Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Okay so Best Actress is going to be a tough category but it's also going to be difficult to pick a winner for best Actor with a string of standout performances but, as yet, no runaway favourite.
So in a bid to see who could potentially take home the most desired prize in film we take a look at some of the runners and riders in this category.
Politics is well and truly on the agenda in the Best Actor part of proceedings with three of the potential candidates all portraying key political figures. Leading the way, and possibly an early if not overwhelming favourite, is Frank Langella who takes on the role of the disgraced President Nixon in Ron Howard's Frost/Nixon.
Premiering at the London Film Festival Frost/Nixon is the big screen version of one of television's most iconic interviews in 1977 between chatshow host David Frost and President Nixon. Forty five million people tuned in to see if Frost could get an apology out of Nixon over the Watergate scandal that rocked American politics.
Josh Brolin could also find himself in the running, after being part of the cast of the successful No Country For Old Men this year, for his role as soon to be out of a job George W Bush in Oliver Stone's W.
The film follows the life of Bush from his college years all the way up to becoming the most powerful world leader. Despite criticism for the film itself Brolin's depiction of Bush has been highly praised.
Sean Penn is also stepping into the world of politics telling the powerful and inspiring story of California's first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk.
In 1977, Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay man to be voted into major public office in America.
His victory was not just a victory for gay rights; he forged coalitions across the political spectrum. From senior citizens to union workers, Harvey Milk changed the very nature of what it means to be a fighter for human rights and became, before his untimely death in 1978, a hero for all Americans.
What is being seen as Mickey Rourke's comeback performance in The Wrestler gained massive support on the festival circuit as the film, directed by Darren Aronofsky, scooped the Golden Lion in Venice.
The Wrestler follows Randy 'Ram' Robinson, played by Mickey Rourke, a retired professional wrestler who was forced to quit after a heart attack threatened to kill him if he wrestled again.
Trying to move on Robinson starts working in a deli as well as moving in with an ageing stripper and trying to build a relationship with her son. But the chance of a rematch with his old nemesis Ayatollah proves too much of a temptation even though the fight could cost him his life.
Another festival favourite has been Benicio Del Toro for his performance as revolutionary Che Guevara in Steven Soderburgh's four hour epic, which has been split into two movies The Argentine and Guerrilla.
Also possibly in with a shout is Leonardo DiCaprio for his role in Sam Mendes' Revolutionary Road, which reunites him with his Titanic co-star Kate Winslet, and Brad Pitt is also a strong possibility for his role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button adapted from the 1920's story by F. Scott Fitzgerald about a man who is born in his eighties and ages backwards.
And you cannot rule out Clint Eastwood for his turn in Gran Torino, his first acting role since Million Dollar Baby, but watch fro him in Best Director.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw