The nominations for the 97th Academy Awards have been unveiled, with the Spanish-language Netflix film Emilia Pérez leading the charge with the most nominations.
The nominations were postponed twice due to the , but the Oscars ceremony is still set to take place on 3 March.
Emilia Pérez earned 13 nominations, followed by the immigrant saga The Brutalist and the Broadway adaptation Wicked with 10 each.
Here are the biggest surprises and snubs of the 2025 Oscar nominations.
Emilia Pérez has swept the 2025 Academy Award nominations, followed by The Brutalist and Wicked. Credit: Netflix
Surprise: International films dominate
International films are front and centre this Oscars season, with two films in the Best International Feature Film category also earning a nomination for the top gong, Best Picture.
Netflix’s Emilia Pérez, a musical crime and comedy film written and directed by French director Jacques Audiard that mostly takes place in Mexico City, swept nominations.
Audiard said it was an example of “hybrid cinema”.
“I wonder if it’s becoming a trend — a desire to make films with different linguistic elements, unique actors, and distinctive themes,” he told Agence France-Presse.
He also addressed the ongoing controversy in Mexico, where some have criticised the film for its portrayal of the country and its drug trafficking problems, even before its theatrical release there.
“There are those who have seen the film and those who haven’t,” he said. “My intentions seem virtuous to me, but I recognise there’s an issue over there.”
Brazilian filmmaker Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here also surprised everyone, earning a nomination for the top prize. The film is set during Brazil’s 1970s dictatorship.
Also earning a nomination was an animated film from Latvia, Flow.
The dialogue-free film follows a cat who has to flee his flooded home and finds refuge on a boat with several other animals.
It has earned a nomination for Best Animated Feature and Best International Film, marking Latvia’s first-ever Oscar nominations.
Karla Sofía Gascón (right) and Zoe Saldaña (left) have both been nominated for their performances in Emilia Pérez. Gascón is the first openly transgender person to ever be nominated for an acting Oscar. Credit: Netflix
Surprise: Karla Sofía Gascón becomes the first openly transgender acting nominee
While Netflix’s Emilia Pérez might be shrouded in controversy, the film’s sweeping nominations have also led to a record-making moment with Karla Sofía Gascón becoming the first openly transgender person to be nominated. She is up for Best Actress.
Gascón was nominated for her performance at the Golden Globes this month, losing out to Demi Moore for The Substance. However, the film won in the Best Picture — Musical or Comedy category, where she delivered a speech calling for trans people to “raise [their] voice”.
“You can put us in jail, you can beat us up, but you can never take away our soul, our resistance, our identity,” she said. “I want to say to you, ‘Raise your voice’ … and say, ‘I am who I am. Not who you want’.”
The movie’s approach to LGBTIQ+ representation was dubbed “retrograde” by advocacy group GLAAD.
Guy Pearce is representing Australians this award season, earning a Best Supporting Actor nomination for The Brutalist. Credit: Universal
Surprise: Australians sneak in
While Australian Nicole Kidman was snubbed for her performance in the erotic thriller Babygirl, there’s still hope for an Australian win.
Guy Pearce received his first-ever Oscars nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Brutalist.
Melbourne animator and filmmaker Adam Elliot has earned a nomination for Best Animated Feature Film for his stop-motion tragicomedy, Memoir of a Snail.
Australian cinematographer Greig Fraser also earned a nomination for cinematography for his work on Dune: Part Two.
Brazilian fans were shocked and elated to discover Walter Salles’ family drama, I’m Still Here, earned a nomination for Best Picture, the Oscars’ most important award. Credit: Sony Pictures Classics
Surprise: I’m Still Here joins the race
After the online campaign of countless Brazilians, Walter Salles’ family drama, I’m Still Here, has snagged nominations in three big categories.
The film predictably earned a nomination for Best International Film and in the Best Actress category for Fernanda Torres’ performance, which already won a Golden Globe this year.
But Brazilian fans were surprised to discover that the film had also nabbed a spot in the coveted Best Picture lineup — one of the biggest moments of the nominations.
The combined nomination in the two top movie categories is unprecedented for Brazil. It is also the first time a Brazilian film in which actors only speak Portuguese is nominated for Best Picture.
Demi Moore and director Coralie Fargeat have been nominated for The Substance, a body horror tackling ageism in Hollywood. Credit: Mubi
Surprise: Multiple nominations for The Substance
Already a cult favourite amongst horror fans, the Academy has surprised everyone with five nominations for Coralie Fargeat’s body horror, The Substance.
Starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, The Substance tackles ageism in Hollywood — with gruesome results.
Fargeat was one of five nominated in the Best Director category, becoming the ninth female director nominee in Oscar history. Only three women have won the Best Director award in Oscars history.
“The most touching messages that I’ve received are from young women directors,” Fargeat told AFP after her nomination. “It makes us believe it’s possible. I deeply believe in the power of representation.”
