Thu Jan 23 20:37:39 UTC 2025: **Hollywood’s Oscar Nominations Reflect a Year of Fire, Strikes, and Surprises**
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The 2025 Academy Awards nominations, announced Thursday, revealed a surprisingly diverse field reflecting a tumultuous year for Hollywood. The Spanish-language, French-made film “Emilia Pérez,” a Netflix narco-musical about trans identity, dominated with 13 nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actress for Karla Sofía Gascón, marking a historic first for an openly trans actor. This makes it the most nominated non-English language film ever, surpassing Netflix’s own “Roma.”
The nominations come amidst the devastation caused by recent wildfires in Los Angeles, which forced the Academy to postpone the announcement and cancel several events. Despite calls for the Oscars to be canceled, the ceremony will proceed on March 2nd, presented as a symbol of the city’s resilience.
Other major contenders include Universal’s “Wicked,” with 10 nominations, and A24’s “The Brutalist,” also garnering 10 nods. The Best Picture race is exceptionally tight, with several films — including “Anora,” “Conclave,” and “A Complete Unknown” — considered strong contenders alongside “Emilia Pérez,” “Wicked,” and “The Brutalist.”
Notable surprises include nominations for the Brazilian film “I’m Still Here,” a political resistance drama, and RaMell Ross’s “Nickel Boys,” a daringly crafted first-person perspective film. The controversial film “The Apprentice,” dramatizing Donald Trump’s early career, received nominations for its stars, Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong.
The nominations were notably spread across both big-budget and independent films, theatrically released and streaming titles. This reflects the unpredictable state of the movie industry, which faced post-strike delays, unemployment, and the impact of the fires, all while navigating a presidential election that returned Donald Trump to power. Despite this backdrop, several successful films, including “Wicked” and Disney’s “Inside Out 2,” made their mark. However, many blockbuster hits were notably absent from the nominations.
The Best Actor category features Timothée Chalamet, Colman Domingo, Ralph Fiennes, Adrien Brody, and Sebastian Stan, while the Best Actress nominees include Demi Moore, Karla Sofía Gascón, Fernanda Torres, Cynthia Erivo, and Mikey Madison.
The Oscars ceremony, hosted by Conan O’Brien, will take place on March 2nd.
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