35 Movies to Know Right Now for Oscars 2022: ‘Spencer,’ ‘Dune,’ and More

“Parallel Mothers”

Pedro Almodovar’s “Pain and Glory” picked up Oscar nominations for Best International Feature and Best Actor (Antonio Banderas), and now the Spanish filmmaker is back after his acclaimed short film “The Human Voice” with “Parallel Mothers.” The movie is opening the Venice Film Festival and will serve as the closing night of the New York Film Festival. Almodovar once again directs Penelope Cruz, who was Oscar nominated for Best Actress thanks to her performance in the director’s beloved “Volver.” Cruz stars as a woman who bonds with another mother (newcomer Milena Smith) at a maternity ward and gradually works her way into the other woman’s life. Mistaken identities and deep-seated yearnings bubble to the surface as they always do in Almodovar movies. The director is once again partnering with Sony Pictures Classics for the release of “Parallel Mothers.” The indie distributor excelled with “Pain and Glory” and made buzz earlier this year with its Oscar-winning campaign for “The Father” star Anthony Hopkins. All the pieces are in place for Almodovar to be back in the Oscar race.

“A Hero”

Asghar Farhadi returns to Iran for “A Hero,” an absorbing tale of good intentions gone awry. Amir Jadidi delivers a mesmerizing performance as Rahim, a fragile young man on a two-day leave from prison whose girlfriend (Sahir Goldoust) comes across a bag of gold coins that just might be enough to pay off his debt. Instead, Rahim decides to do the right thing, returning the bag to its rightful owner and becoming a viral celebrity for his good deed. Of course, no good deed goes unpunished, as questions arise about whether Rahim has been forthright about the source of the money and fake news threatens to turn his already broken life into an even greater state of disarray. Amazon is behind “A Hero,” and the studio has a track record with Farhadi after their Oscar winner “The Salesman.” With “A Hero,” Farhadi won the Grand Prix at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.

“The Lost Daughter”

Maggie Gyllenhaal’s feature directorial debut “The Lost Daughter” has the backing of Netflix, an awards-friendly December release date (December 17 in theaters, December 31 streaming), and a competition slot at the Venice Film Festival. Adapted from the Elena Ferrante novel of the same name, “The Lost Daughter” stars Olivia Colman as a woman vacationing in Greece who becomes obsessed with a young mother and daughter as she watches them on the beach. Unnerved by their compelling relationship, Leda is overwhelmed by her own memories of the terror, confusion, and intensity of early motherhood. The supporting cast includes Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson, Ed Harris, Peter Sarsgaard, Dagmara Dominczyk, Paul Mescal, and Jack Farthing. Gyllenhaal is an Oscar-nominated actress tackling one of the most celebrated authors working today for her feature debut, while Colman is an Oscar winner for “The Favourite” and an instant awards frontrunner any time she leads a project.

“Cyrano”

Joe Wright struck out big time with “The Woman in the Window,” but he’s no stranger to rebounding from a critical failure with an Oscar-winning hit (see the dismal “Pan” leading to “Darkest Hour,” which won Gary Oldman the Oscar for Best Actor). Next up for Wright is “Cyrano,” a musical adaptation of the classic Cyrano de Bergerac story starring Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Bashir Salahuddin, and Ben Mendelsohn. Wright is often at his best when working in period piece mode, so “Cyrano” could be just the material he needs for a critical comeback. Wright’s period pieces “Pride & Prejudice,” “Atonement,” “Anna Karenina,” and “Darkest Hour” all earned Oscar nominations, so odds are more in Wright’s favor with his upcoming “Cyrano” adaptation.

“Wolf”

One of the big mysteries of the fall festival circuit set to be unveiled at the Toronto International Film Festival is “Wolf,” the latest directorial effort from Nathalie Biancheri that stars “1917” and “True History of the Kelly Gang” favorite George MacKay as a man who believes he’s a wolf trapped in a human body. Set mostly at a rural clinic for people suffering from “species dysphoria” — a real condition — “Wolf” follows Jacob (MacKay) as he alternately embraces and resists his treatment, surrounded by others who feel just like him. A curious, fierce drama about self-discovery, “Wolf” seems poised to break out big time at TIFF. MacKay has been earning critical raves for quite some time, and this role offers the kind of full-body commitment that is bound to draw a strong reaction from critics. Focus Features has the movie on the release calendar for December, right in the thick of Oscar season.

