TONIGHT MARKS THE 95th Annual Academy Awards, and interest on this side of the Atlantic has never been higher.
The ceremony proper begins at 8pm EST, which is 12am Ireland time (Monday 13 March). Of course, there will be plenty of red carpet coverage in the run-up to the main event, and our own reporter Aoife Barry will be in attendance to bring us live updates from the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood.
As for how to watch the ceremony live, you’ll either need to have the necessary package from Sky Showcase, Sky Arts, Sky News or Sky Cinema Oscars.
This year’s ceremony will be hosted by late night chat show host Jimmy Kimmel, who’s taking up the prestigious mantle for the third time. There have also been reports that security around the stage has been beefed up, following last year’s dramatic incident in which Will Smith stormed the stage to slap comedian Chris Rock.
While no official running order has been published at the time of writing, we can make some assumptions as to the timings of each category based on last year’s running order and Oscar traditions.
Best Supporting Actress
Kerry Condon (Banshees) is a dark horse for this year’s Best Supporting Actress category, which is stacked with major players. Both Stephanie Hsu and Jamie Lee Curtis are in the running for their performances in Everything Everywhere All At Once.
As we all know by now, Angela Bassett “did the thing” with her role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Hong Chau has risen to prominence this year with stellar performances in The Menu and The Whale, the latter winning her the nomination.
This category kicked off the ceremony in 2022, so it’s possible that we could have news on this one shortly after 1am on Monday.
Best Supporting Actor
In a rare turn up for the books, Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan are nominated for their supporting roles in the same movie (Banshees). Also in the category is Ke Huay Quan, whose Hollywood comeback has made him one of the most popular figures on the awards circuit this season. Bryan Tyree Henry is up for his role in a Causeway, a drama where he plays a soldier who suffers a brain injury, as is Judd Hirsch for The Fabelmans.
However, Keoghan did scoop this award at the BAFTAs, so it could be a good chance for an Irish actor bring home some silverware.
Best Live Action Short Film
An Irish Goodbye has already taken a BAFTA. Ross White and Tom Berkeley’s film about two estranged brothers thrown together again after their mother’s untimely death has been raved about by critics and is definitely in with a shout.
International Film
Colm Bairéad’s An Cailín Ciúin is Ireland’s first ever nominee in the International Film category, a stunning achievement in and of itself. German film All Quiet on the Western Front is expected to make major waves, having won Best Picture at the BAFTAs, and being nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.
Other films up for the accolade are Argentina, 1985 (Argentina), EO (Poland) and Close (Belgium).
Best Actor
Both Colin Farrell (Banshees) and Paul Mescal (Aftersun) are up against each other in the Best Actor category, though neither are favourite among oddsmakers. They face stiff competition from Brendan Fraser, who impressed with his role in The Whale, and Austin Butler, who has continued to commit to his Elvis role for nearly a year since the film came out. The category is rounded off by veteran British actor Bill Nighy for his role in Living.
Best Actor typically tends to come towards the very end of the ceremony, so it’ll likely be well after 3am our time by the time we hear who has won.
Best Picture
The night is likely to finish with the awarding of Best Picture, and sees Martin McDonagh’s Banshees of Inisherin go up against nine other films.
Throughout the night, watch out for possible wins for Banshees in other technical categories, including Best Original Score, Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing.
McDonagh has also sealed his first nomination for Best Director, and faces competition from Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans), Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (Everything Everywhere All At Once), Todd Field (Tár) and Robin Ostlund (Triangle of Sadness). You can also expect that category to be in the final four of the evening.
The Journal will be liveblogging through Sunday night and Monday morning, and you can also follow Aoife Barry on Twitter for on-the-ground updates.
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