Oscar Nominations 2025: ‘Emilia Pérez’ Leads with 13

Amidst ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles, the film industry rallied around the Netflix film “Emilia Pérez,” a narco-musical that explores transgender identity, during the Oscar nominations announcement on Thursday.

Directed by Jacques Audiard, the Spanish-language film from France received a remarkable 13 nominations, including nods for Best Picture and Best Actress for Karla Sofía Gascón. Gascón's nomination is historic as she becomes the first openly transgender actor nominated for an Academy Award.

Following closely is the musical “Wicked,” adapted from the popular Broadway show. Directed by Jon M. Chu, this lavish re-imagining of “The Wizard of Oz” earned 10 nominations. It includes nods for Best Picture and acting nominations for its leading stars, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.

The nominees for Best Picture include: “Anora”; “The Brutalist”; “A Complete Unknown”; “Conclave”; “Dune: Part Two”; “Emilia Pérez”; “I’m Still Here”; “Nickel Boys”; “The Substance”; and “Wicked.”

In the Best Supporting Actor category, the nominations are: Yura Borisov for “Anora”; Kieran Culkin for “A Real Pain”; Edward Norton for “A Complete Unknown”; Guy Pearce for “The Brutalist”; and Jeremy Strong for “The Apprentice.”

Best Supporting Actress nominees include: Monica Barbaro for “A Complete Unknown”; Felicity Jones for “The Brutalist”; Ariana Grande for “Wicked”; Isabella Rossellini for “Conclave”; and Zoe Saldaña for “Emilia Pérez.”

For Original Screenplay, the nominees are: “Anora”; “The Brutalist”; “A Real Pain”; “September 5”; and “The Substance.”

Janet Yang, the president of the Academy, addressed the challenges facing Los Angeles, stating, “This has certainly been a difficult time for Los Angeles, where many members of our film community work and live. But the past weeks have shown our resilience, and for almost a century, the Oscars have brought us together to celebrate our global film community.”

The nominations, which were initially set for January 17, were postponed twice due to the wildfires that began on January 7, devastating areas of Los Angeles. In light of the destruction, there were calls to cancel the Oscars, but Academy leaders insisted the ceremony must proceed as a symbol of the industry's resilience and for its economic importance to the region.

This year’s awards are planned to celebrate not only the cinematic works but also acknowledge those who bravely fought against the wildfires, according to organizers.

Bill Kramer, the Academy's chief executive, and Yang expressed their intentions to reflect on recent events during the ceremony while highlighting the creativity and strength that define Los Angeles and its film industry. However, the usual festivities of Hollywood’s awards season have been curtailed due to the fire situation, with the Academy canceling its annual nominees luncheon and scaling back on other events.

Oscar, Emilia, Wicked