The Oscars; a night full of dinner, high fashion, awards, controversy, and A-list celebrities. The Oscars will hold their 97th annual awards on March 2nd from 7:00-10:00 PM EST. Talk show host Conan O’Brien will be hosting the Academy Awards this year. There are 24 categories recognizing acting, writing, directing, cinematography, production, visual effects, and a few more. The 2025 Academy Awards will be held in the Dolby Theatre. Emilia Perez, a Netflix musical/crime thriller, is leading the board with thirteen nominations. The “Brutalist” and “Wicked” also have picked up ten nominations.
Actor in a Leading Role
In 2024, these are five men who ruled the screen and are nominated for all very outstanding performances. Adrien Brody is nominated for his work in “The Brutalist.” Brody portrays Laszlo Toth, a Jewish Hungarian architect who emigrated to the United States ending up in Pennsylvania after surviving the Holocaust. Also nominated is Timothee Chalamet for his role in “A Complete Unknown.” Chalamet acts as music legend Bob Dylan, who skyrocketed to fame in the 1860s. In addition, Colman Domingo is nominated for his exceptional work in “Sing Sing.” Domingo depicts John “Divine G” Whitfield who is an actor at the Sing maximum security prison incarcerated on murder charges. Ralph Fiennes is nominated for the role of Thomas Lawrence in “Conclave.” Lawrence is the dean of the College of Cardinals. Lastly, Sebastian Stan is nominated for his role of a young Donald Trump in “The Apprentice.” The role follows Trump as he serves an apprenticeship with lawyer Roy Cohn.
Actor in a Supporting Role
There are five nominations for an actor in a supporting role. Yuriv Borisov is nominated for his work in “Anora.” Borisov portrays Igor, a hunchback hired to break up the marriage between Anora and Vanya. Also nominated is Kieran Culkin for the role of Benji Kaplan in “A Real Pain.” Kaplan is the unpredictable cousin of David who is very tightly wound. In addition, Edward Norton is nominated for his excellent work in “A complete Unknown.” Norton portrays a civil rights and environmental activist and advocate for human rights named Pete Seeger. Also nominated is Guy Pearce in the movie “The Brutalist” for the role of Harrison Lee Van Buren, an industrialist in Pennsylvania after the Holocaust and war. Finally, Jeremy Strong is nominated for the role of Roy Cohn, a lawyer who takes a young Donald Trump under his wing as his apprentice in the movie, “The Apprentice.”
Actress in a Leading Role
2024 was the year of movies and there are five actresses who had absolutely amazing performances in their movies. Cynthia Erivo had a phenomenal performance in the musical adapted film of “Wicked.” Erivo depicted Elphaba, who is known for her intelligent, caring, and kind nature, also for her magical abilities and green skin. Karla Sofia Gascon is also nominated for her role in “Emilia Perez” as a former cartel leader, who undergoes a gender transition, named Emilia Perez. Mikey Madison is nominated for the role of Anora, also known as Ani who is a Russian American stripper in the film “Anora.” In addition, Demi Moore is nominated for the leading role of Elisabeth Sparkle, a 50-year-old actress whose spark is fading, and is landing less and less roles in the film “The Substance.” Lastly Fernanda Torres is nominated for her work in “I’m Still Here.” Torres plays the role of Eunice Paiva who was a public figure that led campaigns to open archives on victims of Brazil’s military dictatorship and became a symbol for the fight against military dictatorship.
Actress in a Supporting Role
Supporting characters are so important to the flow of movies, there are five women who specifically owned their roles. Monica Barbaro is nominated for her role in “A Complete Unknown.” Barbaro plays the love interest and fellow singer of Bob Dylan named Joan Baez. Also nominated is singer Ariana Grande for her work as Glinda, a witch who is known to be beautiful, wise, powerful, and kind, in the film adapted musical “Wicked.” Felicity Jones is nominated for her work in “The Brutalist.” Jones played a Hungarian-Jewish immigrant named Erzsebet Toth who is wheelchair-bound and the wife of architect Laszlo Toth. Isabella Rossellini is also nominated for the supporting role of Sister Agnes in “Conclave.” Sister Agnes is a powerful and observant nun, she oversees a residence called Santa Marta. Lastly Zoe Saldana depicts Rita Mora Castro in the movie “Emilia Perez”, who is a lawyer in Mexico City.
Cinematography
The Cinematography category recognizes the work of cinematographers and directors of photography on a motion picture film. The nominees for this category include “The Brutalist” “Dune Part Two” “Emilia Perez” “Maria” and “Nosferatu.”
Best Picture
The Best Picture category is the largest with ten nominations this year. This award goes to the film producer of the movie that is considered the best of the year. The nominees for this year’s Best Picture are “Anora” “The Brutalist” “A Complete Unknown” “Conclave” “Dune: Part Two” “Emilia Perez” “I’m Still here” “Nickel Boys” “The Substance” and “Wicked.” The best picture award is one of the most desirable awards when making a movie, it’s like the Olympics for cinema, everybody wants the gold.
