Emilia Pérez followed up its big night at the Golden Globes by making history during the 97th Oscars live nominations announcement on January 23.
The Spanish-language crime musical received 13 total nominations, the most of any movie this year and the most ever for a non-English language film. In addition to Best Picture, Emilia Pérez is in contention for Best Director (Jacques Audiard), Best Actress (Karla Sofía Gascón), Best Supporting Actress (Zoe Saldaña), and Best Adapted Screenplay, among other categories.
Gascón, 52, became the first openly transgender actor to receive an Academy Award nomination. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she spoke about her own path navigating the “struggle between light and dark” regarding trans acceptance.
“It’s my gasoline to then tell the people of the light: ‘You have won,’” Gascón said. “The more people hate me, the more insulting messages they send, the more I say, ‘Thank you,’ and the more I’m going to enjoy this moment.”
Another musical wasn’t far behind Emilia Pérez: The screen adaptation of Wicked received 10 nominations—including for Best Picture, Best Actress (Cynthia Erivo), and Best Supporting Actress (Ariana Grande). The historical drama The Brutalist also received 10 nods, while Conclave and the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown each picked up eight.
Here’s a breakdown of the 2025 Oscar contenders by major category:
Acting Categories
Actor in a Leading Role
- Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
- Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown
- Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
- Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
- Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice
Actress in a Leading Role
- Cynthia Erivo, Wicked
- Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez
- Mikey Madison, Anora
- Demi Moore, The Substance
- Fernanda Torres, I’m Still Here
In addition to Gascón's historic selection, Demi Moore received her first Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Elisabeth Sparkle in the satirical body horror The Substance. However, the 62-year-old Golden Globe winner faces tough competition from Fernanda Torres.
Torres, also a 2025 Golden Globe winner, is only the second Brazilian actress recognized in this category. The first was her mother, Fernanda Montenegro, for Central Station in 1999.
Actor in a Supporting Role
- Yura Borisov, Anora
- Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
- Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown
- Guy Pearce, The Brutalist
- Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice
Yura Borisov, 32, picked up one of six Oscar nominations for Anora, the comedy-drama about a sex worker who elopes with the son of a Russian oligarch.
Borisov is the first Russian nominee in an acting category since ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov in 1977 for The Turning Point. The country’s last winner was Lila Kedrova for Best Supporting Actress in Zorba the Greek in 1964.
Actress in a Supporting Role
- Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown
- Ariana Grande, Wicked
- Felicity Jones, The Brutalist
- Isabella Rossellini, Conclave
- Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez
Best Director
- Sean Baker, Anora
- Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
- James Mangold, A Complete Unknown
- Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez
- Coralie Fargeat, The Substance
A year after Justine Triet was the lone female director nominated for Anatomy of a Fall, the 48-year-old Fargeat is the only woman in this category, nominated for The Substance.
Fargeat, the French filmmaker previously known for her 2017 action thriller Revenge, can become only the fourth woman to win Best Director, joining Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker in 2010), Chloé Zhao (Nomadland in 2021), and Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog in 2022).
Motion Picture Categories
Best Picture
- Anora
- The Brutalist
- A Complete Unknown
- Conclave
- Dune: Part Two
- Emilia Pérez
- I’m Still Here
- Nickel Boys
- The Substance
- Wicked
Animated Feature Film
- Flow, nominees TBD
- Inside Out 2, Kelsey Mann and Mark Nielsen
- Memoir of a Snail, Adam Elliot and Liz Kearney
- Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, nominees TBD
- The Wild Robot, Chris Sanders and Jeff Hermann
Documentary Feature Film
- Black Box Diaries, Shiori Ito, Eric Nyari, and Hanna Aqvilin
- No Other Land, Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal, and Yuval Abraham
- Porcelain War, Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev, Aniela Sidorska, and Paula DuPré Pesmen
- Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat, Johan Grimonprez, Daan Milius, and Rémi Grellety
- Sugarcane, nominees TBD
International Feature Film
- I’m Still Here (Brazil)
- The Girl with the Needle (Denmark)
- Emilia Pérez (France)
- The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Germany)
- Flow (Latvia)
Screenplay Categories
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 and Greg Kwedar; story by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, and John “Divine G” Whitfield
Original Screenplay
- Anora, written by Sean Baker
- The Brutalist, written by Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold
- A Real Pain, written by Jesse Eisenberg
- September 5, written by Moritz Binder and Tim Fehlbaum; co-written by Alex David
- The Substance, written by Coralie Fargeat
Music Categories
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
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
Already in rarified air as an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winner, Elton John is nominated in the category for the second time this decade. The 77-year-old won in 2020 for “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again,” his original song with Bernie Taupin for the 2019 biopic Rocketman.
Meanwhile, Diane Warren’s nomination is her 16th for Best Original Song—tied for third-most ever.
When Are the 2025 Oscars?
The 97th Academy Awards air March 2 at 7 p.m. ET on ABC, with late-night comedian Conan O’Brien serving as host. The ceremony will also stream live for the first time on Hulu.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
