Hollywood stars will walk down the red carpet Sunday to attend the Oscars, the movie industry’s biggest award night.
Nine films will be vying for the Academy Awards most coveted prize — best film. Industry insiders say the favorite to win is World War I film “1917,” which won several prizes in the past few weeks.
However, there are other strong contenders for the prize, including South Korean social satire "Parasite" and sentimental Hollywood favorite "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" from Quentin Tarantino.
Also in the mix is the comic book movie “Joker,” which leads in all categories with 11 nominations. Lead actor in the film, Joaquin Phoenix, is favored to win in the category of best actor.
Martin Scorsese's mob saga "The Irishman" lost momentum during the award season by failing to take home major prizes in the acting or directing categories in previous ceremonies, but is still in contention for 10 Oscars, including best picture.
"Parasite," a Korean-language film, is the favorite to win in the international film category. It would make history if it won in both the international category and for best picture.
The best director category is all male this year, sparking controversy. Those up for the award include Sam Mendes ("1917"), Martin Scorsese (“The Irishman”), Todd Phillips ("Joker"), Quentin Tarantino ("Once Upon a Time in Hollywood") and Bong Joon Ho ("Parasite").
Renee Zellweger is the favorite to win in the category of best actress for her role playing an aging Judy Garland in "Judy." Another women up for best actress, Cynthia Erivo, is the only person of color to be nominated in any of the actor categories, renewing the criticism of the last few years that the academy's membership is not diverse enough.
Oscar night, broadcast from Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre, will not have a host for the second year in a row. Presenters of the awards will include many stars, such as Tom Hanks, Jane Fonda and Diane Keaton.
The show will also include live performances by musicians vying for best original song: Elton John, Idina Menzel, Randy Newman, Chrissie Metz and Erivo. Five-time Grammy winner and upcoming James Bond singer Billie Eilish will also perform.
