2025 Oscar nominations 2025: ‘Emilia Pérez’ leads with 13

“The Brutalist,” Brady Corbet’s postwar epic Filmed in Vistavision and released by A24, it also came away with a commanding 10 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director and acting nominations for Adrien Brody, Guy Pearce and Felicity Jones.

The 10 nominees for best picture are: “Anora”; “The Brutalist”; “A Complete Unknown”; “Conclave”; “Dune: Part Two”; “Emilia Pérez”; “I’m still here.”; “Nickel Boys”; “The Drug” and “Wicked.”

Last year ‘Oppenheimer’ rolled. This year is different

In a wide-open Oscar race, the six most honored films—“Emilia Pérez,” “Wicked” Nominations)—All performed as expected. The biggest surprises were the Brazilian film “I’m still here” A portrait of political resistance under Brazil’s military dictatorship It also landed Fernanda Torres a Best Actress nomination, and Ramell Ross’ “Nickel Boys” Hazy crafted first-person pov-shot drama This revisits how black life and pain is depicted on screen.

“Nickel Boys” director Ramell Ross watched the nominations with popcorn Thursday morning in Providence, Rhode Island.

“This film forces a subjective response. It forces someone to speak their mind,” Ross said. “This film is a film that needs discourse. It is a film built for discourse. The film is a discourse among itself. I can’t wait to do it more. “

These nominees probably displaced a few best picture opportunities In the prison drama “Sing sing,” journalism thriller “5. September” And the tender comedy “A real pain,” Although these films all landed nominations elsewhere.

One of 2024’s boldest films, “The Apprentice” Landed a surprising pair of nominations for Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong. The film dramatizes the formative years of President Donald Trump (Stan) in New York real estate under the direction of attorney Roy Cohn (strong). Trump has called those involved in the film “Human Scum.”

“He called us ‘Human Scum’ and I actually feel scared to talk to you about it right now. And that’s an alarming feeling to have in this country in 2025,” Strong said Thursday from his home in Brooklyn.

“On a level of artistry, today for me personally is an incredible day and I feel very happy,” added Strong of his first Oscar nomination. “And I have complicated feelings about the character I played. It was the role of a lifetime and at the same time his legacy is real and it is playing out on the spot before our eyes in very scary ways. “

In the Best Actor category, where Stan and Brody were nominated, the other nominees were Timothée Chalamet (“A Complete Unknown”), Colman Domingo (“Sing sing”) and Ralph Fiennes (“Conclave”). Most notably omitted was Daniel Craigrecognized for his very un-James Bond performance in “Queer.”

Best actress, a category Demi Moore has seemed to have locked down for her full performance in “The Substance,” saw nominations for Moore, Gascón, Torres, Erivo and “Anora” star Mikey Madison. Arguably the year’s most competitive category that left out Marianne Jean-Baptiste (“Hard Truths”), Pamela Anderson(“The Last Showgirl”), Nicole Kidman (“BabyGirl”) and Angelina Jolie (“Mary”).

“I’m a native of Los Angeles and there has been so much devastation in the last few weeks and my heart breaks for LA. But it’s really beautiful to see everyone come together,” Madison said Thursday. “Hollywood coming together and celebrating movies right now is really beautiful.”

In the directing category, “The Substance” filmmaker Coralie Fargeat managed to break into the otherwise all-male group of Sean Baker (“Anora”), Corbet, Audiard and James Mangold (“A Complete Unknown”). Most expected Edward Berger to be nominated to direct the papal thriller “Conclave.”

Supporting actor was led by Kieran Culkin, the favorite for the award, for his performance in “a real pain.” The other nominees were: Yura Borisov (“Anora”), Guy Pearce (“The Brutalist”), Edward Norton (“A Complete Unknown”) and strong. Supporting actress nominations went to Grande, Saldaña, Jones, Monica Barbaro (“A Complete Unknown”) and Isabella Rossellini (“Conclave”).

Oscars push on despite fires

The nominations were originally scheduled for January 17. But after wildfires on January 7 began burning through the Pacific Palisades, Altadena and other areas around Los Angeles, leaving historic levels of destruction, the Academy extended its voting window and twice postponed the Nominations announcement. Fresh fires outside Los Angeles To be continued during the nominationsannounced by Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott.

With so many in the film industry, some at the Academy called for the Oscars to be canceled altogether. Academy leaders have argued that the March 2 ceremony should go ahead, for their economic impact on Los Angeles and as a symbol of resilience. Organizers have promised that this year’s awards “celebrate the work that unites us as a global film community and recognize those who fought so bravely against the blaze.”

“We will reflect on recent events while highlighting the strength, creativity and optimism that define Los Angeles and our industry,” said Bill Kramer, Academy CEO and Janet Yang, president, in an email to members Wednesday.

But much of the usual gloom Hollywood awards season has been severely limited due to fires. The Film Academy canceled its annual nominees luncheon. Other events have been postponed or cut back. On Wednesday, Kramer and Yang said that the original songs nominated will not be performed this year. Conan O’Brienwhose Pacific Palisades home was spared from fires, is the host.

Blockbusters (mostly) put it out

The Oscar nominations followed one up-and-down year for Hollywood It saw expansive delays after strikes, wide swaths of unemployed workers due to a fuel in fires and tragedy in fires. Perhaps most humiliating was the presidential election that returned Trump to office in a race where Podcaster Joe Rogan seemed to hold more sway than all A-listers combined.

At the same time, even in the midst of a downturn for superhero movies, the industry rallied behind some galvanizing hits, including Universal Pictures’ “Wicked” and Three Walt Disney Co. $1 billion gross in “Inside Out 2,” “Deadpool and Wolverine” And “Moana 2.”

Those films missed out on nominations except for “Inside Out 2,” which was joined by best animated nominees “The Wild Robot,” “Flow,” “Memoir of a Snail” and “Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.” Otherwise, the biggest hits to join the Oscar mix were “Wicked” ($710.3 million worldwide) and “Dune: Part Two” ($714.6 million). Netflix doesn’t report box office, so “Emilia Pérez” has no tallied box office sales, nor has it been among the streamer’s top watches.

The uncertain state of the films seemed to be reflected in the nominations, which were scattered across films both widely seen and little noticed, Theatrically released and mostly streaming. Several movies that studios and streamers had declined to release—including “The Apprentice” and the Israeli-Palestinian documentary “No Other Country,” which still lacks a distributor – was vindicated with nominations.

But unlike last year, when Hollywood rallied around the success of “Oppenheimer,” this year offered no clear front-runner for the industry’s top honor. With five weeks to go until the Oscar ceremony, at least four or five films — including “The Brutalist,” “Emilia Pérez,” “Anora,” “Conclave” and “Wicked” — have a shot at best picture.

___

AP National Writer Jocelyn Noveck contributed to this report.

___

For more coverage of this year’s Oscars, visit: