Conclave will be hoping to replicate its Bafta success at this year’s Oscars after winning big at the prestigious ceremony.
The film, starring Ralph Fiennes, tied with The Brutalist for the most wins at this year’s Baftas nabbing awards for best film, outstanding British film, best adapted screenplay, and editing.
Edward Berger’s drama film which centres on the Catholic church is also up for a whopping eight Academy Awards, including best picture.
Emilia Perez leads the charge at this year’s Oscars with 13 nods, followed by The Brutalist and Wicked both up for 10 accolades.
Horror made a big impression on this year’s Academy Awards, with The Substance, Nosferatu, and Alien: Romulus all receiving nods.
The most eagerly-anticipated category each year is best picture, with 10 of the year’s top films battling it out for the accolade.
Naturally, you may not have caught them all during their cinema run the first time around – and there may be some you’ve never heard of.
But fear not, as we round up where you can watch the 10 best picture contenders including Bafta-winning Conclave right now so you can swot up before March 1.
Anora
Where to watch: In cinemas now and available to buy via Sky, Apple TV, and Prime Video
Sean Baker’s latest film Anora has racked up an impressive six Oscar nominations, including directing, original screenplay and editing, lead actress for Mikey Madison, supporting actor for Yuriy Borisov and best picture.
The film follows the titular Anora (Madison), a young sex worker from Brooklyn who sees her Cinderella story come true when she meets Ivan ‘Vanya’ Zakharov (Borisov), the son of a Russian oligarch.
After several encounters, the pair get married, but once the news reaches Russie, Vanya’s parents set out for New York to have the marriage annulled.
The Brutalist
Where to watch: In cinemas now
Brady Corbet’s three-and-a-half-hour epic The Brutalist has snagged a whopping 10 nominations this year, despite the AI controversy surrounding the picture.
Starring Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, and Joe Alwyn, the film follows Hungarian-Jewish immigrant, László Tóth (Brody), who leaves behind the horrors of his past in post-World War Two Europe to live out the American dream.
He settles in Pennsylvania, where wealthy and prominent industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Pearce) recognises his talent, changing his life in the process.
A Complete Unknown
Where to watch: In cinemas now
Two films starring Timothée Chalamet are up for awards at this year’s Oscars, including the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown with eight nods.
The film follows Chalamet as the now reclusive musician Dylan from a 19-year-old and his ‘meteoric rise as a folk singer to concert halls and the top of the charts’ up to the singer’s electric rock and roll performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965.
It also stars Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo, a character based on Suze Rotolo, an artist who was part of the Greenwich Village scene along with Dylan and was his girlfriend in the early 1960s.
Conclave
Where to watch: In cinemas now and available to rent and buy via Sky, Prime Video, and Apple TV
After facing backlash due to its portrayal of Catholics, Conclave has received eight nominations at this year’s Oscars.
Based on Robert Harris’ 2016 novel, it follows Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) who is tasked with the ancient process of selecting the next Pope.
It becomes murky, however, when he ends up uncovering shocking truths about the potential candidate, secrets which lead right to the heart of the Catholic Church.
Dune: Part Two
Where to watch: Now TV, and available to rent and buy via Sky, Apple TV, and Prime Video
Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two rounded up five Oscar nominations after its predecessor took the awards by storm with 10 nods.
Adapted from Frank Herbert’s magnum opus, it stars Chalamet as Paul Atreides once more as he united with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen to seek revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family.
It follows Villeneuve’s 2021 film, which saw Paul and his family travel to the planet Arrakis after they take stewardship, a move that becomes their undoing when betrayal forces Paul and his mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) to flee to the desert, where they meet the Sardaukar.
Emilia Perez
Where to watch: Netflix
Emilia Perez has garnered the most Oscar nominations this year with a whopping 13, though the Netflix film also hasn’t been without controversy.
Starring Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldana, Edgar Ramirez, and Karla Sofia Gascon, it tells the story of Rita Mora Castro (Saldana), a lawyer who is given the unusual job of helping Mexican cartel boss Juan ‘Manitas’ Del Monte (Gascon) retire and transition to living life as a woman.
After transitioning, Manitas, now Emilia, wishes to reunite with her children, with Rita bringing them and Emilia’s wife Jessi (Gomez) to Mexico City, though they do not recognise Emilia.
I’m Still Here
Where to watch: Not available to watch
Brazillian film fans flooded social media platforms to sing the praises of I’m Still Here on Thursday, as it received three Oscar nominations.
It stars Fernanda Torres and Fernanda Montenegro as Eunice Paiva, a mother and activist coping with the forced disappearance of her husband, the dissident politician Rubens Paiva (Selton Mello).
Set during the military dictatorship in Brazil, Eunice fights against authorities to uncover the truth behind Rubens’ disappearance while trying to keep her family together.
Nickel Boys
Where to watch: In cinemas now
Nickel Boys has been dubbed by many as one of the biggest surprises of this year’s Oscar nominations, racking up five nods.
Shot in a first-person point-of-view, RaMell Ross’ drama film follows two African-American boys, Elwood (Ethan Cole Sharp) and Turner (Brandon Wilson), who are sent to an abusive reform school in 1960s Florida.
It is inspired by the real-life Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, Florida, a now-closed establishment infamous for decades of abuse against pupils.
The Substance
Where to watch: Mubi, and available to rent and buy via Sky, Apple TV, and Prime Video
The Substance is championing horror at the Oscars this year with five nominations, including a first for lead star Demi Moore.
Coralie Fargeat’s goopy body horror follows ageing starlet Elisabeth Sparkle (Moore) as she embarks on an experiment known as the substance, a clinical procedure which promises to create ‘a better version of you.’
But things go awry when Elisabeth’s other half, Sue (Margaret Qualley), cannot respect the balance as the substance demands, with grave consequences for them both.
Wicked
Where to watch: In cinemas now, and available to rent and buy via Sky, Apple TV, and Prime Video
This musical theatre adaptation proved very popular indeed, defying gravity and nabbing itself 10 Oscar nominations.
Directed by Jon M. Chu, Wicked acts as a prequel to The Wizard of Oz and follows Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), the future Wicked Witch of the West, as she at Shiz University to see off her paraplegic younger sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode).
After she unintentionally unleashes her magical powers, Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) offers to enrol Elphaba, who strikes up an unlikely friendship with prim and proper witch Galinda (Ariana Grande).
The 97th Academy Awards take place on March 3, broadcast in the UK on ITV1 and ITVX.
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