Despite the thundering crashes of film industry goliaths that happened over the past few months (Harvey Weinstein, Louis CK, Dustin Hoffman, to name a few), Hollywood still continues to distribute its gleaming statues, for its show must always go on. In contrast to the bleak illustration that recent scandals painted of the future of film, 2017 produced numerous films that truly shine as some of Hollywood’s best works in a while.

Many complain that the animation section grows more haunted by Disney’s looming shadow every year, and this year acts no differently. Disney’s Coco provides a gorgeous homage towards Mexican culture, particularly its sacred holiday, Dia de Los Muertos. It follows the story of a young boy named Miguel, who embarks upon an adventure in the Land of the Dead to unlock his family’s history. The animation in this film displays dazzling colors and intricate details, from the embroidery on Miguel’s shirts to the accurately disjointed motions of the skeletons, a dedication to detail that’s sure to make the Academy take notice. However, Disney might finally meet its match with the sleeper hit Loving Vincent. Loving Vincent illustrates the lifestyle of Vincent Van Gogh, but unlike other biopics of the post-Impressionist painter, this film illustrates his life with entrancing animations in the artist’s own style. The filmmakers created a unique style that immerses Loving Vincent’s viewers in van Gogh’s world completely, giving the film a chance to take the Animation Oscar for its revolutionary methods of using animation to provide further introspect in comprehending the artist. Yet the Academy may note plot creativity over animation technique this year with The Breadwinner, a heart-racing story about a young girl trying to find her father in 2001 Afghanistan and surviving the Taliban’s dangerous grasps by pretending to be a boy.

Old legends and fresh faces alike may obtain the elusive Best Actor Oscar this year. Newcomer Timothée Chalamet has a large chance of snatching away a nomination with his empathetic and raw portrayal of Elio Perlman, a young man in love with the handsome gentleman who stays at his parents’ villa, in Luca Guadagnino’s hypnotic Call Me By Your Name. In contrast, Daniel Kaluuya has more experience on screen with previous roles in Black Mirror and Sicario, but his phenomenal acting as resilient protagonist Chris Washington in Jordan Peele’s horror film Get Out may propel him to his first Oscar. And no one can forget Ansel Elgort’s performance as the heartwarming Baby in Baby Driver. Though the new faces face a definite threat, many seasoned Oscar veterans return to the contending field. Most notables carry heavy roles in political thrillers—Tom Hanks as the aggravating newspaper editor Ben Bradlee in The Post, Denzel Washington as the determined lawyer Roman J. Israel in Roman J. Israel, Esq, and Gary Oldman as the charismatic Churchill in Darkest Hour. Despite all the worthy contenders, the Oscar may go to two actors who truly acted their best this year. Daniel Day-Lewis has an immense chance to steal away the Academy Award with his committed performance as the conflicted dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock, and the Academy may also hand him the Oscar as Day-Lewis declared he would retire from acting after four long decades of acting. However, James Franco could surprise everyone and take the Best Actor title this year, as he achieved an impressive feat—painting eccentric director Tommy Wiseau in a sympathetic light in the comedic biopic The Disaster Artist.

The same situation exists in the Best Actress section: new contestants and household names. Respected actresses Jessica Chastain and Margot Robbie hit the race for the golden statue with strikingly similar roles: the media-slaughtered Olympic athlete in Molly’s Game and I, Tonya respectively. Yet the Academy could turn and choose the actresses in historically revolutionary roles; the ineffable Meryl Streep could easily return with her role as the first female major American newspaper publisher in The Post, while Emma Stone poses a notable threat with her fierce portrayal of tennis trailblazer Billie Jean King in the dramedy Battle of the Sexes. The indie darlings could take home the Oscar as well; Sally Hawkins, with her relative under-the-radar reputation, could sneak the Oscar away as sneakily as her character Eliza does to another object in The Shape of Water, but Saoirse Ronan’s heartwarming performance as conflicted adolescent Lady Bird (in the film of the same name) poses an immense challenge for all potential nominees.

The Best Director and Best Picture Oscars are more murkier subcategories to predict nominees for. From Christopher Nolan and Guillermo del Toro’s triumphant returns to the big screen with WWII fictional narratives (Dunkirk and The Shape of Water), to Luca Guadagnino and Greta Gerwig’s masterful portrayals of love and adolescence (Call Me By Your Name and Lady Bird), to Jordan Peele and Paul Thomas Anderson’s respectively bloodcurdling and poignant social commentary (Get Out and The Phantom Thread), critics and students alike find themselves unable to decide a unanimous director or movie that’ll take away their respective Oscars. The Academy judges will definitely have their work cut out for them.

“The Academy is definitely going to pick Nolan’s Dunkirk at Best Picture, or at least give it a nomination.” Thomas Hober ‘19 speculates. “While I respect the movie for focusing on the war rather than setting up another cliche war narrative, I think that the whole purpose of the movie was lost in that decision. That’s the main reason why I couldn’t stomach the movie at all.”

Others choose to focus on other films for Best Picture. “In Phantom Thread, Paul Thomas Anderson is able to tell a very classic and very raw story, in a unique way by coating it in a high fashion setting.” Andrew Falduto ‘19 claims. “At its core, it’s a simple story about a man and his lover, but Anderson and Day-Lewis manage to create a tone that emulates the gilded culture of the 1950s world that the film takes place in, making it one of the best films of the year.”

Regardless of choice, this year’s diverse palette of works will definitely offer a stellar array of choices for the Academy to select from.