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The 81st Academy Awards (2008): Winner Predictions

Prediction Key:

  • Winner Prediction (o-Win Pred Date Set) -Chance at Victory-

Awards
  • 7
  • 3
  • 2
  • 2
  • 2
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • Slumdog Millionaire
  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • The Dark Knight
  • Milk
  • WALL-E
  • The Class
  • Doubt
  • The Duchess
  • Man on Wire
  • Presto
  • The Reader
  • Spielzeugland
  • The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306

Best Picture

  • Slumdog Millionaire - Christian Colson (1/25) -Lock-
  •  
  • Milk - Dan Jinks, Bruce Cohen -Fighting-
  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Ceán Chaffin -Fighting-
  • The Reader - Anthony Minghella, Sydney Pollack, Scott Rudin -Spoiler-
  • Frost/Nixon - Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Eric Fellner -Doubtful-

Best Animated Feature

  • Wall-E - Andrew Stanton (7/17) -Lock-
  •  
  • Kung Fu Panda - John Stevenson, Mark Osborne -Strong-
  • Bolt - Chris Williams, Byron Howard -Spoiler-

Best Director

  • Slumdog Millionaire - Danny Boyle (1/25) -Lock-
  •  
  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - David Fincher -Fighting-
  • Milk - Gus Van Sant -Fighting-
  • The Reader - Stephen Daldry -Spoiler-
  • Frost/Nixon - Ron Howard -Doubtful-

Best Actor

  • Milk - Sean Penn (12/18) -Strong-
  •  
  • The Wrestler - Mickey Rourke -Strong-
  • Frost/Nixon - Frank Langella -Fighting-
  • The Visitor - Richard Jenkins -Doubtful-
  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Brad Pitt -Doubtful-

Best Actress

  • The Reader - Kate Winslet (1/22) -Strong-
  •  
  • Doubt - Meryl Streep -Fighting-
  • Rachel Getting Married - Anne Hathaway -Spoiler-
  • Changeling - Angelina Jolie -Doubtful-
  • Frozen River - Melissa Leo -Doubtful-

Best Supporting Actor

  • The Dark Knight - Heath Ledger (12/18) -Lock-
  •  
  • Tropic Thunder - Robert Downey Jr. -Spoiler-
  • Milk - Josh Brolin -Doubtful-
  • Doubt - Philip Seymour Hoffman -Doubtful-
  • Revolutionary Road - Michael Shannon -Doubtful-

Best Supporting Actress

  • Doubt - Viola Davis (12/1) -Fighting-
  •  
  • Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Penelope Cruz -Fighting-
  • The Wrestler - Marisa Tomei -Fighting-
  • Doubt - Amy Adams -Fighting-
  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Taraji P. Henson -Fighting-

Best Original Screenplay

  • Milk - Dustin Lance Black (12/1) -Strong-
  •  
  • Wall-E - Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Pete Docter -Fighting-
  • In Bruges - Martin McDonagh -Fighting-
  • Happy-Go-Lucky - Mike Leigh -Doubtful-
  • Frozen River - Courtney Hunt -Doubtful-

Best Adapted Screenplay

  • Slumdog Millionaire - Simon Beaufoy (Vikas Swarup) (1/22) -Lock-
  •  
  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Eric Roth, Robin Swicord (F. Scott Fitzgerald) -Fighting-
  • The Reader - David Hare -Doubtful-
  • Doubt - John Patrick Shanley -Doubtful-
  • Frost/Nixon - Peter Morgan (Peter Morgan) -Doubtful-

Best Original Score

  • Slumdog Millionaire - A.R. Rahman (2/12) -Strong-
  •  
  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Alexandre Desplat -Strong-
  • Wall-E - Thomas Newman -Strong-
  • Milk - Danny Elfman -Strong-
  • Defiance - James Newton Howard -Doubtful-

Best Original Song

  • Slumdog Millionaire - "Jai Ho" (12/11) -Strong-
  •  
  • Wall-E - "Down to Earth" -Fighting-
  • Slumdog Millionaire - "O Saya" -Doubtful-

Best Editing

  • Slumdog Millionaire - Chris Dickens (12/1) -Strong-
  •  
  • The Dark Knight - Lee Smith -Strong-
  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall -Fighting-
  • Milk - Elliot Graham, Gus Van Sant -Doubtful-
  • Frost/Nixon - Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill -Doubtful-

