The Academy has spoken! … Well, almost. As cinema’s most prestigious night edges closer, the 2025 Oscars shortlist reveals its first wave of contenders. The race to the 97th Academy Awards has been a nail-biter, with a year of bold newcomers and industry titans filling up the nominations thanks to standout productions.
Topping the early accolades, Emilia Pérez shines with six mentions, from the electricity of its original score to nods for its original songs, ‘El Mal’ and ‘Mi Camino’. Not far behind is Wicked, Jon M. Chu’s blockbuster take on the beloved musical, earning four nods.
Preliminary voting, which spans ten categories from makeup to visual effects, now sets the stage for Academy members to narrow the field before the complete voting begins on January 8. Among the shortlists published by Variety are a slew of talented people behind the scenes, promising a neck-and-neck competition thanks to a year of striking visuals and sound.
As we anticipate the final nominations on January 17, the countdown to March 2 is officially underway, with Conan O’Brien confirmed to host the ceremony.
Below, the 2025 Oscars nominations shortlist.
The 2025 Oscars nominations shortlist
Documentary Feature
- “The Bibi Files” (Jolt.Film)
- “Black Box Diaries” (MTV Documentary Films)
- “Dahomey” (Mubi)
- “Daughters” (Netflix)
- “Eno” (Film First Co.)
- “Frida” (Amazon MGM Studios)
- “Hollywoodgate” (Fourth Act Film)
- “No Other Land” (ImmerGuteFilme)
- “Porcelain War” (Picturehouse)
- “Queendom” (Greenwich Entertainment)
- “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin” (Netflix)
- “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat” (Kino Lorber)
- “Sugarcane” (National Geographic Documentary Films)
- “Union” (Level Ground)
- “Will & Harper” (Netflix)
International Feature
- “Armand” (IFC Films) from Norway
- “Dahomey” (Mubi) from Senegal
- “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix) from France
- “Flow” (Janus Films and Sideshow) from Latvia
- “From Ground Zero” (No U.S. Distribution) from Palestine
- “The Girl With the Needle” (Mubi) from Denmark
- “How to Make Millions before Grandma Dies” (Well Go USA Entertainment) from Thailand
- “I’m Still Here” (Sony Pictures Classics) from Brazil
- “Kneecap” (Sony Pictures Classics) from Ireland
- “Santosh” (Metrograph Pictures) from United Kingdom
- “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” (Neon) from Germany
- “Touch” (Focus Features) from Iceland
- “Universal Language” (Oscilloscope Laboratories) from Canada
- “Waves” (No U.S. Distribution) from Czech Republic
- “Vermiglio” (Janus Films) from Italy
Makeup and Hairstyling
- “The Apprentice” (Briarcliff Entertainment)
- “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” (Warner Bros.)
- “A Different Man” (A24)
- “Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.)
- “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix)
- “Maria” (Netflix)
- “Nosferatu” (Focus Features)
- “The Substance” (Mubi)
- “Waltzing with Brando” (Filmin’Tahiti)
- “Wicked” (Universal Pictures)
Sound
- “Alien: Romulus” (20th Century Studios)
- “Blitz” (Apple Original Films)
- “A Complete Unknown” (Searchlight Pictures)
- “Deadpool & Wolverine” (Marvel Studios)
- “Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.)
- “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix)
- “Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures)
- “Joker: Folie à Deux” (Warner Bros.)
- “Wicked” (Universal Pictures)
- “The Wild Robot” (DreamWorks Animation)
Visual Effects
- “Alien: Romulus” (20th Century Studios)
- “Better Man” (Paramount Pictures)
- “Civil War” (A24)
- “Deadpool & Wolverine” (Marvel Studios)
- “Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.)
- “Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures)
- “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” (20th Century Studios)
- “Mufasa: The Lion King” (Walt Disney Pictures)
- “Twisters” (Universal Pictures)
- “Wicked” (Universal Pictures)
Original Score
- “Alien: Romulus” (20th Century Studios) — Benjamin Wallfisch
- “Babygirl” (A24) — Cristobal Tapia de Vee
- “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” (Warner Bros.) — Danny Elfman
- “Blink Twice” (Amazon MGM Studios) — Chanda Dancy
- “Blitz” (Apple Original Films) — Hans Zimmer
- “The Brutalist” (A24) — Daniel Blumberg
- “Challengers” (Amazon MGM) — Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
- “Conclave” (Focus Features) — Volker Bertelmann
- “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix) — Clément Ducol, Camille
- “The Fire Inside” (Amazon MGM Studios) — Tamar-kali
- “Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures) — Harry Gregson-Williams
- “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1” (Warner Bros.) — John Debney
- “Inside Out 2” (Pixar) — Andrea Datzman
- “Nosferatu” (Focus Features) — Robin Carolan
- “The Room Next Door” (Sony Pictures Classics) — Alberto Iglesias
- “Sing Sing” (A24) — Bryce Dessner
- “The Six Triple Eight” (Netflix) — Aaron Zigman
- “Wicked” (Universal Pictures) — John Powell, Stephen Schwartz
- “The Wild Robot” (DreamWorks Animation) — Kris Bowers
- “Young Woman and the Sea” (Walt Disney Pictures) — Amelia Warner
Original Song
- “Forbidden Road” from “Better Man” (Paramount Pictures)
- “Winter Coat” from “Blitz” (Apple Original Films)
- “Compress/Repress” from “Challengers” (Amazon MGM Studios)
- “Never Too Late” from “Elton John: Never Too Late” (Walt Disney Pictures)
- “El Mal” from “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix)
- “Mi Camino” from “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix)
- “Sick In The Head” from “Kneecap” (Sony Pictures Classics)
- “Beyond” from “Moana 2” (Walt Disney Pictures)
- “Tell Me It’s You” from “Mufasa: The Lion King” (Walt Disney Pictures)
- “Piece By Piece” from “Piece by Piece” (Focus Features)
- “Like A Bird” from “Sing Sing” (A24)
- “The Journey” from “The Six Triple Eight” (Netflix)
- “Out Of Oklahoma” from “Twisters” (Universal Pictures)
- “Kiss The Sky” from “The Wild Robot” (DreamWorks Animation)
- “Harper And Will Go West” from “Will & Harper” (Netflix)
This story first appeared on GRAZIA International.
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