After a delay due to devastating wildfires affecting the Los Angeles area, the film industry held its breath on Thursday, January 23, as the 97th Annual Academy Awards nominations were unveiled, showcasing a dynamic lineup. "Emilia Pérez," "A Complete Unknown," and "Conclave" dominated the nominations.
"Emilia Pérez," a groundbreaking crime musical about a Mexican cartel leader who has undergone a transition, leads the pack with an impressive 13 nominations. This extraordinary achievement places it just one nomination shy of tying the record for nominations from a single film. Most of the movie's actors have never won an Academy Award before.
One of the standout stories from this year's nominations is actress Karla Sofía Gascón, who made history as the first transgender woman to be nominated in any acting category. Gascón's performance in "Emilia Pérez" places her in a competitive field alongside notable talents like Cynthia Erivo from "Wicked" and Demi Moore.
Following "Emilia Pérez," both "The Brutalist" and "Wicked" received 10 nominations each. "The Substance" also secured a spot in the coveted Best Picture category, joining an impressive roster that includes "A Complete Unknown," "Conclave," "Anora," "Dune: Part Two," "Nickel Boys," and "I'm Still Here."
Notably, "Emilia Pérez" previously triumphed at the Golden Globe Awards, winning four times, including Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy and Best Supporting Actress for Zoe Saldaña's acclaimed performance.
Actors Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott, who hosted the live event, announced the nominations to the public.
When is the 2025 Oscars ceremony?
The nominations for the upcoming Oscars were originally scheduled to be announced on January 17. However, due to a number of industry awards ceremonies that are traditionally part of Hollywood's January social calendar, the scheduling faced significant challenges. These challenges were exacerbated by the alarming rise in wildfires in the Los Angeles area, which forced Hollywood's event organizers to make swift adjustments to their timelines.
Given these circumstances, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has unfortunately canceled the Oscars nominees luncheon, which was supposed to take place on February 10. This event, typically a highlight for filmmakers, nominees, and industry professionals, will not proceed as planned amidst the ongoing wildfire crisis.
Despite these disruptions, the Academy has confirmed that the Oscars ceremony is currently scheduled for March 2, 2024. The prestigious event will be held at the iconic Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, where nominees and winners will gather to celebrate excellence in filmmaking and recognize outstanding contributions to the industry.
Complete list of nominations for the 2025 Academy Awards
Best picture
- "Anora" (Neon)
- "The Brutalist" (A24)
- "A Complete Unknown" (Searchlight)
- "Conclave" (Focus)
- "Dune: Part Two" (Warner Bros.)
- "Emilia Pérez" (Netflix)
- "I'm Still Here" (Sony Classics)
- "Nickel Boys" (Amazon/MGM)
- "The Substance" (Mubi)
- "Wicked" (Universal)
Best director
- Sean Baker, "Anora"
- Brady Corbet, "The Brutalist"
- James Mangold, "A Complete Unknown"
- Jacques Audiard, "Emilia Pérez"
- Coralie Fargeat, "The Substance"
Best actress
- Cynthia Erivo, "Wicked"
- Karla Sofia Gascón, "Emilia Pérez"
- Mikey Madison, "Anora"
- Demi Moore, "The Substance"
- Fernanda Torres, "I'm Still Here"
Best actor
- Adrian Brody, "The Brutalist"
- Timothée Chalamet, "A Complete Unknown"
- Colman Domingo, "Sing Sing"
- Ralph Fiennes, "Conclave"
- Sebastian Stan, "The Apprentice"
Best supporting actress
- Monica Barbaro, "A Complete Unknown"
