Cynically while some might assume a renewed focus on events in Rome might put Conclave at a bit of an unfair advantage, in reality given that the voting deadline was 18 February - over a week before doctors said the Pope was in a critical but stable condition - it won't have swayed which film wins.
Little did Ralph Fiennes and his co-stars know when they began filming in Rome two years ago, how real-world events would transpire to make the basic premise of this best picture nominee feel bizarrely prescient.
Win or lose this weekend in Hollywood, Isabella Rossellini - who's nominated for best supporting actress for her brief role in the film - has been at pains to send her best wishes to Rome.
REUTERS/Ciro De Luca] This weekend, while the film industry comes together to recognise the great and the good in Hollywood, on the other side of the world cardinals have been gathering in Vatican City over concerns for the Pope's health.
Art has imitated life plenty of times at the Academy Awards but perhaps not quite as literally as it has for best picture nominee Conclave.