“Flee”

Sundance 2021 opened on a high note with the world premiere of Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s “Flee,” which Neon picked up and set for a fourth quarter awards season launch. The movie centers on an interview Rasmussen recorded with his friend, who recounts his harrowing life story about how his family fled Afghanistan for Russia and how he struggled to come out as a gay man. Rasmussen brings his friend’s story to life through striking, evocative animation. The result is a riveting survival story that blurs the line between documentary and narrative filmmaking styles to exhilarating effect. IndieWire chief critic Eric Kohn awarded “Flee” a perfect “A” grade in his review out of Sundance, and it seems likely the film will go down as one of the biggest critical favorites of the year. Neon has a Best Documentary contender on its hands, but the studio will no doubt try and break “Flee” into other top categories such as Best Animated Feature and Best Picture. It’s great enough to land all three.

“Spencer”

Neon nearly broke the internet when it dropped the first photo of Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana from Pablo Larraín’s upcoming biographical drama “Spencer.” The movie, which features a script by “Locke” screenwriter and “Peaky Blinders” creator Steven Knight, is set over the course of a single weekend in Diana’s life as she spends the Christmas holiday with the royal family at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk. The film tracks Diana’s emotional journey as she comes to a decision to end her marriage to Prince Charles. Stewart is still without an Oscar nomination, which could change as Larraín already has experience helping his actors land an acting nomination for a buzzy historical drama (see Natalie Portman in “Jackie”). “Spencer” world premieres at the Venice Film Festival.

Larrain’s crafts team is also a knockout group: cinematographer Claire Mathon (“Portrait of a Lady on Fire”), costume designer Jacqueline Durran (Academy Award winner for “Little Women”), production designer Hendrix Dyas (Academy Award nominee for “Passengers” and “Inception”), and composer Jonny Greenwood (“You Were Never Really Here,” “Phantom Thread”). If “Spencer” is good, it’s going to be big in awards season.

“C’mon C’mon”

One of A24’s big awards season offerings in 2021 is expected to be “C’mon C’mon,” the new movie from writer-director Mike Mills. The filmmaker’s 2010 effort “Beginners” won Christopher Plummer the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, while his 2016 movie “20th Century Women” (also released by A24) earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Can “C’mon C’mon” keep Mills’ Oscar momentum going? The film will certainly have buzz, as it stars Joaquin Phoenix in his first leading role since winning the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in “Joker.” Phoenix plays a radio journalist who is left to take care of his precocious young nephew (played by newcomer Woody Norman). The two forge an unexpected relationship as they bond during a cross-country road trip. Gaby Hoffmann and Jaboukie Young-White co-star in the movie, which also boasts cinematography from “Marriage Story,” “American Honey,” and “The Favourite” Oscar nominee Robbie Ryan.

“Last Night in Soho”

On top of becoming Edgar Wright’s highest grossing movie in the U.S. and internationally, “Baby Driver” scored three Oscar nominations: Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Film Editing. The Academy finally started embracing the crafts of Wright’s one-of-a-kind visions, which hopefully means voters will be open to a Wright-backed horror movie (a genre the Academy has often been resistant to) with “Last Night in Soho.” The first trailer debuted this month to instant raves, and the film’s time-hopping narrative and 1960s period setting should be extra appealing to anyone looking for great editing, production design, costume design, and makeup and hairstyling. Plus, superstar Anya Taylor-Joy is sure to bring the must-see buzz when the film opens October 22 from Focus Features. Will “Last Night in Soho” become Wright’s first movie to land top nominations like Best Picture and Best Director? Expect every genre cinephile to be playing close attention to this one. The film debuts at the Venice Film Festival before playing TIFF.