The film earned nominations in the coveted Best Picture category, as well as Original Screenplay and Makeup and Hairstyling.
Demi Moore, who won her first Golden Globe for her performance in the film, was also nominated in the Best Actress category at the Oscars.
“I’ve been acting for 45 years, and this is the first time I’ve ever won anything as an actor,” the 62-year-old said in her Golden Globes acceptance speech earlier this month. “Thirty years ago, I had a producer tell me that I was a popcorn actress.”
“In those moments when we don’t think we’re smart enough, or pretty enough, or skinny enough, or are basically just not enough, I had a woman say to me, ‘Just know you will never be enough, but you can know the value of your worth if you just put down the measuring stick’.”
Snub: A-listers miss out
At the beginning of 2024, it was considered almost a lock-in for Angelina Jolie to earn a nomination for Maria, where she learned how to sing opera to play Maria Callas. But on nominations morning, the only gong the film is up for is Best Cinematography.
Selena Gomez was also snubbed in the supporting category for her work on Emilia Pérez.
Despite the success of The Substance, Margaret Qualley couldn’t get a nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Sebastian Stan picked up a nomination for The Apprentice, a move that may ruffle feathers in the White House. Credit: StudioCanal
Surprise: Sebastian Stan makes a subtle entry with his critique of Trump
An unexpected pick likely to ruffle a few feathers in the White House went to Sebastian Stan, for his unsettling transformation into a young Donald Trump in The Apprentice.
The movie has drawn threats of lawsuits from the United States president’s attorneys, particularly for a scene in which the then-property developer is shown raping his first wife, Ivana.
In real life, Ivana accused Trump of raping her during divorce proceedings but later rescinded the allegation, which Trump denied. She died in 2022.
Jeremy Strong, who plays the youthful Trump’s mentor Roy Cohn, was also nominated for his supporting role alongside fellow Succession star Kieran Culkin for A Real Pain.
Snub: Challengers and Hard Truths completely shut out
While Challengers might have swept the internet this year, it seems like the Academy wasn’t convinced by the Luca Guadagnino film starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist.
The Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross score, widely considered a frontrunner, failed to secure nominations for Best Score or Best Original Song, leaving the tennis flick with zero nominations.
Guadagnino’s other film Queer, starring Daniel Craig, was also shut out.
The Black-led film Hard Truths was also overlooked, despite a widespread campaign for Marianne Jean-Baptiste in the Best Actress category.
Cynthia Erivo is the second Black woman to be nominated multiple times in the Best Actress category, following in the footsteps of Viola Davis. Credit: Universal
Surprise: Cynthia Erivo makes history
The year 2024 marked the return of the musical, with Emilia Pérez and Wicked leading the pack.
Included as part of Wicked’s sweep was Cynthia Erivo, who was nominated in the Best Actress category.
She has become the second Black woman to be nominated multiple times in the category, sharing the honour with Viola Davis.
Erivo was previously nominated for Best Actress for Harriet (2019).
If she wins this year, she could earn an EGOT — an exclusive club of stars who have won all four of the biggest awards in entertainment: an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony.
This year, Colman Domingo also became the first Black back-to-back Best Actor nominee since Denzel Washington, for his role in prison drama Sing Sing.
Snub: Denis Villeneuve snubbed for Best Director for Dune: Part Two
For the second time in a row, Denis Villeneuve has been snubbed in the Best Director category for his work on the sci-fi epic Dune: Part Two.
While three of the last four films he has made were nominated for Best Picture, only one has earned him the Best Director nomination — Arrival.
Cast member Josh Brolin has said the snub “makes no sense”.
“Apparently, I am going to quit acting because Denis Villeneuve didn’t get nominated. This is just how this thing works. It makes no sense to me.”
