Tonight in Los Angeles once again everything revolves around the little golden man: the Oscars are coming up. The trophy is considered the most important award in the film industry - and history is likely to be made at the 95th Academy Awards. Because not only the German anti-war epic "Nothing new in the West" could write itself in the annals of the Oscars.
The film adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque's best-selling novel could break records at the Dolby Theater. German films have won Oscars in the past, most recently "The Lives of Others" in 2007, but never before has a film from Germany been nominated for nine of the coveted awards and certainly not in the top category "Best Film". In addition, "Nothing New in the West" has chances of winning trophies in the categories Best Foreign Language Film, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup
With this array of nominations, "Nothing New in the West" is one of the top favourites. Still, many pundits reckon another film will dominate at this year's Academy Awards. No film is currently getting more attention than the surprise hit "Everything Everywhere All at Once". Should the kung fu fairy tale win the Best Picture category, it would give a whole genre a boost – a sci-fi film has never won the trophy.
But that's not the only reason why "Everything Everywhere All at Once" could make Oscar history. If the film's leading actress, Michelle Yeoh, were to beat top pick Cate Blanchett for Best Actress, she would be the first Asian woman to take home the award. A moment that would be as significant as presenting the trophy to Halle Berry, who became the first black actress to win the award in 2002.
Yeoh's main competitor is the aforementioned Cate Blanchett. The actress is considered one of the most important character actresses in Hollywood. Her achievements have already been recognized with two Oscars, among other things. 2004 for her portrayal of Katharine Hepburn in Aviator (Best Supporting Actress) and 2013 for her performance in "Blue Jasmin" (Best Actress). In 2023, there's a good chance Blanchett will snag Oscar number three. Only four women before her have succeeded: Meryl Streep, Katharine Hepburn, Ingrid Bergman and Frances McDormand.
Paul Mescal and John Williams could also break records thanks to their age. Mescal, who starred in 'Aftersun,' could become the youngest actor to bag the golden man at 27. Williams could break a record at the other end of the age spectrum. The 91-year-old has already received 53 nominations for "Best Film Music" and has taken the trophy home five times. If Williams were to win again this year, he would be the oldest Oscar winner in Academy Awards history.
In 2009, Heath Ledger received a posthumous Best Supporting Actor award for his portrayal of the Joker in the DC Comics adaptation of The Dark Knight. This year, Angela Bassett has hopes for the Supporting Actress Oscar in a comic book adaptation. If she were recognized for her role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, set in the DC competitor Marvel universe, she would be the first to receive an acting award for a Marvel film.
Judd Hirsch already made history when he was nominated for his role in The Fabelmans. It's been a long time since Hirsch was nominated for an Oscar. In 1981 he was in the running for his role in "A Whole Normal Family". Hirsch holds the record for the longest period of time between one nomination and the next.
