How to watch this year’s awards-tipped films

The Oscars race is rapidly taking shape, following the conclusion of the autumn film festivals where many of the expected frontrunners had their premieres.

Most of this year’s awards-tipped films have now been seen by critics, although a handful of possible contenders still have to launch before the end of the year.

Awards season arguably kicks off on 9 December, when the nominations are announced for the first major film ceremony, the Golden Globes.

But in truth, studios launch their campaigns much earlier, as the major films premiere at the Venice, Telluride, Toronto, Cannes and Sundance festivals.

Ahead of the Oscars on 2 March, here’s the ABC (Anora, Blitz, Conclave) of all the films you need to know about.

What’s it about? A biopic of singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, focusing on his early career as he was making his name in 1960s New York.

Who’s in it? Timothée Chalamet as Dylan, alongside Edward Norton, Elle Fanning and Monica Barbaro.

Where can I see it? In UK cinemas from 17 January.

What’s it about? An aspiring actor with a disfiguring facial condition has a radical medical procedure, drastically transforming his appearance. But he gradually starts to regret his decision as he grapples with a sense of lost identity.

Who’s in it? Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve and Adam Pearson.

Where can I see it? It was released in UK cinemas on 4 October.

What’s it about? Two cousins go on a trip across Poland to learn more about their late grandmother.

Who’s in it? Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin.

Where can I see it? In UK cinemas from 10 January.

What’s it about? Three Indian nurses working in the same Mumbai hospital struggle to make ends meet. A trip to a coastal town provides a chance for freedom and reflection.

Who’s in it? Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam and Hridhu Haroon.

Where can I see it? In cinemas from 29 November.

What’s it about? A woman working as a stripper in New York falls in love with the son of a Russian billionaire. The pair enjoy a whirlwind romance, but the wheels soon start to come off.

Who’s in it? Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov and Karren Karagulian.

Where can I see it? In UK cinemas from 1 November.

What’s it about? A young Donald Trump tries to make his name as a real estate tycoon in New York in the 1970s and 80s, and finds a mentor in lawyer Roy Cohn.

Who’s in it? Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong and Maria Bakalova.

Where can I see it? It was released in UK cinemas on 18 October.

What’s it about? A high-powered CEO risks her career and family when she begins an affair with a younger intern.

Who’s in it? Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, Sophie Wilde and Antonio Banderas.

Where can I see it? In UK cinemas from 10 January.

What’s it about? Set more than three decades after the original Beetlejuice, Lydia Deetz is now a mother struggling to keep her family together when Betelgeuse returns to haunt her.

Who’s in it? Jenna Ortega, Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Monica Bellucci and Willem Dafoe.

Where can I see it? It was released in cinemas in the summer and is now available to buy and rent digitally.

What’s it about? A 12-year-old girl living on a rough council estate finds a mentor and protector in a man who has returned to the town to try to track down his family.

Who’s in it? Nykiya Adams, Barry Keoghan and Franz Rogowski.

Where can I see it? In UK cinemas from 8 November.

What’s it about? A young boy makes his own way back to London after the city is evacuated during World War Two.

Who’s in it? Saoirse Ronan, Stephen Graham and Elliott Heffernan.

Where can I see it? In UK cinemas from 1 November, and on Apple TV+ three weeks later.

What’s it about? A Hungarian architect tries to build a new life for himself and his wife in post-war America, but their plans are changed by a wealthy client.

Who’s in it? Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce and Joe Alwyn.

Where can I see it? In UK cinemas on 24 January 2025.

What’s it about? A love triangle between a tennis prodigy-turned-coach and two male rivals.

Who’s in it? Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist

Where can I see it? Amazon Prime Video, and available to rent on other digital platforms.

What’s it about? A gossipy and scheming group of cardinals must select the new Pope, but there is backstabbing, wheeling and dealing behind the scenes.

Who’s in it? Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and Isabella Rossellini.

Where can I see it? In UK cinemas from 29 November.

What’s it about? Deadpool is recruited to help safeguard the multiverse, and unites with Wolverine to complete the mission.

Who’s in it? Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman.

Where can I see it? Available to buy on digital platforms.

What’s it about? A sequel to 2021’s Dune, Paul Atreides unites with the Fremen people of the desert planet Arrakis to wage war against House Harkonnen.

Who’s in it? Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Austin Butler and Florence Pugh.

Where can I see it? Available to rent or buy on digital platforms.

What’s it about? A musical following a Mexican cartel leader who wants to leave the world of crime and live a new life as a woman.

Who’s in it? Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez and Adriana Paz.

Where can I see it? In UK cinemas from 25 October and on Netflix from 13 November.

What’s it about? A sequel to 2000’s Oscar-winning Gladiator, the grandson of Rome’s former emperor is forced into slavery following an invasion.

Who’s in it? Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal and Denzel Washington.

Where can I see it? In UK cinemas from 15 November.

What’s it about? An irritable woman whose constant misery puts severe strain on those around her grapples with her depression as Mother’s Day approaches. Directed by Mike Leigh.

Who’s in it? Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Michele Austin, David Webber and Tuwaine Barrett.