The full Oscar 2025 nominations
Best Picture
- Anora
- The Brutalist
- A Complete Unknown
- Conclave
- Dune: Part Two
- Emilia Pérez
- I’m Still Here
- Nickel Boys
- The Substance
- Wicked
Director
- Anora — Sean Baker
- The Brutalist — Brady Corbet
- A Complete Unknown — James Mangold
- Emilia Pérez — Jacques Audiard
- The Substance — Coralie Fargeat
Leading Actor
- Adrien Brody in The Brutalist
- Timothée Chalamet in A Complete Unknown
- Colman Domingo in Sing Sing
- Ralph Fiennes in Conclave
- Sebastian Stan in The Apprentice
Leading Actress
- Cynthia Erivo in Wicked
- Karla Sofía Gascón in Emilia Pérez
- Mikey Madison in Anora
- Demi Moore in The Substance
- Fernanda Torres in I’m Still Here
Supporting Actor
- Yura Borisov in Anora
- Keiran Culkin in A Real Pain
- Edward Norton in A Complete Unknown
- Guy Pearce in The Brutalist
- Jeremy Strong in The Apprentice
Supporting Actress
- Monica Barbaro in A Complete Unknown
- Ariana Grande in Wicked
- Felicity Jones in The Brutalist
- Isabella Rossellini in Conclave
- Zoe Saldaña in Emilia Pérez
Animated Feature Film
- Flow
- Inside Out 2
- Memoir of a Snail
- Wallace & Gromit: Vengence Most Fowl
- The Wild Robot
Cinematography
- The Brutalist — Lol Crawley
- Dune: Part Two — Greig Fraser
- Emilia Pérez — Paul Guilhaume
- Maria — Ed Lachman
- Nosferatu — Jarin Blaschke
Costume design
- A Complete Unknown — Arianne Phillips
- Conclave — Lisy Christl
- Gladiator II — Janty Yates and Dave Crossman
- Nosferatu — Linda Muir
- Wicked — Paul Tazewell
Documentary feature film
- Black Box Diaries
- No Other Land
- Porcelain War
- Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
- Sugarcane
Documentary short film
- Death by Numbers
- I Am Ready, Warden
- Incident
- Instruments of a Beating Heart
- The Only Girl in the Orchestra
Film editing
- Anora — Sean Baker
- The Brutalist — David Jancso
- Conclave — Nick Emerson
- Emilia Pérez — Juliette Welfling
- Wicked — Myron Kerstein
International feature film
- Brazil: I’m Still Here
- Denmark: The Girl with the Needle
- France: Emilia Pérez
- Germany: The Seed of the Sacred Fig
- Latvia: Flow
Makeup and hairstyling
- A Different Man — Mike Marino, David Presto and Crystal Jurado
- Emilia Pérez — Julia Floch Carbonel, Emmanuel Janvier and Jean-Christophe Spadaccini
- Nosferatu — David White, Traci Loader and Suzanne Stokes-Munton
- The Substance — Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon and Marilyne Scarselli
- Wicked — Frances Hannon, Laura Blount and Sarah Nuth
Music (original score)
- The Brutalist — Daniel Blumberg
- Conclave — Volker Bertelmann
- Emilia Pérez — Clément Ducol and Camille
- Wicked — John Powell and Stephen Schwartz
- The Wild Robot — Kris Bowers
Music (original song)
- El Mal from Emilia Pérez; Music by Clément Ducol and Camille; Lyric by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard
- The Journey from The Six Triple Eight; Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
- Like A Bird from Sing Sing; Music and Lyric by Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada
- Mi Camino from Emilia Pérez; Music and Lyric by Camille and Clément Ducol
- Never Too Late from Elton John: Never Too Late; Music and Lyric by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt and Bernie Taupin
Production design
- The Brutalist — Production Design: Judy Becker; Set Decoration: Patricia Cuccia
- Conclave — Production Design: Suzie Davies; Set Decoration: Cynthia Sleiter
- Dune: Part Two — Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau
- Nosferatu — Production Design: Craig Lathrop; Set Decoration: Beatrice Brentnerová
- Wicked — Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales
Short film (animated)
- Beautiful Men
- In the Shadow of the Cypress
- Magic Candles
- Wander to Wonder
- Yuck!
Short film (live action)
- A Lien
- Anuja
- I’m Not a Robot
- The Last Ranger
- The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent
Sound
- A Complete Unknown — Tod A. Maitland, Donald Sylvester, Ted Caplan, Paul Massey and David Giammarco
- Dune: Part Two — Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett and Doug Hemphill
- Emilia Pérez — Erwan Kerzanet, Aymeric Devoldère, Maxence Dussère, Cyril Holtz and Niels Barletta
- Wicked — Simon Hayes, Nancy Nugent Title, Jack Dolman, Andy Nelson and John Marquis
- The Wild Robot — Randy Thom, Brian Chumney, Gary A. Rizzo and Leff Lefferts
Visual effects
- Alien: Romulus — Eric Barba, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser, Daniel Macarin and Shane Mahan
- Better Man — Luke Millar, David Clayton, Keith Herft and Peter Stubbs
- Dune: Part Two — Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe and Gerd Nefzer
- Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes — Erik Winquist, Stephen Unterfranz, Paul Story and Rodney Burke
- Wicked — Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, David Shirk and Paul Corbould
Adapted screenplay
- A Complete Unknown — Screenplay by James Mangold and Jay Cocks
- Conclave — Screenplay by Peter Straughan
- Emilia Pérez — Screenplay by Jacques Audiard; In collaboration with Thomas Bidegain, Léa Mysius and Nicolas Livecchi
- Nickel Boys — Screenplay by RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes
- Sing Sing — Screenplay by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar; Story by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John “Divine G” Whitfield
Original screenplay
- Anora — Written by Sean Baker
- The Brutalist — Written by Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold
- A Real Pain — Written by Jesse Eisenberg
- September 5 — Written by Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum; Co-Written by Alex David
- The Substance — Written by Coralie Fargeat
— With additional reporting from AFP.