The Oscar Awards ceremony is one of the most prestigious events of the world film industry.
But the way the Best Picture category winner is chosen, or Best Film, is more complicated than an ordinary vote.
The American Academy of Arts and Film Sciences uses a preferential voting system for this category.
Instead of choosing only one film, members rightly vote rank candidates according to preference.
The process is designed to identify the film that enjoys wide support among voters.
If a film does not secure the necessary majority of the first votes, other preferences may influence the final outcome.
This means that a production which is the first choice of a large group of voters does not necessarily guarantee victory.
Another film, constantly ranked high by more voters, can benefit from the system.
According to the Academy, nominations and winners are determined through secret electronic voting, while the counting process is monitored by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
In many other categories, nominations are determined by members of relevant professional branch members, while members who have the right to vote participate in the final round.
The special system for Best Picture is one of the reasons why results can be difficult to predict.
For the public, a movie could be the absolute favorite of the year. For the Academy, the result reflects a more complex process of preferences.
This makes the contest for the grandest Oscar award one of the most interesting awards season battles in Hollywood.
