Faces to watch this award season...

For those who like a flutter, you could do a lot worse than put some money on these faces to take home some silverware this awards season…

Colin Firth
Hampshire’s favourite son hasn’t been nominated for an Oscar before, but Colin Firth’s performance in fashion designer Tom Ford’s first film, ‘A Single Man’, an adaptation of Christopher Isherwood’s novel, has already won him the prize for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival. Firth plays George, a gay academic in 1950s LA suffering after the death of his younger lover. Could this be the year we forgive him for ‘Bridget Jones’?

The Coen brothers
They stormed the gates of the Academy in 2007 with ‘No Country for Old Men’, so what’s the betting they strike gold again – probably in the screenplay or directing categories – with their critically adored comedy ‘A Serious Man’? As far as American directors go, there are few who can touch the Coens for their comic finesse, ability to tell complex stories cogently and wittily, and sheer inventiveness when it comes to characters and production design.

 

Carey Mulligan
Carey Mulligan’s presence in Lone Scherfig’s ‘An Education’ is a classic case of an otherwise lacklustre film being vastly improved by a single, remarkable performance that, crucially, doesn’t feel like a one-hit wonder. Even though the film itself is something of an outsider to pick up any of the major prizes, we think Mulligan will do well at both the Golden Globes and Baftas, and should secure an Oscar nomination.


Kathryn Bigelow
A woman has never walked away with the Oscar for Best Director and only three women, including Sofia Coppola and Jane Campion, have ever been nominated. With her stunning Iraq War thriller, ‘The Hurt Locker’, Kathryn Bigelow demonstrated a flair for striking visuals and extracted a strikingly charismatic performance from newcomer lead Jeremy Renner. Will 2010 be the year to buck the gender trend?

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