Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land” may be the front-runner to win Best Picture at this Sunday’s Academy Awards, but Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight” has actually racked up more recognition during the long road of awards ceremonies hosted by guilds, critics circles, and media groups.

In a study by TheWrap of more than 40 major pre-Oscar prizes, “Moonlight” emerged with 18 top film awards, including from the Golden Globes and the National Society of Film Critics, compared to 16 for “La La Land.” (It also won the top prize at the Spirit Awards on Saturday, though “La La Land” was not eligible.)

“La La Land,” which also earned a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, is still considered the heavy favorite to find its name in the final envelope on Sunday. But if “Moonlight” pulls off the upset, it will be a big signal that the Academy is favoring serious, topical fare in the first Oscars of the Trump era — and an endorsement of critics who have tended to favor the coming-of-age drama.

Also Read: What We've Learned About the Oscars Race From the Guild Awards

Last year, the Oscars fell in line with most of the guild and critics awards on the acting categories, as Leonardo DiCaprio, Brie Larson, and Alicia Vikander got nearly unanimous acclaim en route to their Academy Award victories.

Only Best Supporting Actor winner Mark Rylance was a mild surprise, having gone neck-and-neck with Sylvester Stallone in the pre-Oscar awards tally.

This year is different. While the critics and guilds have anointed clear favorites, they don’t exactly align with how awards prognosticators see things unfolding on Sunday night.

Also Read: Oscars: Guide to Hollywood's Top Viewing Parties (Updating)

The awards for Best Actress are the most spread out of all the major categories. The only nominee who hasn’t received multiple awards is Hollywood’s favorite anti-Trump orator, Meryl Streep.

So far, the lion’s share of the critics awards have gone to surprise Golden Globe winner Isabelle Huppert for her provocative performance in Paul Verhoeven’s “Elle” and to Natalie Portman for her portrayal of a mourning Jackie Onassis in “Jackie.”

But in the guild awards, it’s Emma Stone who’s riding high with Golden Globe, SAG, and BAFTA wins for her work in “La La Land.” With “La La Land” expected to win in at least half of the 14 categories for which it’s been nominated, Stone is considered likely to add to the film’s record haul this Sunday.

Also Read: Which Oscar Contender Gave Its Studio the Biggest Bang for the Buck?

In the Best Actor category, Casey Affleck is the clear critics’ darling, having won awards from 30 different organizations for his performance as Lee Chandler in “Manchester By The Sea” along with the Golden Globe and BAFTA Award.

Second on the list is Denzel Washington for the lead role in “Fences,” but one of his award wins is often considered a major signpost for predicting the Oscar winner: the Screen Actors Guild award.

While Affleck’s performance relied on a subtle depiction of trauma and depression, Washington had the loudest performance among this year’s nominees as the gregarious Troy Maxson in “Fences,” which is something that might appeal more to Academy voters.

Also Read: 'La La Land' Surpasses $300M Box Office Milestone As Oscars Draw Near

Mahershala Ali has dominated the guild and critics awards for supporting actor — collecting 28 prizes in all, including the SAG Award, for his his performance in the opening act of “Moonlight.”

Trailing as dark horses are 2009 Best Actor winner Jeff Bridges as a brilliant and politically incorrect Texas Ranger in “Hell or High Water” and this year’s BAFTA winner Dev Patel for his portrayal of Saroo Brierly in “Lion.”

Viola Davis was a lock to win Best Supporting Actress from the moment the trailer for “Fences” came out. Like Stone, she has pulled off the Golden Globe/SAG/BAFTA trifecta along with 20 more wins in our tally.

Her status as heavy favorite also bodes well for Washington’s hopes for another Oscar, as the Academy might give both “Fences” stars a golden statuette in recognition of their performance on the screen together.

Regardless, it’s going to be a good night for #OscarsNotSoWhite.

Also Read: Oscar Gender Gap: Male Leads in Best Picture Nominees Have Twice as Much Screen Time

In the Best Director race, the award tally is almost evenly split between “La La Land” filmmaker Damien Chazelle and “Moonlight” filmmaker Barry Jenkins. But in this race, the Directors Guild Award is the one that matters most.

The director that wins at the DGAs has gone on to win at the Oscars 12 of the last 13 years. With that in mind, this year’s DGA winner, Damien Chazelle, is now expected to continue that trend.

History of Cute Kids at the Oscars, From Shirley Temple to Sunny Pawar (Photos)

