming “Everything Everywhere All At Once’s Stephanie Hsu and at least one of the “Women Talking” ensemble make the cut.

Rebecca Souw “Bogota: City of the Lost,” one of the most expensive Korean films ever made, heads the sales slate presented at Busan by Megabox Plus M, part of Korea’s J Contentree listed company. Crime noir, “Bogota” took 21 months to produce and saw its principal photography start in January 2020 but soon become a victim of COVID. Song Joong Ki (“Space Sweepers”) stars as a young man moving to Colombia with his family for a better life, but he ends up living from hand to mouth. He later goes against all odds to dominate Bogota’s black market. The picture also stars Lee Hee-jun (“The Drug King”) and was directed by Kim Seong-je (“The Unfair”).

Not holding back! Real Housewives of Potomac star Candiace Dillard Bassett didn’t mince words giving her opinion of husband Chris Bassett’s dynamic with Gizelle Bryant.

Last year there were 93 nations that submitted films for the coveted International Film Academy Award. Only five were nominated, but they had a major hurdle to overcome first, the shortlist.

Viola Davis looks stunning in a black and white gown at the premiere of her new movie, The Woman King, held at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on Monday (October 3) in London, England.

Does anyone want a Best Actor nomination? Anyone? After a somewhat competitive 2022, the current crop of Outstanding Lead Actors in A Motion Picture field is decidedly thin. Granted, that’s partially because of the films that are usually considered and what studios/distributors are willing to campaign, but, trust us, this is going to be rough going.

Clayton Davis After two weeks of solid showings at the box office, excellent reviews and passionate fan responses, “The Woman King” has become one of the year’s standout hits, with plans to be competitive in the awards races for both major and artisan category attention.  One of the film’s standout stars, Thuso Mbedu, who plays the young Nawi, will be campaigning for supporting actress attention, Variety has learned. Academy Award winner Viola Davis (“Fences”) will be the sole actress campaigning for lead actress.  Mbedu, who was the breakout sensation of 2021’s Emmy-nominated series “The Underground Railroad” from director Barry Jenkins, will compete in supporting alongside her co-stars Sheila Atim, Jayme Lawson, Adrienne Warren and most prominent, Lashana Lynch. All of the male actors, including John Boyega, will be competing in supporting actor. 

Clayton Davis With the news of Michelle Williams campaigning for lead actress, instead of supporting actress, for her performance in Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans,” many are wondering if this big move will pay off. With bona fide contenders such as Cate Blanchett from “Tár” and Michelle Yeoh from “Everything Everywhere All at Once” already staking their claims as frontrunners, the category decision caused quite the stir on social media and punditry circles.

Michelle Williams is shaking things up as she begins her campaign for the 2023 Academy Awards.

Clayton Davis Not every race is what it seems, and so it goes with the first category decision of the season. Variety has confirmed Michelle Williams’ work as the piano-playing mother in Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans” will be campaigned for the Oscars in best actress, instead of supporting as many pundits had speculated. The film, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, won the prestigious People’s Choice Award and became the undisputed frontrunner in the early days of the awards season. One of the highlights of the cast was Williams’ turn as Mitzi Fabelman, a lover of the arts who serves as an inspiration for her filmmaking son Sammy (played by newcomer Gabrielle LaBelle).

Is any race for a nomination in this category moot? Has Steven Spielberg already won it for his personal, Hollywood industry-friendly drama “The Fabelmans”? Possibly, but not probably. The Director’s branch of the Academy has become one of the most international of all the branches.

If you told someone a year ago that a sequel to a 36-year-old action movie would not only become the biggest blockbuster of the year, but also a surefire Best Picture nominee they would have likely said you were crazy. 12 months later, Joseph Kosinski’s “Top Gun: Maverick” (or maybe that should be framed as Tom Cruise‘s “Top Gun: Maverick”) has thrown out all the (recent) rules on what a Best Picture contender can be.