The film award season is officially underway and the countdown to the Oscars on March 2 has begun.

Though Academy Award nominations will not be announced until Jan. 16, several have emerged as potential frontrunners.

Enstars compiled a list of 10 films likely to score several Oscar nominations.

First on the list is David O. Russell's American Hustle.

Hustle already garnering 25 combined nods thus far in 2014 for Best Picture, Best Actor/Actress, Best Supporting Actor/Actress, Best Director and Original Screenplay for several of the awards ceremonies occurring before Oscar night. Jennifer Lawrence is poised for back-to-back Oscar wins this year if she gets a nomination on the big night for Supporting Actress. She won the Best Actress award in 2013 for her work in Russell's Silver Linings Playbook.

Another film that is a serious contender this year is Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave. It received 25 combined nominations already this year in the top categories between the Screen Actors Guild, Producers Guild, Directors Guild, Writers Guild, Golden Globes, BAFTA and Critics Choice. McQueen won at the New York Film Critics Circle for directing the biographical story of a free man kidnapped and forced to live as a slave.

Be sure to scroll through the gallery above for other big contenders and keep checking back for the latest awards season news.