Who do you think will win?

For 85 years, Academy Award season has centered around this question and this Sunday, Feb. 24, the Strand Theatre in Rockland will be rolling out their red carpet, offering prizes and offering live coverage of the Oscars 2013 on their high definition big screens. First, to answer the above question, we asked Kate Fletcher, the Strand's Marketing and Community Relations Manager to give us their informal list of predicted Oscar winners:

Best Picture: ARGO - unquestionably!

Best Director - AMOUR

Best Actor - Daniel Day-Lewis

Best Actress - Jessica Chastain

Best Cinematography - LINCOLN

Best Foreign Language Film - AMOUR

Best Documentary Feature - HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE

Best Original Screenplay - MOONRISE KINGDOM

Asked about her Best Picture pick, Fletcher said "ARGO had everything you want in a movie, in terms of a story that was human. It had comedy. It was suspenseful, it had intrigue. In terms of history, many people know the about the Iran hostage crisis and how it turned out. But, Ben Affleck latched onto the story within the big story that few people knew about. So you assume you know how it is going to turn out, but yet, it still has you at the edge of your seat."

This will be the seventh Oscar season for the Strand since it reopened nearly eight years ago, but the theater has been around about as long as the Academy Awards  and has always had something to do with the Oscars. It has turned into a much anticipated annual event for many people. "Some people get really excited for the Super Bowl, some get really excited for the Oscars-and some get excited for both!" she said. "When people arrive, they will walk the red carpet and if they're dressed up, they can take pictures in the lobby."

"They'll be able to vote for their Oscar picks on ballots before the event begins and be entered to win a variety of raffle prizes during of the evening. A grand prize of a Night at the Movies for Two certificate will go to whomever guesses all the ballot categories correctly. You do not have to be present to win."

The event is free to the public. The Red Carpet pre show coverage will be shown from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. and coverage of the awards themselves begins at 8:00 p.m. The Strand balcony bar will be open for patrons 21 and up – featuring an Oscar Night Champagne and Chocolate Special. For more information visit: The Strand Oscar 2013 Party

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com