Just for fun, let's imagine that all five winners of the above-the-line (ATL) categories were running against each other in the same year. Let's also pretend Best Picture still has five nominees. Who do you think wins? Who would be your personal pick?
To refresh our memories on the last five years:
Best Picture:
CODA
Everything Everywhere All At Once
Oppenheimer
Anora
One Battle After Another
Best Director:
Jane Campion, Power of the Dog
The Daniels, Everything Everywhere All At Once
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Sean Baker, Anora
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Best Actress:
Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All At Once
Emma Stone, Poor Things
Mikey Madison, Anora
Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Best Actor:
Will Smith, King Richard
Brendan Fraser, The Whale
Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Adrian Brody, The Brutalist
Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
Best Supporting Actress
Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All At Once
Da'vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
Zoe Saldana, Emilia Perez
Amy Madigan, Weapons
Best Supporting Actor
Troy Kutser, CODA
Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All At Once
Robert Downey Jr, Oppenheimer
Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
Best Original Screenplay
Belfast
Everything Everywhere All At Once
Anatomy of a Fall
Anora
Sinners
Best Adapted Screenplay
CODA
Women Talking
American Fiction
Conclave
One Battle After Another