The 97th annual Academy Awards will air on ABC on March 2nd, hosted by American television host and comedian Conan O’Brien. The official list of nominees was released on January 23rd after two postponements due to the tragic Los Angeles wildfires. Among the movies nominated are Wicked, The Brutalist, Emilia Perez, and Anora—all currently leading their categories in several nominations.
Emilia Pérez, a movie about trans identity, has received the most nods from the Academy, with 13 nominations. The Brutalist, a film about the trauma revolving around immigration and anti-semitism, follows closely behind with 10 nominations. The Broadway adaptation Wicked, which serves as a prequel for the legendary Wizard of Oz, also received 10 nominations.
The Best Picture category has seen nominations from numerous widely-acclaimed movies such as Conclave, a thriller revolving around the political climate of the Vatican when selecting a new pope, The Substance, which explores Hollywood and society’s unrealistic beauty standards surrounding women, and the legendary Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown.
The argument of which film should win Best Picture among the 10 that are nominated is highly debated. Alana Rubinfeld ‘27 said, “Wicked’s overall cinematography and performance was amazing and made the movie a whole lot more entertaining—which is why I believe it should win Best Picture.”
Among those nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role are Adrien Brody (The Brutalist), Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown), Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice), and Ralph Fiennes (Conclave). As for Best Actress, the Oscar nominations were handed to Cynthia Erivo (Wicked), Mikey Madison (Anora), Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here), Demi Moore (The Substance), and Karla Sofia Gascón (Emilia Pérez).
According to the New York Times, “Demi Moore has been the favorite to win best actress.” Her role in The Substance has stolen many viewers’ hearts and made her a likely recipient of the Best Actress award. Despite receiving nominations at the Golden Globes, Angelina Jolie (Maria) and Nicole Kidman (Babygirl) failed to make the cut this year for an Oscar.
The competition for this year’s Academy Awards is tough. From Madison’s brilliant performance in Anora to Guy Pearce’s performance in The Brutalist, the result of who will come out on top is almost unpredictable. The ceremony will be on ABC, and streamed live on Hulu for the first time.
This story was written prior to March 2, 2025. Since then, the Oscars have occurred. The full winner list can be found at this link: Oscar Winners 2025.
