2025 Oscar Predictions: Best Film Editing
When it comes to predicting the Oscar winner for Best Film Editing, you can’t go wrong by looking for the movie with the most cuts. Past winners “The Bourne Ultimatum” (2008), “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2016), “Ford v Ferrari” (2020), “Dune” (2022) and 2023’s champ “Everything Everywhere All at Once” included high-octane action sequences with frenetic cutting. A slew of winners — including “Saving Private Ryan” in 1999, “Black Hawk Down” (2002), “The Hurt Locker” (2010), “Hacksaw Ridge” (2017), “Dunkirk” (2018) and, to some extent, “Oppenheimer” (2024) — have been war pictures. (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2025 Oscar predictions for Best Film Editing.)
Oscar voters also embrace film editors who skillfully juggle multiple storylines, as was the case with “Traffic” (2001) and “Crash” (2006). And they like films that expertly inter-cut music with images, such as “Cabaret” (1973), “Chicago” (2003), “Whiplash” (2015), “Bohemian Rhapsody” (2019) and 2021 winner “Sound of Metal.” Special effects extravaganzas like “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2004) and “Gravity” (2014) won by deftly blurring the lines between the real and the fantastic.
Historically, a nomination for film editing was an essential one for the ultimate winner of the big prize. Indeed, 36 films have won both awards, including last year’s double dipper “Oppenheimer” That last win comes with a caveat as the reintroduction of the preferential ballot for Best Picture in 2009 has changed the dynamic. Since then, the only other Best Picture champs to also win Best Film Editing were “Argo” in 2012 and “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
Longtime Martin Scorsese collaborator Thelma Schoonmaker earned her record eighth bid last year for cutting “Killers of the Flower Moon”; that edged her past Steven Spielberg‘s frequent editor Michael Kahn who ranks second with eight bids. Each of them has won a record three times; she for “Raging Bull” (1981), “The Aviator” (2005), and “The Departed” (2007) and he for “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1982), “Schindler’s List” (1994), and “Saving Private Ryan” (1999). That ties them with triple hitters Ralph Dawson [“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (1936), “Anthony Adverse” (1937), and “The Adventures of Robin Hood” (1939)] and Daniel Mandell [“The Pride of the Yankees” (1943), “The Beast Years of Our Lives” (1947), and “The Apartment” (1961)].
Kahn was the oldest winner ever at 68 when he prevailed for “Saving Private Ryan.” Conversely, David Brenner was all of 27 when he shared in the win for “Born on the Fourth of July” with John Hutshing.
Please note: To read full descriptions of each film, check out our 2025 Oscars Best Picture predictions.
UPDATED: July 17, 2024
LEADING CONTENDERS
“Blitz” (Apple Original Films) — Peter Sciberras
“Conclave” (Focus Features) — Nick Emerson
“Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.) — Joe Walker
“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” (Warner Bros.) — Eliot Knapman and Margaret Sixel
“Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures) — Claire Simpson and Sam Restivo
“Sing Sing” (A24) — Parker Laramie
“Wicked” (Universal) — Myron Kerstein
STRONG CONTENDERS
“Anora” (Neon) — Sean Baker
“Challengers” (Amazon MGM Studios/Warner Bros.) — Marco Costa
“Emilia Pérez” (Pathé) — Juliette Welfling
“Joker: Folie à Deux” (Warner Bros.) — Jeff Groth
“Nickel Boys” (Amazon MGM Studios) — Nicholas Monsour
“Nightbitch” (Searchlight) — Anne McCabe
POSSIBLE CONTENDERS
“I Saw the TV Glow” (A24) — Sofi Marshall
“Inside Out 2” (Disney) — Maurissa Horwitz
“Megalopolis” (Lionsgate) — Cam McLauchlin and Glen Scantlebury
“Nosferatu” (Focus Features/Universal) — Louise Ford
“Queer” (TBC) — Marco Costa
“The Substance” (Mubi) — Coralie Fargeat, Jérôme Eltabet, and Valentin Feron
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