By Rebecca Brando x The Big Magazine
2025 Oscar nominations morning is here, and among the Hollywood elites acknowledged this year, Jacques Audiard's "Emilia Pérez," a Spanish-language film produced in France, led the nominations with a total of 13, including best picture and best actress for Karla Sophia Gascon, marking her as the first openly trans actor to receive an Oscar nomination.
Another musical, "Wicked," the hit Broadway adaptation, received almost as many nominations. Jon M. Chu's extravagant take on "Wizard of Oz" earned 10 nominations, including best picture and acting nominations for its stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
The nominees for best picture are: “Anora”; “The Brutalist”; “A Complete Unknown”; “Conclave”; “Dune: Part Two”; “Emilia Pérez”; “I’m Still Here.”; “Nickel Boys”; “The Substance”; “Wicked.”
“The Apprentice,” depicted the early years of President Donald Trump's rise in New York real estate with guidance from lawyer Roy Cohn. Sebastian Stan (portraying Trump) and Jeremy Strong (as Cohn) nearly secured nominations for best actor and best supporting actor, respectively. Trump referred to those associated with the film as “human scum.”
Strong was nominated for best supporting actor Thursday morning and Stan snagged a best actor nomination for “The Apprentice” as well.
“This has certainly been a difficult time for Los Angeles, where many members of our film community industry work and live. But the last several weeks have proven what we already know to be true: our film industry and Los Angeles are resilient, and for almost a century, the Oscars have brought us together to unite and celebrate our global film community,” Janet Yang, the academy’s president, said before nominees were announced.
The nominations were initially scheduled for January 17. However, after wildfires started on January 7, causing unprecedented destruction in the Pacific Palisades, Altadena, and other regions around Los Angeles, the academy extended the voting period and postponed the nominations announcement twice.
As numerous individuals in the film industry are affected by the fires, some have suggested that the academy should cancel the Oscars entirely. However, academy leaders insist that the March 2 ceremony must proceed, citing its economic significance for Los Angeles and its role as a symbol of resilience for the industry. Organizers have promised that this year's awards will "celebrate the work that unites us as a global film community and acknowledge those who fought so bravely against the wildfires."
“We will reflect on the recent events while highlighting the strength, creativity, and optimism that defines Los Angeles and our industry,” Bill Kramer, academy chief executive, said in an email to members Wednesday.
See the complete list of nominees below. We've bolded The Big Magazine's Oscar predictions.
Best Picture
“Anora”
“The Brutalist”
“A Complete Unknown”
“Conclave”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Emilia Pérez”
“I’m Still Here”
“Nickel Boys”
“The Substance”
“Wicked”
Best Director
Jacques Audiard, “Emilia Pérez”
Sean Baker, “Anora”
Brady Corbet, “The Brutalist”
Coralie Fargeat, “The Substance”
James Mangold, “A Complete Unknown”
Best Actor
Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist”
Timothée Chalamet, “A Complete Unknown”
Colman Domingo, “Sing Sing”
Ralph Fiennes, “Conclave”
Sebastian Stan, “The Apprentice”
Best Actress
Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked”
Karla Sofía Gascón, “Emilia Pérez”
Mikey Madison, “Anora”
Demi Moore, “The Substance”
Fernanda Torres, “I’m Still Here”
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 Supporting Actress
Monica Barbaro, “A Complete Unknown”
Ariana Grande, “Wicked”
Felicity Jones, “The Brutalist”
Isabella Rossellini, “Conclave”
Zoe Saldaña, “Emilia Pérez”
Original Screenplay
“Anora”
“The Brutalist”
“A Real Pain”
“September 5”
“The Substance”
Adapted Screenplay
“Conclave”
“A Complete Unknown”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Nickel Boys”
“Sing Sing”
Animated Feature
“Flow”
“Inside Out 2”
“Memoir of a Snail”
“Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl”
“The Wild Robot”
Production Design
“The Brutalist”
“Conclave”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Nosferatu”
“Wicked”
Costume Design
“A Complete Unknown”
“Conclave”
“Gladiator II”
“Nosferatu”
“Wicked”
Cinematography
“The Brutalist”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Maria”
“Nosferatu”
Editing
“Anora”
“The Brutalist”
“Conclave”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Wicked”
Makeup and Hairstyling
“A Different Man”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Nosferatu”
“The Substance”
“Wicked”
Sound
“A Complete Unknown”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Wicked”
“The Wild Robot”
Visual Effects
“Alien: Romulus”
“Better Man”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”
“Wicked”
Original Score
“The Brutalist”
“Conclave”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Wicked”
“The Wild Robot”
Original Song
“El Mal” (“Emilia Pérez”)
“The Journey” (“The Six Triple Eight”)
“Like a Bird” (“Sing Sing”)
“Mi Camino” (“Emilia Pérez”)
“Never Too Late” (“Elton John: Never Too Late”)
Documentary Feature
“Black Box Diaries”
“No Other Land”
“Porcelain War”
“Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat”
“Sugarcane”
International Feature
“I’m Still Here,” Brazil
“The Girl With the Needle,” Denmark
“Emilia Pérez,” France
“The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” Germany
“Flow,” Latvia
Animated Short
“Beautiful Men”
“In the Shadow of the Cypress”
“Magic Candies”
“Wander to Wonder”
“Yuck!”
Documentary Short
“Death by Numbers”
“I Am Ready, Warden”
“Incident”
“Instruments of a Beating Heart”
“The Only Girl in the Orchestra”
Live-Action Short
“A Lien”
“Anuja”
“I’m Not a Robot”
“The Last Ranger”
“The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent”
Conan O’Brien will host the 97th Oscars, to be held on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ABC, streamed live on Hulu and air live in more than 200 territories worldwide.
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