2023 Oscar Predictions: CINEMATOGRAPHY (November)

Not much change this month from last. Despite very mixed thoughts on the first screening of Babylon this week, I’m bumping Linus Sandgren up here slightly. It’s a category that favors names almost more than most and, in general, the showier the better chance. It’s why I’m sticking with multi-winner and nominee Robert Richardson for Emancipation. Last year’s winner Greig Fraser (Dune) is in the mix again with The Batman and could crawl his way into the top 5 over the likes of Darius Khondji (Bardo) and James Friend (All Quiet on the Western Front), neither big Oscar favorites.

Only Avatar: The Way of Water remains the unseen piece of the puzzle this season and if the sequel will play as well as the original film did back in 2009. That film won the cinematography Oscar but, judging from the first looks and trailers, is it too much of the same? The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) will announce their nominations on January 9.

Here are my 2023 Oscar predictions in Cinematography for November.

Green – moves up ↑ Red – moves down ↓ Blue – new entry ♦

1. The Fabelmans – Janusz Kamiński (Universal Pictures)
2. Empire of Light – Roger Deakins (Searchlight Pictures)
3. Bardo (or False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths) – Darius Khondji (Netflix)
4. Emancipation – Robert Richardson (Apple Original Films)
5. All Quiet on the Western Front – James Friend (Netflix)

6. Avatar: The Way of Water – Russell Carpenter (20th Century Studios)
7. The Batman – Greig Fraser (Warner Bros)
8. Babylon – Linus Sandgren (Paramount Pictures) ↑
9. Top Gun: Maverick – Claudio Miranda (Paramount Pictures)
10. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Autumn Durald Arkapaw (Walt Disney/Marvel Studios) ↓

Other contenders (alphabetical)

Amsterdam – Emmanuel Lubezki (20th Century Studios)
The Banshees of Inisherin – Ben Davis (Searchlight Pictures)
Blonde – Chayse Irvin (Netflix)
Decision to Leave – Kim Ji-yong (MUBI)
Devotion – Erik Messerschmidt (Sony Pictures)
Don’t Worry Darling – Matthew Libatique (Warner Bros)
Elvis – Mandy Walker (Warner Bros)
Everything Everywhere All at Once – Larkin Seiple (A24)
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery – Steve Yedlin (Netflix)
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – Frank Passingham (Netflix) ♦
Nope – Hoyte van Hoytema (Universal Pictures)
RRR – K.K. Senthil Kumar (Variance Films)
TÁR – Florian Hoffmeister (Focus Features)
Till – Bobby Bukowski (UAR/Orion Pictures)
Triangle of Sadness – Fredrik Wenzel (NEON)
White Noise – Lol Crawley (Netflix)
The Wonder – Ari Wegner (Netflix)
The Woman King – Polly Morgan (Sony/Tristar Pictures)
Women Talking – Luc Montpellier (UAR/Orion Pictures)

Photo: Limbo Films, S. De R.L. de C.V. Courtesy of Netflix