OSCAR SEASON IS HERE: 'ANORA,' 'CONCLAVE,' OTHER FILMS ANOINTED AS FRONT RUNNERS

THERE ARE FOUR SEASONS IN SOME PARTS OF the world. In the world of cinema lovers, there's an unofficial fifth season and it is known to every cinephile as the Oscar season.

- L.A. Correspondent

The season starts in early September when the fall festival trifecta of Venice, Toronto, and Telluride launch prestige titles competing for Oscar attention. In the US, there are more than 600 film festivals across the country during the year.

This season, the front runners have already been anointed. Here are the buzziest films and performances jockeying for position for the biggest prize in all of showbiz.

Leading the pack is "Anora," the surprise film that bowed much earlier in the year and won the coveted Palme d'Or at Cannes last May.

"Anora" is a modern-day Cinderella story. It tells the story of Ani, a young sex worker from Brooklyn whose life takes an unexpected turn when she meets and impulsively marries Vanya, the impetuous son of a Russian billionaire.

The film is the most satisfying movie of the year. It is this writer's top favorite. It features strong performances from Mikey Madison, who plays the titular character, and from Yura Borisov, a Russian actor who plays a stereotypical henchman (or so it seems, wink, wink!).

Indie stalwart Sean Baker, the director, is the top favorite for an Oscar. He previously directed the acclaimed films "The Florida Project" and "Red Rocket."

Jockeying at the top with "Anora" is a film from another independent filmmaker Brady Corbet, who won the Silver Lion for Best Director in Venice for "The Brutalist."

The movie tells the epic biographical story of visionary Hungarian architect Laszlo Toth who moves to America to rebuild his life, his work, and his marriage to his wife Erzsebet after being forced apart during World War 2.