The Oscars 2025 nominations have sparked widespread excitement and debate as the Academy prepares for its 97th Academy Awards ceremony. Emilia Pérez leads this year’s contenders with 13 nominations, becoming the most-nominated non-English-language film in Oscar history. Directed by Jacques Audiard, the Spanish crime thriller earned nods in key categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Lead Actress for Karla Sofía Gascón’s performance.
Wicked and The Brutalist each followed closely with 10 nominations, while Conclave and A Complete Unknown received eight apiece. Despite these successes, some glaring snubs left audiences stunned.

One of the most surprising omissions was Challengers, a well-received tennis drama that failed to secure a single nomination. Denis Villeneuve, celebrated for his work on Dune: Part Two, also found himself overlooked in the Best Director category, even though the film earned recognition for Best Picture and several technical awards. Denzel Washington, another Hollywood heavyweight, missed out on a Best Supporting Actor nod for his role in Gladiator II, a performance some felt deserved recognition despite the film’s mixed reception.
Among the Oscars 2025 nominees, The Brutalist has faced controversy due to its use of artificial intelligence (AI) in post-production. Editor Dávid Jancsó, who received an Oscar nomination, revealed in an interview with Red Shark News that AI tools were used to refine Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones’ Hungarian pronunciation. “We coached [Adrien and Felicity] and they did a fabulous job but we also wanted to perfect it so that not even locals will spot any difference,” Jancsó explained, adding that traditional methods like Automated Dialogue Replacement (ADR) were ineffective for this purpose. The production team utilised Respeecher, a Ukrainian AI tool, to subtly modify vowels and letters while preserving the actors’ original performances.

Emilia Pérez, this year’s leading contender for the 2025 Oscars, has also come under scrutiny for its reported use of AI, as Gascón’s singing voice was blended with that of French pop star Camille to achieve specific vocal ranges using Respeecher. The broader conversation about AI’s impact on the industry mirrors the concerns raised during the Screen Actors Guild and Writers Guild strikes of 2023, as creators grapple with the implications of technology on artistic integrity.
This year’s Oscars also unfold against a backdrop of tragedy. Los Angeles wildfires delayed the nomination announcements twice, pushing them from 17 to 23 January. The fires devastated the region, destroying over 14,000 structures and claiming at least 28 lives. In response, the Academy donated US$250,000 (originally allocated for the Oscar nominees’ luncheon) towards the cause.
The complete list of Oscars 2025 nominees is as follows:
Best Picture
- Anora
- The Brutalist
- A Complete Unknown
- Conclave
- Dune: Part Two
- Emilia Pérez
- I’m Still Here
- Nickel Boys
- The Substance
- Wicked
Best Director
- Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez
- Sean Baker, Anora
- Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
- Coralie Fargeat, The Substance
- James Mangold, A Complete Unknown
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
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
Actress in a Supporting Role
- Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown
- Ariana Grande, Wicked
- Felicity Jones, The Brutalist
- Isabella Rossellini, Conclave
- Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
- A Complete Unknown
- Conclave
- Emilia Pérez
- Nickel Boys
- Sing Sing
Writing (Original Screenplay)
- Anora
- The Brutalist
- A Real Pain
- September 5
- The Substance
Animated Feature Film
- Flow
- Inside Out 2
- Memoir of a Snail
- Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
- The Wild Robot
Animated Short Film
- Beautiful Men
- In the Shadow of the Cypress
- Magic Candies
- Wander to Wonder
- Yuck!
Cinematography
- The Brutalist
- Dune: Part Two
- Emilia Pérez
- Maria
- Nosferatu
Costume Design
- A Complete Unknown
- Conclave
- Gladiator II
- Nosferatu
- Wicked
Film Editing
- Anora
- The Brutalist
- Conclave
- Emilia Pérez
- Wicked
Makeup and Hairstyling
- A Different Man
- Emilia Pérez
- Nosferatu
- The Substance
- Wicked
Live-Action Short Film
- A Lien
- Anuja
- I’m Not a Robot
- The Last Ranger
- The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent
Music (Original Score)
- The Brutalist
- Conclave
- Emilia Pérez
- Wicked
- The Wild Robot
Music (Original Song)
- “El Mal”, Emilia Pérez
- “The Journey”, The Six Triple Eight
- “Like a Bird”, Sing Sing
- “Mi Camino”, Emilia Pérez
- “Never Too Late”, Elton John: Never Too Late
Documentary Feature Film
- Black Box Diaries
- No Other Land
- Porcelain War
- Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
- Sugarcane
Documentary Short Film
- Death by Numbers
- I Am Ready, Warden
- Incident
- Instruments of a Beating Heart
- The Only Girl in the Orchestra
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)
Production Design

- The Brutalist
- Conclave
- Dune: Part Two
- Nosferatu
- Wicked
Sound
- A Complete Unknown
- Dune: Part Two
- Emilia Pérez
- Wicked
- The Wild Robot
Visual Effects
- Alien: Romulus
- Better Man
- Dune: Part Two
- Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
- Wicked
The 97th Academy Awards will air 3 March, Monday, 8am SGT.