The 51st Telluride Film Festival concluded on Labor Day with three notable films generating significant Oscar buzz: Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or winner “Anora,” Jacques Audiard’s Spanish-language musical “Emilia Pérez” and Jason Reitman’s dark comedy “Saturday Night.”

Distributed by Sony Pictures, “Saturday Night” marks Reitman’s return to both directing and writing, working with co-writer Gil Kenan. While the film offers a thrilling look at the 90 minutes leading up to the premiere of the iconic sketch show “Saturday Night Live,” it has received mixed reviews from critics. However, history has shown that critical reception does not always equate to Oscar success, as evidenced by previous Best Picture winners like “Green Book” (2018) and “CODA” (2021). The most important rule of Oscar pundits is to remember that critics are not Oscar voters.

On the other hand, RaMell Ross’ “Nickel Boys” could make waves at both the LA and New York Film Critics Awards, given its impassioned reception from some of the country’s top critics. However, with its unconventional storytelling, the film could struggle to engage casual viewers, and mainstream AMPAS voters often gravitate toward more accessible films. If films like Ava DuVernay’s “Origin” (2022) and Chinonye Chukwu’s “Till” (2022) struggled to gain traction with Academy members, Ross’ highly respected film could suffer a similar fate.

Read: You can see all Academy Award predictions in all 23 categories on one page on the Variety Awards Circuit: Oscars