“Mass”

Bleecker Street announced in May it had picked up U.S. distribution rights to “Mass,” Fran Kranz’s gut-wrenching drama about two couples forced to reckon with the aftermath of a school shooting. Bleecker has already announced a release date for the fourth quarter of 2021, positioning “Mass” as an indie Oscar contender for its four actors: Jason Isaacs, Martha Plimpton, Reed Birney, and Ann Dowd. This foursome boasts BAFTA Film nominations (Isaacs), Tony Award wins (Birney), and Emmy wins and nominations (Down, Plimpton), but none have ever earned an Oscar nomination. It’s a great awards season narrative for these beloved actors, and “Mass” will appeal directly to the Academy’s acting branch (the organization’s largest), as it’s a powerhouse acting showcase. The film’s subject matter is topical but it’s not easy. Bleecker will have to play the season right to cultivate Best Picture buzz.

“The Humans”

Another top awards contender from A24 expected to land in the fall is “The Humans,” Stephen Karam’s directorial debut based on his 2016 play that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and won the Tony Award for Best Play. Jayne Houdyshell reprises her Tony Award-winning role from the play opposite a star-studded cast that includes Beanie Feldstein, Richard Jenkins, Amy Schumer, Steven Yeun, and June Squibb. This is the kind of cast that stirs up big buzz during awards season, especially Yeun coming off his first Best Actor Oscar nomination for “Minari” and the great Jenkins and Squibb are still in need of their first Oscar wins. The biggest question remains how Karam will fare in his first filmmaking effort, but “The Humans” remains a likely contender on paper for now. The film debuts at TIFF.

“The Card Counter”

Paul Schrader finally earned his first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay with “First Reformed” after years of scripting some of the most iconic films ever made, from “Raging Bull” to “Taxi Driver.” Arriving September 10 from Focus Features is Schrader’s latest directorial effort “The Card Counter,” starring Oscar Isaac as a gambler who becomes a mentor figure to a young man who wants revenge on a mutual enemy. The supporting cast includes Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan, and Willem Dafoe. Schrader’s scripts have resulted in career-best performances from his lead actors (Hawke’s “First Reformed” performance had a ton of Oscar buzz but fell short of a nomination), so there’s no reason to think Oscar Isaac won’t be firing on all cylinders here. Isaac has never been nominated for an Oscar, and it’s only a matter of time before that changes. The film world premieres at the Venice Film Festival.

Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson Film (Working Title: “Soggy Bottom“)

Paul Thomas Anderson boasts two Oscar nominations for Best Director (“Phantom Thread,” “There Will Be Blood”), four nominations for screenwriting (“Inherent Vice,” “Blood,” “Magnolia,” and “Boogie Nights”) and two for Best Picture as the producer of “Phantom Thread” and “There Will Be Blood.” In other words, every Oscar pundit is keeping his or her eye on Anderson’s upcoming new feature. MGM is behind the project and is releasing it through their United Artists Releasing (UAR) banner via a platform rollout through the holiday season. The film debuts in limited release November 26 and opens nationwide December 25. The film’s working title is reportedly “Soggy Bottom,” but MGM has not announced an official name. The project is a 1970s-set ensemble drama set in the San Fernando Valley. The plot centers on a high school student child actor who befriends a famous Hollywood director and producer. The cast includes Bradley Cooper, Benny Safdie, Alana Haim, and Cooper Hoffman, son of the late actor and frequent Anderson collaborator Philip Seymour Hoffman.

“Nightmare Alley“

Guillermo del Toro’s last directorial effort “The Shape of Water” scored 13 Oscar nominations and four wins: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Production Design, and Best Original Score. Del Toro’s follow-up, “Nightmare Alley,” reunites him with “Shape” distributor Searchlight Pictures for a star-studded adaptation of the 1946 William Lindsay Gresham novel of the same name. The ensemble cast includes Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Ron Perlman, Rooney Mara, and David Strathairn. Searchlight is opening “Nightmare Alley” in theaters December 3, using the same first-weekend-of-December release strategy that worked wonders for “The Shape of Water.”