Where can I see it? In UK cinemas from 31 January.

What’s it about? Three sisters with very different personalities come together in New York to care for their sick father.

Who’s in it? Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen and Natasha Lyonne.

Where can I see it? On Netflix now.

What’s it about? Set in 1970s Brazil, a woman and her five children’s lives are turned upside down after the disappearance of her congressman husband.

Who’s in it? Fernanda Torres, Fernanda Montenegro and Selton Mello.

Where can I see it? In UK cinemas from 7 February.

What’s it about? A sequel to 2015’s Inside Out, Riley is now a teenager with a whole heap of new emotions to deal with, including anxiety and embarrassment.

Who’s in it? The voices of Amy Poehler, Maya Hawke, Tony Hale and Ayo Edebiri.

Where can I see it? On Disney+ now.

What’s it about? Following 2019’s Joker, Arthur Fleck falls in love with Harley Quinn while incarcerated at Arkham Asylum.

Who’s in it? Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Zazie Beetz and Brendan Gleeson.

Where can I see it? In UK cinemas now.

What’s it about? A man who flees after accidentally killing someone in a road accident finds himself on the jury in a trial that wrongly accuses someone else of the crime.

Who’s in it? Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette and JK Simmons.

Where can I see it? In UK cinemas from 1 November.

What’s it about? A biopic focusing on legendary opera singer Maria Callas’s final years in Paris in the 1970s.

Who’s in it? Angelina Jolie, Haluk Bilginer and Kodi Smit-McPhee.

Where can I see it? In UK cinemas from 10 January.

What’s it about? Two young men are abused at a reform school called the Nickel Academy in 1960s Florida.

Who’s in it? Ethan Herisse, Brandon Wilson and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor.

Where can I see it? In UK cinemas from 3 January.

What’s it about? A woman who quits her job to be at home with her young son fears she is turning into a dog at night.

Who’s in it? Amy Adams and Scoot McNairy.

Where can I see it? In UK cinemas from 6 December.

What’s it about? An ancient Transylvanian vampire haunts a young woman in 19th Century Germany.

Who’s in it? Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

Where can I see it? In UK cinemas from 1 January.

What’s it about? A young woman struggling with addiction to alcohol returns to her home in Orkney.

Who’s in it? Saoirse Ronan and Paapa Essiedu.

Where can I see it? It was released in UK cinemas on 27 September.

What’s it about? Adapted from August Wilson’s play, a brother and sister disagree over what to do with a family heirloom piano in 1920s Pittsburgh.

Who’s in it? John David Washington, Danielle Deadwyler and Samuel L Jackson.

Where can I see it? In cinemas from 8 November and on Netflix from 22 November.

What’s it about? A gay man in 1950s Mexico ventures into the jungle in search of a rare plant, which is said to have telepathic powers.

Who’s in it? Daniel Craig, Drew Starkey and Lesley Manville.

Where can I see it? In UK cinemas from 13 December.

What’s it about? A woman with terminal cancer asks a close friend to be in the room next door when she takes her own life.

Who’s in it? Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton.

Where can I see it? In cinemas from 25 October.

What’s it about? Set in 1975, the cast and crew of US variety show Saturday Night Live gear up for their first episode.

Who’s in it? Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith.

Where can I see it? In UK cinemas from 31 January.

What’s it about? A judge loses his gun amid unrest in Tehran. Suspecting his family, he imposes harsh rules, straining relationships as society destabilises.

Who’s in it? Soheila Golestani, Missagh Zareh and Mahsa Rostami.

Where can I see it? In cinemas from 7 February.

What’s it about? The 1972 Munich Olympic hostage crisis told from the perspective of an ABC Sports crew, incorporating real-life footage from their coverage.

Who’s in it? Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro and Ben Chaplin.

Where can I see it? In UK cinemas from 24 January.

What’s it about? A group of inmates in a high-security prison sign up for a performing arts programme.

Who’s in it? Colman Domingo and Clarence Maclin.

Where can I see it? It was released in UK cinemas on 30 August.

What’s it about? A woman takes a black-market drug in order to create a younger, more beautiful version of herself.

Who’s in it? Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid.

Where can I see it? It was released in UK cinemas on 20 September.

What’s it about? An elderly woman sets out to get back the $10,000 she lost in a scam.

Who’s in it? June Squibb, Fred Hechinger and Richard Roundtree.

Where can I see it? It’s available to rent or buy on digital platforms.

What’s it about? A young chef is diagnosed with cancer, throwing her plans for the future into doubt.

Who’s in it? Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield.

Where can I see it? In UK cinemas from 1 January.

What’s it about? A film adaptation of the book and stage musical, which tell the origin story of the Wicked Witch of the West.

Who’s in it? Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.

Where can I see it? In UK cinemas from 22 November.

What’s it about? An animated robot named Roz adapts to its new surroundings after being shipwrecked on a deserted island, and develops a parental bond with an orphaned gosling.

Who’s in it? The voices of Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal and Bill Nighy.

Where can I see it? It was released in UK cinemas on 18 October.