Meet This Year's Best Picture Contenders

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – November 3, 2020

We may be living in unsettled times, but there's one bit of (minor) normalcy rapidly approaching: Hollywood's awards season. So which films from 2020 (plus next January and February, thanks to an extended eligibility period) could contend for a best picture Oscar next spring? We have surveyed industry experts, reviewed the reviews, and examined the top performers at this year's few surviving major film festivals to come up with a list potential contenders.

Despite the fact that so many potential 2020 nominees have taken themselves out of the running by shifting their release dates into late 2021 (a list that includes Steven Spielberg's West Side Story, Denis Villeneuve's Dune, Tom McCarthy's Stillwater, the Aretha Franklin biopic Respect, and Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch, among others), there are still over a dozen strong contenders to receive a best picture nomination when the Academy reveals its selections on March 15, 2021. (The delayed Oscar ceremony will be held on April 25.) Those films, and a handful of additional wildcards, are listed in alphabetical order in the gallery above.

Note that it looks like director Steve McQueen will be represented at least twice (and perhaps more) near the top of our list of 2020's best-reviewed films. But his five (!) upcoming releases are technically part of an BBC/Amazon anthology series (Small Axe) which will make his films Emmy-eligible rather than Oscar-eligible, so they are omitted here.

14 of 16 photo by Paramount Pictures

The United States vs. Billie Holiday

What is it? A look at the life of legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday—and, specifically, about how she was unfairly targeted by federal narcotics officers in a decades-long sting operation and finally arrested while hospitalized in the final days of her life—starring Grammy-nominated artist Andra Day (of "Rise Up" fame) as Holiday.

Why is it a contender? It's a biopic, and one that touches on civil rights issues. It should also attract extra attention as the first film directed by Lee Daniels since 2013.

What are its chances? It's hard to say given that it doesn't actually exist yet. Paramount won a bidding war for the film at this summer's Cannes Virtual Market after seeing just four minutes of footage, and the film has yet to be completed. (But the fact that there was so much interest in the film during the pandemic suggests that it has awards potential.)

When can I see it? On February 12, if it is able to reach theaters as planned.

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