“Dune”

Denis Villeneuve’s last two directorial efforts were Oscars heavyweights. “Arrival” landed eight nominations, including Best Picture and Villeneuve’s first bid for Best Director, and won the Oscar for Best Sound Editing. “Blade Runner 2049” didn’t crack the top categories but earned four craft nominations and won Oscars for Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects. There’s no reason to think Villeneuve’s latest, a passion project adaptation of Frank Herbert’s “Dune,” won’t dominate the Oscars craft categories in 2022 with a handful of nominations (especially with collaborators like Oscar-nominated cinematographer Greig Fraser, Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer, and Oscar-nominated editor Joe Walker). The film was supposed to release in December 2020 before the pandemic pushed it to its current date of October 1, 2021. The star-studded cast includes Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa, Zendaya, and Javier Bardem, among others. The film world premieres at the Venice Film Festival and will also screen at TIFF and NYFF.

“The Power of the Dog“

Jane Campion became the second woman nominated for Best Director with “The Piano,” which won her the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. The filmmaker is back with the heavyweight support of Netflix with “The Power of the Dog,” an adaptation of Thomas Savage’s novel of the same name starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, and Jesse Plemons. That cast alone has Oscar buzz written all over it, as does the film serving as Campion’s return to feature filmmaking for the first time in 12 years. While Campion earned acclaim for helming the limited series “Top of the Lake” and “Top of the Lake: China Girl,” she hasn’t directed a feature film since 2009’s “Bright Star.” Early reports say “The Power of the Dog” could head to Cannes in an out of competition slot. Campion remains the first and only female filmmaker to win the festival’s Palme d’Or. Netflix is taking the same route as Oscar darlings “Marriage Story” and “Roma” in premiering “Dog” at Venice and screening it at all major fall festivals.

“House of Gucci“

Ridley Scott movies often garner the attention of the Academy, but he’s still without an Oscar win for Best Director after four nominations (“Thelma & Louise,” “Gladiator,” “Black Hawk Down,” and “The Martian”). Will the 2022 Oscars change that? Scott has two chances with “House of Gucci” and “The Last Duel” (see below). The former features a buzzy pairing in acting Oscar nominees Lady Gaga and Adam Driver, plus supporting actors like Oscar winners Jared Leto and Al Pacino. The film tells the story of Patrizia Reggiani as she is tried and convicted of orchestrating the assassination of her ex-husband and former head of the Gucci fashion house, Maurizio Gucci. The script is based on Sara Gay Forden’s book “The House of Gucci.” With a fall release date set, expect “House of Gucci” to be one of the buzziest potential Oscar contenders on the circuit.

“West Side Story“

Steven Spielberg has two Best Director Oscars (“Schindler’s List” and “Saving Private Ryan”) and is destined to be a contender in 2022 with “West Side Story,” his reimagining of the iconic musical that stars Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, and Ariana DeBose. There’s already been one “West Side Story” movie and it not only won 10 Oscars (including Best Picture) but is also widely regarded as one of the best movie musicals ever made. Spielberg’s “West Side Story” is scripted by Tony Kushner, who earned screenwriting Oscar nominations for penning the director’s Best Picture nominees “Munich” and “Lincoln.” Any ill will against making another “West Side Story” musical should be quelled by the involvement of Rita Moreno, who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for playing Anita in the 1961 classic.

“The French Dispatch”

Wes Anderson returns to live-action filmmaking after “Isle of Dogs” (an Oscar nominee for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score) with “The French Dispatch,” which boasts his most star-studded cast to date: Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Léa Seydoux, Frances McDormand, Timothée Chalamet, Jeffrey Wright, Mathieu Amalric, Bill Murray, and Owen Wilson, among many others. Anderson’s last live-action effort “The Grand Budapest Hotel” earned nine Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, and won the prizes for Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling. “The French Dispatch” once again reteams Anderson with Searchlight Pictures (fresh off a Best Picture win for “Nomadland,” its fourth Best Picture in eight years). The film opened to strong reviews at the Cannes Film Festival and will screen at the New York Film Festival before an October 22 opening.

