Amid the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles that struck at the heart of the movie industry, an embattled Hollywood lined up behind the Netflix narco-musical about Trans identity “Emilia Perez’ in Oscar nominations.
Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Perez,’ a Spanish-language, French made film, dominated the 2025 nominations with a record-breaking 13 nominations, including best picture and best actress for Karla Sofia Gascon. This makes her the first openly trans actors ever nominated for an Oscar.
Today, “Emilia Perez” isn’t just the talk of the town. Hollywood is staking a marker for transgender representation the very same week that President Donald Trump issued an executive order declaring that trans people effectively do not exist.
The film was also nominated for directing, original screenplay, two for its songs and for Zoe Saldana’s supporting performance. “This recognition is a celebration of the global world we live in,’ Audiard said in a statement.
Despite its starring role in Hollywood, Netflix has never won best picture. Many of its leading contenders have previously racked up large numbers of nominations (including “Mank,” “The Irishman” and “Roma”) but only take home a handful of trophies. However, “Emilia Perez” may be the its best chance yet.
Wicked picked up 10 nominations, similarly scoring Actress for Cynthia Erivo and supporting Actress for Ariane Grande, together with Picture and several technical categories. The Brutalist also bagged 10 nods, with A Complete Unknown and Conclave coming in third with eight nominations apiece, including recognition for Timothee Chalamet, Isabella Rossellini, Ralph Fiennes, and Monica Barbaro in the acting categories.
Among other big hitters, Demi Moore scored a career first nod for Best Actress for the Substance (which bagged five nods) as did Golden Globe winner Fernanda Torres for I’m Still Here (three nods) and Mikey Madison for Anora (six nods). Dune Part Two and Nosferatu dominated a majority of the technical categories.
Those who were snubbed, Nicole Kidman, Pamela Anderson, and Angelina Jolie missed out on Actress nominations, as did Margaret Qualley for Supporting Actress and Daniel Craig for Actor. Babygirl, The Last Showgirl, and Queer were shut out completely, even though the biggest surprise was Challengers getting zero nods. This is despite plaudits most notably for its editing, score and acting, plus only one technical nomination for one of the year’s most anticipated releases, Gladiator II.
The 2025 Academy Awards will be held on March 2 in Los Angeles and will air live on ABC and Hulu.