The Eddie Awards are given out by an honorary society of film editors called “American Cinema Editors” for achievements in editing both in film and in television. Along with acknowledging outstanding work, what makes these awards so special is that they often predict which film will win an Oscar in the same category as well as the much-coveted Best Picture Award!
So if you’re one of those people who love playing Oscar prediction games and are even willing to bet your money on it, watching the Eddie Awards ceremony is a must. If you’re still not convinced, here we give you examples of 18 years (yes, 18!) when the American Cinema Editors were accurate predictors of the Academy Awards.
1. 2016: Yes, that’s right. Just last year, the judges of the Eddie Awards awarded “Mad Max: Fury Road” in the Best Edited Feature Film-Dramatic Category. The film not only went on to win an Oscar for film editing, but also five more Academy Awards for sound editing and mixing, costumes, makeup, and production design. So this year, keep an eye out for the film that wins an Eddie in this category, as it’s pretty likely that the same movie will take home some Oscars too!
2. 2003-2011: For almost a decade, the Eddie Awards proved a near-constant string of accurate predictions as to which film will win the award for best editing, and several films won the best picture as well, including “Lord of the Rings: Return of the King” in 2004, “Slumdog Millionaire” in 2009, and “The Hurt Locker” in 2010. Even now, the third LOTR film remains the first and only fantasy film to win a Best Picture award and also holds a record for winning 11 Oscars — in every category, it was nominated for (a record shared with “Ben-Hur” and “Titanic”).
Meanwhile, in 2009, there was a fierce debate as to whether “Slumdog Millionaire” or “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” should win. The following year all eyes were set on James Cameron’s 3D extravaganza “Avatar” to sweep the awards against the low-budget war thriller “The Hurt Locker.” So the next time the rivalry gets tough, you know whom to trust: the Eddie Awards.
3. 1991-1995: The early to mid-’90s were also a good time for the Eddies. While “JFK” won the Academy Awards for best editing and cinematography in 1992, all the other films to win an Eddie — “Unforgiven” (1993), “Schlinder’s List” (1994) and “Forrest Gump” (1995) — went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture one after the other.
4. 1964-1966: Even during the early years, the Eddie Awards were known for getting the Oscar predictions quite right. From 1964 to 1966, they correctly predicted that “How the West Was Won,” “Mary Poppins” and “The Sound of Music” would win awards for editing and receive a string of nominations. “The Sound of Music” in particular went on to win 5 Oscars, including Best Picture, and still remains one of the most beloved musicals ever made.
So do you think “Arrival” and “La La Land” are likely to win big at the Oscars? And what about animation movies as well? Will it “Moana” or ”Zootopia” that takes home an Academy Award? If you can’t wait to find out, then don’t miss the Eddie Awards on Friday, Jan. 27, 2017!
What films do you think were the best-edited this year? Let us know in the comments below!