Despite losing at the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Awards, Christopher Nolan‘s war movie “Dunkirk” will still be a major player at the 2018 Oscars. According to exclusive Gold Derby predictions, “Dunkirk” will earn a whopping nine Oscar nominations on January 23, including biggies for Best Picture and Best Director. While that’s shy of “The Shape of Water’s” predicted haul of 14 noms, nine bids would still make “Dunkirk” one of the most-nominated films of the year.
“Dunkirk” tells the true story of Allied soldiers trying to survive on the beaches of Dunkirk, France during World War II. While it isn’t expected to receive nominations for acting or writing, we predict it will contend in these seven below-the-line Oscar races: Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Score, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects. It’s even expected to win the trophy for Best Film Editing, where it currently has leading 8/5 odds. See more 2018 Oscar predictions.
In terms of the 12 industry guilds, “Dunkirk” contends at 10 of them, second only to “The Shape of Water” with 11. They are: American Cinema Editors for Lee Smith, Art Directors Guild for Nathan Crowley, American Society of Cinematographers for Hoyte van Hoytema, Cinema Audio Society, Costume Designers Guild for Jeffrey Kurland, Casting Society of America for John Papsidera, Directors Guild of America for Christopher Nolan, Producers Guild of America for Best Picture, Screen Actors Guild for Stunt Ensemble, and Visual Effects Society.
War epics are one of Oscar’s favorite genres, which bodes well for “Dunkirk.” In all, 16 such films have prevailed in the top race, which is no surprise considering that war movies provide Oscar voters with everything they require in a Best Picture contender: impact, empathy, range and hope in humanity. Will “Dunkirk” be next to join this esteemed list?
PREDICT the Oscar nominees now; change them until January 23
Be sure to check out how our experts rank Oscar contenders in this and the other top races. Use the drop-down menus at the top of each page to see the other categories. Then take a look at the most up-to-date odds before you make make your Oscar nomination predictions. Don’t be afraid to jump in now since you can keep changing your predictions until just before nominees are announced on January 23.
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