10 long-shot performances that demand attention this awards season

My Favourite Season is a monthly column by CBC Arts producer Peter Knegt, which runs through the six-month "season" that is both his favourite and Moira Rose's. It explores all things awards in the lead-up to the big one — the Oscars — which takes place on March 2, 2025.

While the Oscars are still more than three months (!) away, we are on the precipice of perhaps the busiest time in all of awards season. Between American Thanksgiving weekend and the beginning of the Christmas holidays, there's pretty much a daily onslaught of nomination announcements, from the Indie Spirits (Dec. 4) and the Golden Globes (Dec. 9) to a thousand different critics awards (starting with the New York Film Critics Circle on Dec. 3). Who is and isn't in the overall race will quickly become clear.

At this point, I've seen almost the entire lot of eligible films. November was an extremely heavy movie month for me, which was a welcome distraction from what went down south of the border this month. And as a result, I've zeroed in on the performances I'll be rooting for (and against). Some of them, thankfully, seem like safe bets to get a lot of love, like Mikey Madison in Anora, Demi Moore in The Substance and Marianne Jean-Baptiste in Hard Truths. But then there are many others I'm a little concerned about. So I'd like to vouch for 10 of them in particular here, in the hopes that someone out there with voting power might consider adding them to their ballot.

Michele Austin for Hard Truths

To me, there's no competition: Marianne Jean-Baptiste gives the performance of the year as a woman in the throes of depression in Mike Leigh's staggering Hard Truths. But not far behind is her on-screen sister, Michele Austin, who offers us an intensely affecting portrait of what it means to truly support a spiralling sibling. Jean-Baptiste seems likely to get a lot of (very deserved) notice over the next few weeks, but Austin needs some too — because the performances need one another to work as well they both very much do.

Jonathan Bailey for Wicked

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are probably both headed for Oscar nominations (Grande might even win?) for the burgeoning cultural phenomenon that is Wicked. But how about we hold a little awards-season space for Jonathan Bailey, who goes toe-to-toe with his co-stars, lighting up every second he's on screen. And with Denzel Washington almost certainly getting a nomination for his turn in Gladiator II, how fun would it be for the supporting-actor race to be overrepresented with stars who play charming but chaotic bisexuals in blockbuster movies? (Come on, we all saw how Fiyero looked at Pfannee!)

Joan Chen for Dìdi

There shouldn't even be a question about veteran actress Joan Chen finally getting her first Oscar nomination for her soulful, heartbreaking performance as the mother of the teen protagonist (played by Izaac Wang, who is also fantastic) in Sean Wang's Dìdi. And yet here we are, with an uphill battle for Chen, who didn't get an expected Gotham Award nomination last month. The voters for the awards announcing nominations in the next few weeks could totally shift that narrative, though, if they come through for her — which would be a lovely way to honour not only Chen, but also this wonderful film that seems unlikely to be recognized anywhere else.

Mark Eydelshteyn for Anora

Arguably the awards-season front-runner, Sean Baker's Anora doesn't need much help getting people to vote for it. However, there's one aspect I worry will go overlooked: Mark Eydelshteyn's absolutely electric turn as Ivan "Vanya" Zakharov, whose charisma in the movie's first third is essential to Anora working as a whole. Yes, Mikey Madison is owed an even greater debt for all she does to make this movie soar, but she is almost certainly going to be rewarded. Let Vayna have some glory too! 

Lesley Manville for Queer

Lesley Manville is one of our greatest living actresses as far as I'm concerned, and her current Oscar nomination count (just one, for Phantom Thread) is far too low. She's also incredibly deserving in Luca Guadagnino's Queer, in which she goes full gonzo as a scientist who lives in the middle of the jungle with her pet sloth (and is very enthusiastic about ayahuasca). Sure, it's probably a 10-minute performance, but if Isabella Rossellini can be in the conversation for one amazing scene in Conclave, Manville can be too.

Julianne Nicholson for Janet Planet

Far too few people saw Janet Planet, playwright Annie Baker's spellbinding debut as a filmmaker, when it was released in theatres earlier this year. But I hope those voting for awards make an effort to check it out, because it's a wonder to behold, particularly Julianne Nicholson's incredibly thoughtful embodiment of the titular Janet. Nicholson has been great in so much for so long, and yet somehow still doesn't have an Oscar nomination. Janet Planet is too small to change that, but it would be nice if she got some love elsewhere. (Same goes for Zoe Ziegler, who is astonishing as Nicholson's daughter.) 

Justice Smith for I Saw the TV Glow

I'm not sure there's a performance all year that has haunted me quite like Justice Smith's in I Saw the TV Glow. As Owen, Smith is the vessel for the loneliness and anxiety that Jane Schoenbrun's monumental film captures so thoughtfully. In a perfect world, Smith and I Saw the TV Glow would be all over the Oscar conversation, although I will settle for some love from critics groups and the Indie Spirit Awards. At the very least, I hope voters see it before they decide on their personal best-of-the-year lists.

June Squibb for Thelma

With Thelma, June Squibb finally landed her first lead in a film at 94 — and she's an absolute delight in it. If that isn't the kind of narrative awards season thrives on, I don't know what is. And yet fierce competition in the best actress category (by far the most stacked gendered acting race this year) leaves even a Golden Globe nomination for Squibb in doubt. Can this please not happen? The world needs June Squibb all over this awards season, spreading her joy and reminding us all anything's possible at any age. 

Tilda Swinton for Problemista

Tilda Swinton is very much in the running for her second Oscar nomination (although she should have 10 at this point) for her beautiful work in Pedro Almodóvar's The Room Next Door. But can we please also not forget how amazing she was in Julio Torres's fantastic directorial debut, Problemista? As unhinged art world outcast Elizabeth, Swinton nails Torres's singular tone and helps make Problemista one of the year's most emotionally intelligent films (alongside The Room Next Door, I might add. Tilda + queer auteur is a combination to never bet against).

Zendaya for Challengers

If the Oscars were decided by me, Luca Guadagnino's Challengers (one of two movies on this list directed by the new king of cinema!) would probably lead the nominations, including nods for all of its main actors. But if I had to pick only one of the mighty trio that is Zendaya, Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist, it would have to be this movie's true queen. With every facial expression, gesture and line she delivers, Zendaya proves she is the real deal (if anyone had a doubt). And for this, she must be served at least a Golden Globe.

Check out our predictions for this year's Academy Awards, which will be updated as the season goes on.