“The Last Duel”

Should “House of Gucci” not appeal to Oscar voters, Ridley Scott will get a second chance with “The Last Duel.” Written by Oscar winners Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and Oscar nominee Nicole Holofcener, “The Last Duel” is a historical epic set in 14th century France that tells the story of Jean de Carrouges (Damon) and Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver), two best friends who are forced to fight to the death after one is accused of raping the other’s wife. “Killing Eve” Emmy winner Jodie Comer stars as the wife, Marguerite de Carrouges, while Affleck has a supporting role as King Charles VI. Cinematographer Dariusz Wolski (just nominated for his work on Paul Greengrass’ “News of the World”) has described the project as Scott’s version of “Rashomon.” The film has a release date set for October 15 and will world premeire at the Venice Film Festival.

“Summer of Soul”

Questlove’s feature directorial debut “Summer of Soul” was one of the sensations of the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, and now with the backing of Searchlight Pictures it’s destined for serious Oscar buzz. This joyous chronicle of the Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969 — known as “the Black Woodstock” — won both Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award in the festival’s Documentary section. During the same summer as Woodstock, a different music festival took place 100 miles away. More than 300,000 people attended the summer concert series known as the Harlem Cultural Festival. It was filmed, but after that summer, the footage sat in a basement for 50 years. It has never been seen — until now. The film features performances by B.B. King, Stevie Wonder, Mahalia Jackson and Mavis Staples, Hugh Masekela, Mongo Santamaria, Nina Simone, and Sly & the Family Stone, among many others.

“The Tragedy of Macbeth”

Pairing Frances McDormand and Denzel Washington in a movie directed by Joel Coen makes for an Oscars pedigree like no other. McDormand is fresh off her third acting Oscar for “Nomadland” and could very well be back in the Best Actress race in 2022 by playing Lady Macbeth to Washington’s Macbeth in Coen’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” which has the backing of A24. Scott Rudin was attached as a producer but left the project earlier this year amid misconduct allegations. By setting the film around the Macbeth couple in their 60s, Coen and McDormand told press it adds a “ticking-clock” element to the story and reconfigures the drama as a thriller movie. “It puts a very specific time pressure on the characters, but also on the storytelling, which I think is the real brilliance of the adaptation that Joel has done,” McDormand said. “There’s a real suspense. “The time is running out not only for the characters, but also it propels the storytelling.” The movie is opening the New York Film Festival.

“The Many Saints of Newark”

HBO’s “The Sopranos” won 21 Primetime Emmy Awards over its six seasons and 86 episodes, including the Outstanding Drama Series prize for its final run. “The Sopranos” is considered one of the greatest television dramas ever made, so expectations are high for the series’ official prequel film “The Many Saints of Newark.” “Sopranos” creator David Chase wrote the film’s script, which is set in the 1960s and 1970s and features a young Tony Soprano (Michael Gandolfini, son of late Tony Soprano actor James Gandolfini) falling into a life of crime under the guidance of Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola). The supporting cast includes recent Oscar nominee Leslie Odom Jr., Corey Stroll, Vera Farmiga, John Magaro, and Ray Liotta. Warner Bros. is releasing the film in theaters and on HBO MAX starting September 24.

“No Time to Die”

After multiple release date changes, Daniel Craig’s final James Bond movie “No Time to Die” arrives in theaters October 8. One of the big Oscar questions surrounding Bond is whether or not he can crack the Best Picture field. “Skyfall” missed out despite critical acclaim, but it did earn an impressive five Oscar nominations (including Best Cinematography for Roger Deakins) and wins for Best Original Song and Best Sound Editing. Even with more negative reviews, follow-up 007 movie “Spectre” still won the Oscar for Best Original Song. It goes without saying that “No Time to Die,” directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga and featuring cinematography from Oscar winner Linus Sandgren, will be a surefire crafts contender at the 2022 Oscars and a Best Original Song contender thanks to Billie Eilish’s theme song. Whether or not it can crack Best Picture remains to be seen.

