The 2025 Academy Award nominations were unveiled Thursday morning, with Emilia Pérez making history by leading the pack with an astounding 13 nominations. The film, a French-language drama, has set a new record for the most Oscar nominations for a non-English language film, surpassing previous record holders Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Roma, which each earned 10 nominations.
Emilia Pérez is followed closely by The Brutalist and Wicked, which tied with 10 nominations each. Other strong contenders for the coveted Best Picture award include A Complete Unknown and Conclave, both of which received 8 nominations apiece. These five films will compete for Best Picture alongside Anora, Dune: Part Two, I’m Still Here, Nickel Boys, and The Substance.
One of the standout moments from this year’s nominations is the inclusion of Emilia Pérez’s star, Karla Sofía Gascón, who made history as the first openly transgender actress to be nominated for Best Actress. Gascón’s groundbreaking nomination is a significant step forward for transgender representation in Hollywood. She was joined by Wicked’s Cynthia Erivo and The Substance‘s Demi Moore, both of whom were nominated for Best Actress. Moore’s nomination marks the first time she has been nominated for an Academy Award in her career. In addition to Gascón’s nod, Emilia Pérez’s director, Jacques Audiard, earned two nominations: one for Best Director and another for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Another significant achievement in this year’s nominations is the recognition of The Brutalist’s director, Brady Corbet, who received nominations for both Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. The film also earned acting nominations for Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, and Guy Pearce. Wicked, a musical adaptation of the popular Broadway show, garnered acting nominations for Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, while Conclave earned nominations for its star Isabella Rossellini, who received her first-ever Oscar nomination.
The acting categories saw a number of surprising moments. In the Best Actor category, Timothée Chalamet was nominated for his performance in A Complete Unknown, marking his second nomination for Best Actor, making him the youngest actor to achieve such a feat, following in the footsteps of James Dean. Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong were also nominated in the Best Actor category for their performances in The Apprentice. Strong, in particular, finds himself competing against his former Succession co-star Kieran Culkin, who earned a nomination for his performance in A Real Pain.
In the Best Supporting Actor category, Yura Borisov received a nomination for Anora, while Guy Pearce was nominated for his role in The Brutalist. Jeremy Strong, who earned a lead nomination for The Apprentice, also received a Supporting Actor nomination for his role in The Substance. Ralph Fiennes earned a nomination for his role in Conclave, while Colman Domingo was nominated for his critically acclaimed performance in Sing Sing.
Among the surprises, Fernanda Torres made history by becoming only the second Brazilian actress to be nominated for Best Actress, following in the footsteps of her mother, Fernanda Montenegro, who was nominated in 1999 for her performance in Central Station.
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The Best Director category features a diverse array of talent, including Jacques Audiard for Emilia Pérez, Sean Baker for Anora, James Mangold for A Complete Unknown, and Coralie Fargeat for The Substance. Fargeat’s inclusion is particularly noteworthy, as she is the only female director to receive a nomination in this category, making her one of the few women in recent history to break into this prestigious group. Fargeat is also nominated for Best Original Screenplay for The Substance, marking a double nomination in the same year.
In addition to the acting and directing nominations, the Best Writing categories saw a range of exciting films represented. The Adapted Screenplay category includes A Complete Unknown (written by James Mangold and Jay Cocks), Conclave (written by Peter Straughan), and Emilia Pérez (written by Jacques Audiard, in collaboration with Thomas Bidegain, Léa Mysius, and Nicolas Livecchi). The Original Screenplay category includes Anora (written by Sean Baker), The Brutalist (written by Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold), and The Substance (written by Coralie Fargeat).
In other notable categories, Netflix leads the studio race with 16 nominations across various categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, and multiple acting and technical nominations. Dune: Part Two received widespread recognition, securing nominations for Best Picture, Best Director for Denis Villeneuve, and multiple technical awards, including Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, and Best Visual Effects.
The Animated Feature Film category is highly competitive, with Inside Out 2 (Kelsey Mann and Mark Nielsen), Memoir of a Snail (Adam Elliot and Liz Kearney), and The Wild Robot (Chris Sanders and Jeff Hermann) all vying for the Oscar. Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl also earned a nomination, continuing the franchise’s legacy of Oscar recognition.
The Academy Awards nominations were announced by actresses Rachel Sennott and Bowen Yang, who shared the nominees for all 23 categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Actress, and various technical awards. The announcement, initially set for January 17, was delayed twice due to the devastation caused by the wildfires in Los Angeles. The Film Academy extended the voting window to January 17 and rescheduled the nominations announcement for January 23.
In response to the wildfire crisis, the Academy has donated $1 million to the Motion Picture & Television Fund’s wildfire relief efforts. Additionally, the Oscars will “honor Los Angeles” during the ceremony, acknowledging the city’s resilience in the face of tragedy.
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The 97th Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien, will air live on Sunday, March 2, from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, starting at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET. This year’s Oscars ceremony will feature an earlier start time, following the success of last year’s schedule change.
As the nominees prepare for the final stretch of the awards season, anticipation builds for what promises to be a memorable Oscars ceremony, celebrating the best in film from the past year. From historic nominations for transgender actresses to the continued dominance of streaming platforms, the 2025 Academy Awards will reflect the evolving landscape of cinema and the broader cultural shifts within the industry.
