Why it’ll win: Voters could find deep-felt respect for Francois Begaudeau’s stalwart teacher. Pic is relevant and current without being too controversial, covering themes of cultural and racial clash.

Maybe not: Heavy on the dialogue, and the pic’s improvised docudrama format could be outside of voters’ comfort zones.

Critical quote: “Talky in the best sense, the film exhilarates with its lively, authentic classroom banter while its emotional undercurrents build steadily but almost imperceptibly over a swift 129 minutes,” says Justin Chang of Variety.