2024 Oscar Contest

For film buff Nick Lumley, 2023 was a great year for cinema. He loved seeing new, thought-provoking films such as Oppenheimer and Killers of the Flower Moon, and even a few unheralded gems.

The icing on the cake? As winner of The Lindsay Theater and Cultural Center’s 2023 Oscar Contest, he watched these films for free.

Now The Lindsay’s Oscar Contest has returned for 2024, again with the top prize of a free pass to the Theater for an unlimited number of screenings for the remainder of the year. The winner must successfully pick the Best Picture as well as the greatest number of winners among all 23 Oscar categories.

The Theater, a nonprofit that has not raised ticket prices since opening in 2017, offers this contest every year. Oscar-nominated films are being screened along with new releases until the Academy Awards Ceremony on Sunday, March 10. This gives patrons plenty of opportunity to watch on the big screen, ponder the artistry displayed and carefully mark their ballots.

“Our patrons are passionate about film, and that’s apparent every year at Oscar Contest time,” says Carolina Thor, CEO of the nonprofit cultural center. “So many people predict an amazing number of categories correctly! We look forward to seeing the 2024 winner here at the Theater for many exceptional films through Dec. 31.” 

Looking back on the year, Lumley says he enjoyed seeing more people return to theaters—and appreciated watching original films not connected with a particular franchise. While he loved many of the Best Picture-nominated films—especially The Holdovers and Barbie—his favorite by far was Oppenheimer.

Director Christopher Nolan’s take on the making of the first atomic bomb “is the best film of the century so far,” Lumley says—and unsurprisingly, his pick for Best Picture. He loves everything about it: the directing, the sound, the cinematography, Cillian Murphy’s acting in the lead role. 

Lumley also calls out Emma Stone’s performance in Poor Things—and Greta Lee’s un-nominated performance in Past Lives, while noting “I’ve always been a big fan of Paul Giamatti,” star of The Holdovers. 

His under-the-radar film recommendation is A Thousand and One, which screened at The Lindsay in 2023, starring Teyana Taylor as a single mother in a gentrifying New York City neighborhood.

Lumley, who lives in Sewickley, shares his contest bragging rights with other recent winners from Patterson Township and Big Beaver, Beaver County. 

All are welcome to pick up Oscar ballots at the Theater Box Office, 418 Walnut St., Sewickley, during screening hours. Think like the Academy in making your predictions, and remember to include your name, email and phone number on the ballot. Whether due to knowledge or luck, teens to seniors have won the year-long, non-transferable pass. Ballots (one entry per person, please) must be returned to the Theater Box Office by 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 9.