- Ariana Grande, "Wicked"
- Felicity Jones, "The Brutalist"
- Isabella Rossellini, "Conclave"
- Zoe Saldaña, "Emilia Pérez"
Best supporting actor
- Yura Borisov, "Anora"
- Kieran Culkin, "A Real Pain"
- Edward Norton, "A Complete Unknown"
- Guy Pearce, "The Brutalist"
- Jeremy Strong, "The Apprentice"
Best original screenplay
- "Anora," Sean Baker
- "The Brutalist," Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold
- "A Real Pain," Jesse Eisenberg
- "September 5," Tim Fehlbaum & Moritz Binder
- "The Substance," Coralie Fargeat
Best adapted screenplay
- "A Complete Unknown," Jay Cocks & James Mangold
- "Conclave," Peter Straughan
- "Emilia Pérez," Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain & Nicolas Livecchi
- "Nickel Boys," RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes
- "Sing Sing," Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin & John "Divine G" Whitfield
Best international feature
- "I'm Still Here," Walter Salles (Brazil)
- "The Girl with the Needle," Magnus von Horn (Denmark)
- "Emilia Pérez," Jacques Audiard (France)
- "The Seed of the Sacred Fig," Mohammad Rasoulof (Germany)
- "Flow," Miguel Gomes (Latvia)
Best documentary feature
- "Black Box Diaries," Shiori Itō (MTV)
- "No Other Land," Adra/Ballal/Abraham/Szor (No distributor)
- "Porcelain War," Brendan Bellomo & Slava Leontyev (Picturehouse)
- "Soundtrack for a Cout d'Etat," Johan Grimonprez (Kino Lorber)
- "Sugarcane," Julian Brave NoiseCat & Emily Kassie (Nat Geo)
Best animated feature
- "Flow" (Janus Films/Sideshow)
- "Inside Out 2" (Disney/Pixar)
- "Memoir of a Snail" (IFC Films)
- "Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl" (Aardman/Netflix)
- "The Wild Robot" (Dreamworks/Universal)
Best cinematography
- "The Brutalist," Lol Crawley
- "Dune: Part Two," Greig Fraser
- "Emilia Pérez," Paul Guillaume
- "Maria," Edward Lachman
- "Nosferatu," Jarin Blaschke
Best costume design
- "A Complete Unknown," Arianne Phillips
- "Conclave," Lisy Christl
- "Gladiator II," Janty Yates
- "Nosferatu," Linda Muir
- "Wicked," Paul Tazewell
Best film editing
- "Anora," Sean Baker
- "The Brutalist," Dávid Jancsó
- "Conclave," Nick Emerson
- "Emilia Pérez," Juliette Welfling
- "Wicked," Myron Kerstein
Best production design
- "The Brutalist," Judy Becker
- "Conclave," Suzie Davies
- "Dune: Part Two," Patrice Vermette
- "Nosferatu," Craig Lathrop
- "Wicked," Nathan Crowley
Best original score
- "The Brutalist," Daniel Blumberg
- "Conclave," Volker Bertelmann
- "Emilia Pérez," Clément Ducol & Camille
- "Wicked," John Powell & Stephen Schwartz
- "The Wild Robot," Kris Bowers
Best original song
- "Never Too Late," "Elton John: Never Too Late" (Elton John & Brandi Carlile)
- "El Mal," "Emilia Pérez" (Clement Ducol, Camille & Jacques Audiard)
- "Mi Camino," "Emilia Pérez" (Clement Ducol & Camille)
- "Like a Bird," "Sing Sing" (Adrian Quesada & Abraham Alexander)
- "The Journey," "The Six Triple Eight" (Diane Warren)
Best sound
- "A Complete Unknown"
- "Dune: Part Two"
- "Emilia Pérez"
- "Wicked"
- "The Wild Robot"
Best visual effects
- "Alien: Romulus"
- "Better Man"
- "Dune: Part Two"
- "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes"
- "Wicked"
Best makeup and hairstyling
- "A Different Man"
- "Emilia Pérez"
- "Nosferatu"
- "The Substance"
- "Wicked"
Best documentary short
- "Death by Numbers"
- "I Am Ready, Warden"
- "Incident"
- "Instruments of a Beating Heart"
- "The Only Girl in the Orchestra"
Best animated short
- "Beautiful Men"
- "In the Shadow of the Cypress"
- "Magic Candies"
- "Wander to Wonder"
- "Yuck!"
Best live-action short
- "A Lien"
- "Anuja"
- "I'm Not a Robot"
- "The Last Ranger"
- "The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent"