By Jake Coyle —
The Associated Press
Hollywood celebrates the 96th Academy Awards this Sunday.
Oppenheimer
, the blockbuster biographical film about the father of the atomic bomb, is expected
to prevail over its competitors at the Oscars held in an election year that may crown director Christopher Nolan.
The Oscars, which
begin at 7:00 pm
(ET) and will be broadcast on ABC, are moved forward one hour due to the change to daylight saving time.
Jimmy Kimmel is once again the presenter of the gala.
Winners from previous editions will also act as presenters.
Oscar statuettes backstage during the 95th Academy Awards on March 12, 2023 in Hollywood, California.Al Seib/Getty Images
However, there is a lot going on around this year's gala.
Protesters against the war between Israel and Hamas are expected to make their voices heard near the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.
Police have reinforced their presence in the area.
The conflict in Ukraine will also be on the minds of some attendees, especially those of the journalists who made the documentary
20 Days in Mariupol
.
And with the presidential election in full swing, politics could be an unavoidable topic tonight.
Hollywood also has many issues to worry about.
The year 2023 was characterized by a prolonged strike over the future of an industry that faces the rise of
streaming
, artificial intelligence and changes in viewer tastes.
The Academy widely nominated films such as
Killers of the Flower Moon
and
Poor Things
, but it is
Oppenheimer
who is this year's favorite, with 13 nominations.
Meanwhile,
Barbie
, by director Greta Gerwig and the biggest hit of the year with more than $1.4 billion in ticket sales, has eight nominations.
When and where?
Before the awards show airs on ABC, red carpet coverage will begin at 6:30 pm ET.
The E! channel
Its coverage will begin at 04:00 pm
The show can be
streamed
through ABC.com and the ABC app, with a cable subscription.
It can also be seen through services such as Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and FuboTV.
A musical show with the nominated songs
Five actors who have won five categories in previous years will announce the new winners together for the first time since 2009.
Announced presenters include: Zendaya, Al Pacino, Jennifer Lawrence, Michelle Yeoh, Steven Spielberg, Dwayne Johnson, Matthew McConaughey, Lupita Nyong'o, Mahershala Ali, Nicolas Cage and Bad Bunny.
All the songs nominated for best original song will be performed live, including the favorite to win:
What Was I Made For
by
Barbie
, performed by Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell.
The others are:
I'm Just Ken
, by Ryan Gosling and Mark Ronson;
The Fire Inside
by
Flamin' Hot
, performed by Becky G;
It Never Went Away
, from
American Symphony
, by Jon Batiste;
and
Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)
, from
Killers of the Flower Moon
, to be performed by Scott George and the Osage Singers.
favorite movies
Oppenheimer
has already swept the guilds of its producers, directors and actors, making it the clear favorite for best film.
She is expected to win in other categories as well.
Director Nolan could win his first Oscar for best director, while Robert Downey Jr. (best supporting actor) and Cillian Murphy (best actor) could also win their first Oscars.
Paul Giamatti (
The Holdovers
) could challenge Murphy.
Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in 'Oppenheimer'.Universal Pictures
With a possible victory for
Oppenheimer
, the biggest drama of the night would be in the best actress category.
Emma Stone (
Poor Things
) and Lily Gladstone (
Killers of the Flower Moon
) have almost the same chance of winning.
While an Oscar for Stone, who already won for her performance in
La La Land
, would be her second statuette, a victory for Gladstone would make Academy Awards history.
No Native American has won an Oscar before.
Although
Barbie
surpassed (and helped lift)
Oppenheimer
at the box office, it seems likely that she will take a backseat to Nolan's film tonight.
Director Gerwig was ignored in the best director category, which provoked an outcry from some, including Hillary Clinton, who criticized that what happened spoke of the same patriarchy as the film.
In the supporting actress category, Da'Vine Joy Randolph has been the favorite of the entire season for her performance in
Alexander Payne's
The Holdovers .
The Latino nominees
The Spanish film
Society of the Snow
, by Juan Antonio Bayona, competes for the best international film along with four other films.
Actress
America Ferrera
, born in the United States to Honduran parents, is nominated for best supporting actress for her monologue in
Barbie
.
She competes with Da'Vine Joy Randolph for
The Holdovers
and Danielle Brooks for
The Color Purple
.
Meanwhile, Mexican
Rodrigo Prieto
is nominated for best director of photography for his work on
Killers of the Flower Moon
, by director Martir Scorsese.
Milestones of the night
Composer John Williams, 92, is expected to attend the ceremony, where he is nominated for the 49th time for best score, for
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
.
For its part, Godzilla will be at the Oscars for the first time, since the film
Godzilla Minus Once
is nominated for best visual effects.
Also for the first time, two non-English language films are up for best picture: the German Auschwitz drama
The Zone of Interest
and the French courtroom drama
Anatomy of a Fall
.
The Zone of Interest
is the big favorite to win the award for best international film.
Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling during the premiere of 'Barbie', on July 9, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Christopher Polk/WWD via Getty Images file
Historically, the presence of great films in the Oscar contention has been positive for audience ratings.
The biggest in Oscar history came when
James Cameron's
Titanic swept the show in 1998.
Last year's ceremony, in which
Everything Everywhere All at Once
, a curious film, won for best film, was seen by 18.7 million people, 12% more than the previous year.
The ABC network and the Academy are confident of maintaining the upward trend tonight.