“Cry Macho”

Clint Eastwood’s last four movies have mostly missed with the Oscars (although “Richard Jewell” did land Kathy Bates an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress). One has to go back to “American Sniper” for the iconic director’s last Oscars powerhouse. That film was a box office sensation with over $500 million worldwide and a Best Picture nominee. Can Eastwood return to the Oscars with his upcoming “Cry Macho”? Eastwood stars in the film as a onetime rodeo star who befriends a young boy he is tasked with saving from an alcoholic mother. Eastwood is 90 years old, which means there aren’t too many more opportunities for the Academy to honor him as a filmmaker or an actor. If “Cry Macho” is any good, expect Oscar buzz.

“King Richard”

It’s been almost 15 years since Will Smith earned his last Oscar nomination, but “King Richard” is bound to have some buzz this fall if the biographical sports drama is any good. Directed by indie favorite Reinaldo Marcus Green, “King Richard” takes a look at how tennis icons Venus and Serena Williams became world class athletes due to the coaching from their father, Richard Williams. Smith is a two-time Oscar nominee for Best Actor thanks to his performances in “Ali” and “The Pursuit of Happyness.” The actor has been on a comeback streak recently with back-to-back box office hits “Aladdin” and “Bad Boys for Life,” so it’s only fitting for Smith to re-enter Oscar season next. Warner Bros. is set to release “King Richard” in theaters and on HBO Max starting November 19.

“Encanto” / “Luca”

Pixar just won the Oscar yet again for “Soul,” and it will surely be back in the running again at the 2022 Academy Awards. The studio landed two Oscar nominations for Best Animated Feature this year with “Soul” and “Onward,” and they have Enrico Casarosa’s  Italy-set coming-of-age adventure “Luca” opening June 18. Walt Disney Animation studios has Byron Howard and Jared Bush’s “Encanta,” a musical set in Colombia and featuring songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda,” opening November 24. Because “Luca” is being released directly to streaming via Disney+, its chances of an Oscar nomination will depend on whether or not the Academy allows streaming films that had planned for a theatrical release to qualify for the Oscars.

“Don’t Look Up”

Adam McKay says his star-studded Netflix comedy “Don’t Look Up” has a tone not too far off from that of “The Big Short,” which earned five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, and won McKay the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. McKay’s follow-up, “Vice,” was an even bigger Oscars performer with eight nominations, once again including Best Picture and Best Director. In “Don’t Look Up,” McKay pairs Oscar winners Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence as two low-level astronomers forced to go on a publicity tour to warn the country that a meteor is heading toward earth. The supporting cast is a dream: Cate Blanchett, Rob Morgan, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Timothée Chalamet, Ariana Grande, Himesh Patel Tyler Perry, Ron Perlman, Chris Evans, and Mark Rylance. McKay says Netflix is targeting a November or December release, so expect “Don’t Look Up” to be the streamer’s holiday season sensation.

“Tick, Tick… Boom!”

Lin-Manuel Miranda is set to have his biggest movie year yet thanks to “In the Heights,” “Encanto,” and “Tick, Tick…Boom!,” the latter of which is backed by Netflix and marks the Tony winner’s feature directorial debut. Based on “Rent” creator Jonathan Larson’s semi-autobiographical musical of the same name, “Tick, Tick” stars Andrew Garfield as an aspiring theater composer plagued by a midlife crisis. Miranda has assembled a supporting cast that includes Vanessa Hudgens, Alexandra Shipp, Judith Light and Bradley Whitford, and the film was written by “Dear Evan Hansen” Tony winner Steven Levenson. With so much award-winning talent involved in bringing “Tick, Tick” to the screen, the film is clearly going to be one of Netflix’s big contenders for the 2022 Oscar season. The movie is set to open the 2021 AFI Film Festival.