Best Cinematography

  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Claudio Miranda (2/17) -Strong-
  •  
  • Slumdog Millionaire - Anthony Dod Mantle -Strong-
  • The Dark Knight - Wally Pfister -Strong-
  • Changeling - Tom Stern -Doubtful-
  • The Reader - Chris Menges, Roger Deakins -Doubtful-

Best Art Direction

  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo (1/12) -Strong-
  •  
  • The Duchess - Michael Carlin, Rebecca Alleway -Fighting-
  • The Dark Knight - Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando -Spoiler-
  • Changeling - James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis -Doubtful-
  • Revolutionary Road - Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt -Doubtful-

Best Costume Design

  • The Duchess - Michael O'Connor (1/22) -Strong-
  •  
  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Jacqueline West -Strong-
  • Australia - Catherine Martin -Doubtful-
  • Revolutionary Road - Albert Wolsky -Doubtful-
  • Milk - Danny Glicker -Doubtful-

Best Makeup

  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Greg Cannom (2/12) -Strong-
  •  
  • The Dark Knight - John Caglione, Jr., Conor O'Sullivan -Strong-
  • Hellboy II: The Golden Army - Mike Elizalde, Thom Floutz -Fighting-

Best Sound Mixing

  • The Dark Knight - Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo, Ed Novick (12/1) -Strong-
  •  
  • Slumdog Millionaire - Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Resul Pookutty -Fighting-
  • Wall-E - Tom Myers, Michael Semanick, Ben Burtt -Fighting-
  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce, Mark Weingarten -Spoiler-
  • Wanted - Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño, Petr Forejt -Doubtful-

Best Sound Editing

  • Wall-E - Ben Burtt, Matthew Wood (9/28) -Strong-
  •  
  • The Dark Knight - Richard King -Strong-
  • Iron Man - Frank Eulner, Christopher Boyes -Fighting-
  • Slumdog Millionaire - Glenn Freemantle, Tom Sayers -Doubtful-
  • Wanted - Wylie Stateman -Doubtful-

Best Visual Effects

  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton, Craig Barron (12/18) -Strong-
  •  
  • The Dark Knight - Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber, Paul Franklin -Fighting-
  • Iron Man - John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick, Shane Mahan -Spoiler-

Best Foreign Film

  • The Class - France (9/25) -Strong-
  •  
  • Revanche - Austria -Fighting-
  • Waltz with Bashir - Israel -Fighting-
  • Baader Meinhof Complex - Germany -Spoiler-
  • Departures - Japan -Doubtful-

Best Documentary Feature

  • Man on Wire - James Marsh, Simon Chinn (1/22) -Strong-
  •  
  • Trouble the Water - Tia Lessin, Carl Deal -Fighting-
  • The Garden - Scott Hamilton Kennedy -Fighting-
  • Encounters At the End of the World - Werner Herzog, Henry Kaiser -Fighting-
  • The Betrayal - Ellen Kuras, Thavisouk Phrasavath -Fighting-

Best Documentary Short Subject

  • The Witness from the Balcony of Room 306 - Adam Pertofsky, Margaret Hyde (10/8) -Strong-
  •  
  • Smile Pinki - Megan Mylan -Fighting-
  • The Conscience of Nhem En - Steven Okazaki -Fighting-
  • The Final Inch - Irene Taylor Brodsky, Tom Grant -Fighting-

Best Animated Short Film

  • Presto - Doug Sweetland (1/22) -Strong-
  •  
  • This Way Up - Alan Smith, Adam Foulkes -Fighting-
  • Lavatory - Lovestory - Konstantin Bronzit -Fighting-
  • Oktapodi - Emud Mokhberi, Thierry Marchand -Fighting-
  • La Maison en Petits Cubes - Kunio Kato -Fighting-

Best Live-Action Short Film

  • Spielzeugland (Toyalnd) - Jochen Alexander Freydank (1/22) -Strong-
  •  
  • Auf der Strecke (On the Line) - Reto Caffi -Fighting-
  • New Boy - Steph Green, Tamara Anghie -Fighting-
  • Manon on the Asphalt - Elizabeth Marre, Olivier Pont -Fighting-
  • The Pig - Tivi Magnusson and Dorte Høgh -Fighting-