All The Snubs, Surprises & Shoo-Ins From The 2025 Oscars Shortlist

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 a whopping thirteen 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 ten nods. Among some of the snubs include Selena Gomez, Nicole Kidman in Halina Reijn’s Babygirl, Pamela Anderson for her role in The Last Showgirl as well as—controversially—Luca Guadagnino‘s Challengers and its leads. 

Among the list published by the Academy is 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 wait with bated breath for the major reveals, the countdown to March 2 is officially underway, with Conan O’Brien confirmed to host the ceremony.

Below, the 2025 Oscars nominations.

The 2025 Oscars nominations shortlist

Best picture
Anora
The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
I’m Still Here
Nickel Boys
The Substance
Wicked

Best actor
Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice

Best actress
Cynthia Erivo, Wicked
Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez
Mikey Madison, Anora
Demi Moore, The Substance
Fernanda Torres, I’m Still Here

Best supporting actor
Yura Borisov, Anora
Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce, The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice

Best supporting actress
Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown
Ariana Grande, Wicked
Felicity Jones, The Brutalist
Isabella Rossellini, Conclave
Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez

Best directing
Sean Baker, Anora
Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
James Mangold, A Complete Unknown
Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez
Coralie Fargeat, The Substance

Best adapted screenplay
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Nickel Boys
Sing Sing

Best original screenplay
Anora
The Brutalist
A Real Pain
September 5
The Substance

Best international feature
I’m Still Here
The Girl With the Needle
Emilia Pérez
The Seed of a Sacred Fig
Flow

Best animated feature
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot

Best documentary feature
Black Box Diaries
No Other Land
Porcelain War
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Sugarcane

Best editing
Anora
The Brutalist
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Wicked

Best cinematography
The Brutalist
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
Maria
Nosferatu

Best production design
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nosferatu
Wicked

Best costume design
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Gladiator II
Nosferatu
Wicked

Best original score
The Brutalist
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Wicked
The Wild Robot

Best 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

Best live-action short
A Lien
Anuja
I’m Not a Robot
The Last Ranger
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent

Best animated short
Beautiful Men
In the Shadow of the Cypress
Magic Candies
Wander to Wonder
Yuck!

Best documentary short
Death By Numbers
I Am Ready, Warden
Incident
Instruments of a Beating Heart
The Only Girl in the Orchestra

Best makeup and hairstyling
A Different Man
Emilia Pérez
Nosferatu
The Substance
Wicked

Best sound
A Complete Unknown
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
Wicked
The Wild Robot

Best visual effects
Alien: Romulus
Better Man
Dune: Part Two
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Wicked

This story first appeared on GRAZIA International.

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