“La La Land” may take home a handful of Oscars, but 8-year-old Sunny Pawar is a favorite to win the night. The young star of “Lion” has charmed voters by getting hoisted up by Dev Patel and telling audiences he wants to portray a superhero. Pawar is this year’s Oscars It-Kid, but he follows in a long line of cuteness at the Academy Awards.
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Jackie Cooper – “Skippy” (1930)
Jackie Cooper was nominated for Best Actor for his role in 1930s movie “Skippy.” To date, he’s the youngest boy to ever be nominated in the Best Actor category. He lost to Lionel Barrymore, who thanked Cooper in his acceptance speech -- but Cooper had already fallen asleep on Marie Dressler’s arm during the ceremony and no one wanted to wake him.
Shirley Temple – (1934)
Shirley Temple was the biggest box office star of the day in 1934, cranking out seven films that year, including the special tailored “Bright Eyes.” The following year, she was awarded the first ever Academy Juvenile Award, all at just six-years-old. In 1939, she would present an honorary Oscar to Walt Disney.
Margaret O’Brien – “Meet Me In St. Louis” (1944)
For playing the feisty Tootie Smith opposite Judy Garland, Margaret O’Brien, 8-years-old at the time, won a juvenile Oscar in 1945 and had it presented to her by Bob Hope. However, she told Vanity Fair back in 2014 that she was always treated like an adult on set.
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Patty McCormack – “The Bad Seed” (1956)
“The child star of ‘The Bad Seed’ who killed the critics and most of the cast, Patty McCormack!” Jerry Lewis introduced the 10-year-old as such before backing away in fear, reluctant to shake her hand. McCormack was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her sinister role in the horror-thriller and presented for Short Subject (Cartoon). Astutely, she noticed that Stephen Bosustow was the producer behind all three nominated cartoons. Spoiler: He won.
Mary Badham – “To Kill a Mockingbird” (1962)
Mary Badham had never even seen a movie before making and being nominated for the beloved classic “To Kill a Mockingbird.” At the time, she was the youngest actress to ever receive one. But Badham told The Huffington Post on the film’s 50th anniversary that she had no recollection of how she found out, adding that at the ceremony she gave up her assigned seat to a family and hadn’t prepared a speech.
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Tatum O’Neal – “Paper Moon” (1973)
“All I really want to thank is my director Peter Bogdanovich and my father [Ryan]. Thank you.” That was all a truly humbled Tatum O’Neal had to say upon accepting her win for Best Supporting Actress in “Paper Moon.” She stuck to her tomboyish character in the film and wore a tuxedo to the ceremony beneath a mess of short brown hair. At age 10, she still holds the record for the youngest winner ever in a competitive category.
Justin Henry – “Kramer vs. Kramer” (1979)
Most Oscar kids are just thrilled to be here, but 8-year-old Justin Henry took the ceremony seriously -- and took it even harder when he lost to Melvyn Douglas. He took the awards circuit by storm back in 1980, reportedly bursting into tears after losing the Golden Globe. In this nomination video, you can see him throw his head back in an adorable fit of anxiety, then disappointment.
Anna Paquin – “The Piano” (1993)
You don’t have much time to deliver an Oscar speech but Anna Paquin spent the bulk of it almost entirely short of breath. It’s a precious moment of a young actress stunned to have beaten out such heavy hitters. She held it together and delivered a confident, brief speech, but was quoted later saying, “I was a very shy, very, very young 11. I don’t think I had ever seen so many people at one time, and to have them all sitting there waiting for me to say something was awful.”
Haley Joel Osment – “The Sixth Sense” (1999)
Despite what Haley Joel Osment might say today, he will forever be the little kid who sees dead people. When Michael Caine won the Oscar, he called Osment “astonishing.” And although he was already 12 when he was nominated, Kevin Spacey (his co-star in “A.I.” and “Pay it Forward") couldn't resist hoisting Osment underneath his arms.
Abigail Breslin & Jaden Smith – “Little Miss Sunshine” (2006)
Abigail Breslin, then 11 and nominated for “Little Miss Sunshine,” and Will Smith’s son Jaden Smith, then nine appearing for “The Pursuit of Happyness,” were asked to present the Best Short Film Oscar in 2007 because, get this, they weren’t very tall. Clever writers. Of course, they made the moment cute anyway, with Jaden unable to pronounce the name of one winner and almost forgetting to announce the other.
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The Kids of “Slumdog Millionaire” (2008)
After a 26-hour flight to get them to L.A. for the Oscars, the whole cast of “Slumdog Millionaire” mobbed Billy Bush on the red carpet. They couldn’t have been more excited to be there, as director Danny Boyle plucked some of them straight from the Mumbai slums. Controversially, those like Rubina Ali still lived in slums up to two years after the release of the film.
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Quvenzhane Wallis – “Beasts of the Southern Wild” (2012)
Quvenzhane Wallis earned the distinction of being the youngest acting nominee in any category, but her real achievements were getting people to pronounce her full name and acting sassy as she sported a purse shaped as a dog on the red carpet. She made quick friends with Halle Berry and Samuel L. Jackson, among others. Most adorable was when she flexed her muscles as they announced her name.
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Jacob Tremblay – “Room” (2016)
For those segments of the internet who weren’t distracted by 9-year-old Jacob Tremblay’s surprisingly hot dad, they admired the star of “Room” for humbly boasting he’d be attending Oscars after parties despite his bedtime being 8 p.m. He even joked to Ryan Seacrest that he punched Sylvester Stallone in the face because Stallone stole his spot in the Best Supporting Actor category.
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The 8-year-old star of “Lion” is expected to become the next young performer to capture the hearts of the audience at the Academy Awards

“La La Land” may take home a handful of Oscars, but 8-year-old Sunny Pawar is a favorite to win the night. The young star of “Lion” has charmed voters by getting hoisted up by Dev Patel and telling audiences he wants to portray a superhero. Pawar is this year’s Oscars It-Kid, but he follows in a long line of cuteness at the Academy Awards.

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