“Passing”

Netflix acquired Rebecca Hall’s feature directorial debut “Passing” out of the Sundance Film Festival and is surely going to ensure it’s included in its batch of 2022 Oscar contenders. Featuring standout performances from Oscar nominee Ruth Negga and Tessa Thompson (still without an Oscar nomination, although that’s sure to change at some point), “Passing” tells the story of two mixed-race childhood friends who reunite as adults and become increasingly involved with one another’s lives and insecurities. Shot in black-and-white and written by Hall, “Passing” was named an IndieWire Critic’s Pick out of Sundance. Deputy Editor Kate Erbland wrote Hall’s debut is “an elegant, searing period piece.”

“Coda”

“Coda” was the Sundance sensation of 2021, selling to Apple in a $25 million deal that set the record for the biggest purchase in the festival’s history. Can Apple translate such overwhelming festival success into Oscars? It helps the movie has strong reviews, although Apple’s August 13 release date in theaters and streaming on Apple TV+ isn’t exactly the most Oscar-friendly opening placement. Breakout newcomer Emilia Jones stars as a teenager named Ruby who is the sole hearing member of a deaf family (Oscar winner Marlee Maitlin plays Ruby’s mother). When Ruby joins her high school’s choir club, she discovers a gift for singing and soon finds herself drawn to her duet partner Miles (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo). Encouraged by her enthusiastic, tough-love choirmaster (Eugenio Derbez) to apply to a prestigious music school, Ruby finds herself torn between the obligations she feels to her family and the pursuit of her own dreams.

“The Hand of God”

Netflix continues its backing of international auteurs by taking on the new directorial effort from Paolo Sorrentino, whose 2013 drama “The Great Beauty” won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Toni Servillo stars in the drama, which Sorrentino shot in his hometown of Naples, Italy. Plot details for “The Hand of God” are still under wraps, although it does not have to do with Argentine soccer champion Diego Maradona (he famously used the phrase to describe a goal he scored during the 1986 World Cup quarter final between England and Argentina). All Sorrentino has revealed about the project is that it’s an “intimate and personal film.” The movie is world premiering at the Venice Film Festival.

“A Journal for Jordan”

Sony recently dated Denzel Washington’s next directorial effort “A Journal for Jordan” for December 10, putting it right in the heart of the next awards season. The film is based on Dana Canedy’s novel of the same name and features Michael B. Jordan in the lead role. Washington’s last directorial effort was “Fences,” which earned four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and won Viola Davis the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Washington is one of the Academy’s most beloved actors (even his role in a subpar film like “Roman J. Israel, Esq.” still landed an Oscar nomination for Best Actor), and “A Journal for Jordan” will surely be high on members’ anticipated list.

“Respect”

Viola Davis and Andra Day are the most recent examples of actors earning Oscar nominations for playing iconic singers (Davis as Ma Rainey in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and Day as Billie Holiday in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday”). Will Jennifer Hudson be the next at the 2022 Oscars? The “Dreamgirls” Oscar winner is taking on the role of Aretha Franklin in “Respect.” Franklin herself always said Hudson was her pick to play her in a biopic. Hudson stars in “Respect” opposite Forest Whitaker as her father C.L. Franklin, Audra McDonald as her mother Barbara Franklin, Marlon Wayans as Aretha Franklin’s first husband Ted White, Mary J. Blige as musician and singer Dinah Washington, Marc Maron as music journalist and producer Jerry Wexler, and Tituss Burgess as Reverend Dr. James Cleveland. The film marks the feature directorial debut of Liesl Tommy. MGM released the film in theaters in August, where Hudson earned Oscar buzz. 

“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”

Searchlight Pictures dominated the 2022 Oscars with “Nomadland,” the winner of top prizes for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress. Included on the studio’s 2021-22 awards season slate is “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” a biographical drama from “The Big Sick” director Michael Showalter that stars Jessica Chastain, Andrew Garfield, Cherry Jones, and Vincent D’Onofrio. The film takes a look at the lives of televangelists Tammy Faye Bakker (Chastain) and Jim Bakker (Garfield). The film is already on the release calendar for September 24, which means a launch at the 2021 Toronto Internaional Film Festival seems most likely.