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And the Oscar goes to…

WSS turns to the audience to see which predicted films will go home with a trophy at the 97th Academy Awards March 2.
And the Oscar goes to...
Taelim Yoon '26 poses with a mock Oscar award.
Best Picture: “Dune: Part Two”

“I’ve seen both ‘Dune: Part One’ and ‘Dune: Part Two,’ and [Dune: Part 2] stood out, especially in production and visuals, and the acting was great. Overall, [it was] very high quality. Dennis Villanueva, the director, did some cool things, and I like the direction he took with ‘Dune,’ especially how it differed from the books.”

Taelim Yoon ’26 poses with a mock Oscar award. (Waad Dafalla)
Jonathan Pierce '25 poses with a mock Oscar award.
Achievement in Costume Design: “Nosferatu”

“‘[Nosferatu]’ was like a period piece set in Transylvania, so the clothes were really interesting. It was historically accurate with a vampiric or gothic twist, which is so cool. Lily-Rose Depp had some good outfits. She had a big dark gothic dress [that caught my eye].”

Jonathan Pierce ’25 poses with a mock Oscar award. (Waad Dafalla)
Ania Willis '26 poses with a mock Oscar award.
Best Original Song: “Never Too Late” by Elton John

“I love Elton John. He [was] my top artist on Spotify Wrapped last year. He’s been around forever, but I recently got into his music. I’m like, ‘Give this man another award.’ The song is a part of his whole documentary. The message, ‘Never too late’ [stands out] because he [has] had a very rough life, and it speaks on all he’s been through.”

Ania Willis ’26 poses with a mock Oscar award. (Waad Dafalla)
Tina Hong '25 poses with a mock Oscar award.
Achievement in Sound: “Dune: Part Two”

“The soundtrack for ‘[Dune]’ is insane. You have the parts where they’re talking, [and] the music accentuates it. The theme song is fire, [and] the crowd noises at the Colosseum are so immersive. Since it’s sci-fi, the machines and the battle sounds are well-mixed; the effects, the voices, the whispering, the chanting in the caves — it’s not overdone.”

Tina Hong ’25 poses with a mock Oscar award. (Waad Dafalla)
Endrit Ramku '27 poses with a mock Oscar award.
Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling: “The Substance”

“‘The Substance’ should win [this category] because the makeup artists did a great job differentiating between the older version of the actress and the younger version. [They] showed the younger actress as more beautiful and having more desirable features — better makeup, youthful makeup, more feminine makeup. Overall, the makeup was utilized to make a drastic juxtaposition between this very desirable young actress and the older actress. The makeup artists also did a fantastic job of representing the gore-ish aspect without getting too nitty gritty.”

Endrit Ramku ’27 poses with a mock Oscar award. (Waad Dafalla)
Emmerson Reimers '28 poses with a mock Oscar award.
Animated Feature Film: “Inside Out 2”

“For children’s movies, you have to be visually appealing, and I think ‘Inside Out 2’ did a really good job with that. They kept elements from the first [movie, while] adding new stuff in. The plot matured [as] the people who were watching it the first time it came out aged with the movie. Anyone could watch it, I had my [younger] cousins and my mom watching it. Everybody loved it, it was super fun.”

Emmerson Reimers ’28 poses with a mock Oscar award. (Waad Dafalla)
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