Oscar shortlists in 10 categories announced with ‘Emilia Pérez,’ ‘Wicked,’ ‘Dune: Part Two’ leading the pack
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today pulled back the curtain on the semi-finalists in 10 categories for the 2025 Oscars, revealing shortlists that found the Spanish-language musical Emilia Pérez and the Broadway-born musical Wicked leading the way with six and four shortlist mentions, respectively. Both movies are considered Oscar frontrunners in several primary categories as well, including Best Picture.
The announced categories in which contenders were pared down to 15 contenders include Best International Feature, Best Documentary, Best Original Song, Best Documentary Short, Best Animated Short, and Best Live Action Short. Ten films, meanwhile, are moving forward in the Best Sound, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Visual Effects categories. Twenty films are advancing for Best Score.
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The six total for Emilia Perez includes a pair for Best Song (“El Mal” and “Mi Camino”), Best International Feature, Best Score, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Sound. The Wicked mentions are for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Score, Best Sound, and Best Visual Effects. Also faring well was the animated hit The Wild Robot, cited for Best Score, Best Sound, and Best Song, while Gladiator II, Alien: Romulus, and Dune: Part Two also scored three inclusions.
The full shortlists of the 10 categories are below.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM
Fifteen films will advance in the Documentary Feature Film category for the 97th Academy Awards. One hundred sixty-nine films were eligible in the category. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
The Bibi Files
Black Box Diaries
Dahomey
Daughters
Eno
Frida
Hollywoodgate
No Other Land
Porcelain War
Queendom
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Sugarcane
Union
Will & Harper
DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM
Fifteen films will advance in the Documentary Short Film category for the 97th Academy Awards. One hundred four films qualified in the category. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
The films, listed alphabetically, are:
Chasing Roo
Death by Numbers
Eternal Father
I Am Ready, Warden
Incident
Instruments of a Beating Heart
Keeper
Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World
Once upon a Time in Ukraine
The Only Girl in the Orchestra
Planetwalker
The Quilters
Seat 31: Zooey Zephyr
A Swim Lesson
Until He’s Back
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
Fifteen films will advance to the next round of voting in the International Feature Film category for the 97th Academy Awards. Films from 85 countries and regions were eligible in the category.
Academy members from all branches were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must have met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.
In the nominations round, Academy members from all branches are invited to opt in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote.
The films, listed alphabetically by country, are:
Brazil, I’m Still Here
Canada, Universal Language
Czech Republic, Waves
Denmark, The Girl with the Needle
France, Emilia Pérez
Germany, The Seed of the Sacred Fig
Iceland, Touch
Ireland, Kneecap
Italy, Vermiglio
Latvia, Flow
Norway, Armand
Palestine, From Ground Zero
Senegal, Dahomey
Thailand, How to Make Millions before Grandma Dies
United Kingdom, Santosh
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Ten films will advance in the Makeup and Hairstyling category for the 97th Academy Awards. All members of the Academy’s Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch will be invited to view excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, January 11, 2025. Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.
The films, listed alphabetically by title, are:
The Apprentice
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
A Different Man
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
Maria
Nosferatu
The Substance
Waltzing with Brando
Wicked
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
Twenty scores will advance in the Original Score category for the 97th Academy Awards. One hundred forty-five scores were eligible in the category. Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
The scores, listed alphabetically by title, are:
Alien: Romulus
Babygirl
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Blink Twice
Blitz
The Brutalist
Challengers
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
The Fire Inside
Gladiator II
Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1
Inside Out 2
Nosferatu
The Room Next Door
Sing Sing
The Six Triple Eight
Wicked
The Wild Robot
Young Woman and the Sea
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
Fifteen songs will advance in the Original Song category for the 97th Academy Awards. Eighty-nine songs were eligible in the category. Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
The original songs, along with the motion picture in which each song is featured, are listed alphabetically by title. They are:
“Forbidden Road” from Better Man
“Winter Coat” from Blitz
“Compress/Repress” from Challengers
“Never Too Late” from Elton John: Never Too Late
“El Mal” from Emilia Pérez
“Mi Camino” from Emilia Pérez
“Sick In The Head” from Kneecap
“Beyond” from Moana 2
“Tell Me It’s You” from Mufasa: The Lion King
“Piece By Piece” from Piece by Piece
“Like A Bird” from Sing Sing
“The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight
“Out Of Oklahoma” from Twisters
“Kiss The Sky” from The Wild Robot
“Harper And Will Go West” from Will & Harper
ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Fifteen films will advance in the Animated Short Film category for the 97th Academy Awards. Eighty-eight films qualified in the category. Academy members from the Animation Branch and Short Films Branch were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must have met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.
In the nominations round, Academy members from the Animation Branch and Short Films Branch are invited to opt in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote.
The films, listed alphabetically by title, are:
Au Revoir Mon Monde
A Bear Named Wojtek
Beautiful Men
Bottle George
A Crab in the Pool
In the Shadow of the Cypress
Magic Candies
Maybe Elephants
Me
Origami
Percebes
The 21
Wander to Wonder
The Wild-Tempered Clavier
Yuck!
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
Fifteen films will advance in the Live Action Short Film category for the 97th Academy Awards. One hundred eighty films qualified in the category. Academy members from all branches were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must have met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.
In the nominations round, Academy members from all branches are invited to opt in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote.
The films, listed alphabetically by title, are:
Anuja
Clodagh
The Compatriot
Crust
Dovecote
Edge of Space
The Ice Cream Man
I’m Not a Robot
The Last Ranger
A Lien
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent
The Masterpiece
An Orange from Jaffa
Paris 70
Room Taken
SOUND
Ten films will advance in the Sound category for the 97th Academy Awards. All eligible members of the Sound Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees. Academy members will be invited to view excerpts from each of the shortlisted films beginning Thursday, January 9, 2025, in the San Francisco Bay area, followed by London, Los Angeles, and New York on Saturday, January 11, 2025. Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.
The films, listed alphabetically by title, are:
Alien: Romulus
Blitz
A Complete Unknown
Deadpool & Wolverine
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
Gladiator II
Joker: Folie à Deux
Wicked
The Wild Robot
VISUAL EFFECTS
Ten films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 97th Academy Awards. The Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the shortlist. All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, January 11, 2025. Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.
The films, listed alphabetically by title, are:
Alien: Romulus
Better Man
Civil War
Deadpool & Wolverine
Dune: Part Two
Gladiator II
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Mufasa: The Lion King
Twisters
Wicked
Nominations voting for the 97th Academy Awards begins on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, and concludes on Sunday, January 12, 2025. Nominees will be announced on Friday, January 17, 2025. The ceremony will be held on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC, streamed live on Hulu and shown live in more than 200 territories worldwide.
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