Best Picture: The Big Short, Bridge of Spies, Brooklyn, Mad Max, The Martian, The Revenant, Room, Spotlight.

At least six of them would be worthy winners but realistically I think it’ll be between three. ‘The Revenant’ ‘The Big Short’ and ‘Spotlight’.  ‘Spotlight’ is the story of paedophile priests abusing kids in Boston. ‘The Big Short’ is a tale of bankers doing the same to everyone else and ‘The Revenant’ is a story of revenge. ‘Spotlight’ was well told but journalists chasing a story has been done in ‘All the President’s Men’. So I’m wavering between ‘The Revenant’ and ‘The Big Short’. A difficult choice but I’m going for ‘The Revenant’.

Best Actor:Michael Fassbender, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio  

Eddie Redmayne, Bryan Cranston. 

My two favourites are Fassbender as ‘Steve Jobs’ and DiCaprio as the ravaged survivor in ‘The Revenant’. So a multi-millionaire narcissist or a salt of the earth fur trapper? I’m going for the fur trapper!

Best Actress: Cate Blanchett, Brie Larson, Jennifer Lawrence, Charlotte Rampling, Saoirse Ronan

It just gets harder… Cate Blanchett as the predatory lesbian in ‘Carol’, Brie Larson’s chilling captivity in ‘Room’ or ‘Saoirse Ronan’s one way ticket to Brooklyn. All excellent but I’m going for Brie Larson.

Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Mark Ruffalo, Mark Rylance, Sylvester Stallone.

Stallone is much more engaging as a shambling ex champ than he ever was as Rocky but Mark Rylance as the understated Soviet spy in ‘Bridge of Spies’ is magnetic. I worry that American icons start at an advantage so it’ll probably be Stallone though I’d go for Rylance.

Supporting Actress: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Rooney Mara, Rachel Adams, Alicia Viklander, Kate Winslet.

Rooney Mara was compelling as Cate Blanchett’s lesbian lover in ‘Carol’  as was Alicia Viklander as the bohemian wife of transsexual Eddie Redmayne in ‘The Danish Girl’. I’m going to go for Rooney Mara.

Best Director: The Big Short, Mad Max, Revenant, Room, Spotlight

If ‘The Revenant’ wins Best Film Alejandro Inarritu will almost certainly win Best Director which will make it two years on the trot. A very rare achievement. Second choice would be Irishman Lenny Abrahamson for the cleverly directed ‘Room’.

Animation: Anomalisa, Boy and the World, Inside Out, Shaun the Sheep Movie, When Marnie Was There.

SeanT’s favourite ‘Inside Out’. Put your house on it.

Cinematography: Carol, The Hateful Eight, Mad Max, The Revenant, Sicario.

‘The Revenant’. Brilliantly photographed by Emannuel Lubeski. I backed him in 2010 when he lost so second time lucky?

Costume Design: Mad Max, Cinderella, Carol, The Danish Girl, The Revenant.

I loved the clothes in ‘Carol’ but ‘Mad Max’ was inspired. I’m going to go for ‘Carol’.

Documentary: Amy, Cartel Land, The Look of Silence, What Happened Miss Simone, Winter on Fire

‘Amy’. An uncompromising portrayal of Amy Winehouse. A fine piece of work by English documentary maker Asif Capadia.

Makeup: Mad Max, 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, The Revenant

‘Mad Max’.

Sound Editing: Mad Max, The Martian, The Revenant, Sicario, Star Wars

‘Mad Max’ or ‘The Revenant’. I’m going for the longest odds.

Sound Mixing: Mad Max, Revenant, Star Wars, The Martian, Bridge of Spies

‘Mad Max’ or ‘The Revenant’. Ditto.

Film Editing: The Big Short, Mad Max, Revenant, Spotlight, Star Wars

‘Mad Max’.

Foreign Language: Son of Saul and others…

I wouldn’t normally recommend something I haven’t seen but a film maker friend almost choked watching this holocaust film. By all accounts a difficult watch but brilliant. So ‘Son of Saul’.

Original Score: Bridge of Spies, Carol, The Hateful Eight, Sicario. Star Wars

Ennio Morricone ‘The Hateful Eight’.

Production Design: Bridge of Spies, The Danish Girl, Mad Max, The Martian, The Revenant

The whacky ‘Mad Max’.

Visual Effects: Ex Machina, Mad Max, The Martian, The Revenant, Star Wars

‘The Revenant’ but ‘Ex Machina’ is an interesting long shot.

Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short, Brooklyn, Carol, The Martian, Room.

‘The Big Short’ or ‘Room’. Both very good but for originality I’ll go for ‘The Big Short’.

Original Screenplay: Bridge of Spies, Ex Machina, Inside Out, Spotlight, Straight Outta Compton

Unusual to have an animation nominated for best original screenplay but ‘Inside Out’ is exactly that. It’s a tough choice between that and the very well crafted ‘Spotlight’. I’ll go for ‘Spotlight’.

Roger Alexander is a film-maker and longstanding PB poster. This is the seventh time he’s posted on his Oscar predictions  and his record is very good