Recently we looked at the films most likely to be nominated for the Best Picture in 2010. Many of the films due for release between now and the end of the year feature acclaimed performances from some of the world's most acclaimed actresses, and others showcase the debuts of several lesser-known names.
The leading contenders for a Best Actress Oscar nomination in 2010 have impressed critics and moviegoers in films from different parts of the world. Their challenging and uplifting roles saw them navigating the Israel-Palestinian conflict, the streets of Harlem and the psychedelic space of the spiritual hereafter.
The actresses most likely to feature among the nominees for Best Actress at next year's Academy AWards are:
Hiam Abbass in Lemon Tree
Hiam Abbass is a Palestinian actress who plays the lead role in this wildly acclaimed Israeli-Palestinian film about a Palestinian widow who fights the Israeli government for rights to keep her beloved lemon orchard. Abbass has won several awards for the role already, and her performance has been compared to Julia Roberts' Oscar-winning turn in Erin Brokovich.
Michelle Monaghan in Trucker
Taking method acting seriously this year is Michelle Monaghan, who learned to drive a truck for her role as an independent truck driver who re-discovers her 11-year-old son in Trucker. Monaghan won rave reviews but no Oscar nomination for Gone Baby Gone and has clocked up major Hollywood karma by appearing in box office blockbuster series, Mission Impossible.
Yolande Moreau in Séraphine
Seraphine won 7 French Oscars including a second Best Actress title for popular French comedienne Yolande Moreau. The Oscars don't normally give actresses an Oscar for a non-English speaking role? Tell that to 2007's winner, Marion Cotillard, who won for her French-speaking performance in La Vie En Rose or Penelope Cruz who won an Oscar last year for her Spanish-speaking role in Vicky Christina Barcelona.
Saoirse Ronan in The Lovely Bones
At 15 years of age, Saoirse Ronan (it's pronounced Sear-Sha) already has an Oscar nomination, for Best Supporting Actress in Atonement. The talented Irish actress has since starred alongside Catherine Zeta Jones and was hand picked for the difficult role of Susie Salmon, the young murdered girl who looks down from a private spiritual afterlife on her family, friends and her killer.
Gabourey Sidibe in Precious
The challenging role of Clareece Jones, an overweight teenager trying to enter alternative school while battling repeated rapes and assaults from family members may secure newcomer Gabourey Sidibe her first Oscar nomination, for Precious. The film has won many significant awards this year including the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
