2025 Academy Award nominees have been announced

LOS ANGELES, CA — Actors Rachel Sennott and Bowen Yang announced the nominees for the 97th Academy Awards. Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez,” the Netflix narco-musical about transgender identity, dominated the list with 13 nominations. “The Brutalist,” a three-plus hour postwar epic, and “Wicked,” a blockbuster adaptation of the Broadway musical, followed behind with 10 nominations each.

While the announcement typically kicks off a barrage of award-show pageantry culminating in the Oscars themselves, this year’s programming will be muted because of the devastating fires across Southern California.

Here's the latest:

Donald Trump may be president but Sebastian Stan is 'The Apprentice'

One of 2024’s most audacious films, “The Apprentice ” landed two nominations, for Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong. Stan portrays a not-yet President Trump in a film that dramatizes the real estate mogul’s formative years in New York under the tutelage of attorney Roy Cohn, played by Strong.

Trump has called those involved with the film “human scum.”

Could this finally be Netflix’s year?

Netflix, despite its starring role in Hollywood, has never won best picture. Many of its top contenders have previously racked up large numbers of nominations (including “Mank,” “The Irishman” and “Roma”) but gone home with only a handful of trophies.

“Emilia Pérez,” though, may be its best chance yet. It became the most nominated non-English language film ever, with 13, surpassing Netflix’s own “Roma,” which scored 10 nominations in 2019.

Karla Sofía Gascón makes history as first openly trans actor to earn an Oscar nomination

Karla Sofía Gascón is the first openly trans actor nominated for an Oscar, for her work in “Emilia Pérez.”

In the movie that’s earned comparisons to “Sicario” and “Mrs. Doubtfire” alike, she plays a Mexican drug lord who undergoes gender affirmation surgery. In Cannes, the Spanish actor who lives in Mexico shared in the best actress prize with her co-stars.

“I’m a little like Nostradamus. I like to think about what can happen. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter,” Gascón told The Associated Press in September, about her awards prospects. “If it does happen, I would be so grateful. It would be a beautiful thing. But if it doesn’t, whatever. I’d go back to my old life. I’ll do my grocery shopping. I’ll play with cats. I’ll see my family. Maybe I’ll do other jobs and people will like those jobs.

“I like to go lightly in my life,” she added, smiling.

Emilia Pérez leads the pack with 13 nominees

Following behind the Netflix musical are “The Brutalist” and “Wicked.”

Here’s a list of the top five nomination-getters:

“Emilia Pérez,” 13 nominations

“The Brutalist,” 10 nominations

“Wicked,” 10 nominations

“Conclave,” 8 nominations

“A Complete Unknown,” 8 nominations

Why were there so many ‘nominees to be determined’?

As Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott read out the list of 10 best picture nominees, the abundance of “nominees to be determined” drew titters.

The best picture statue is awarded to the film’s producer(s). According to academy rules, to qualify as a nominee, that producer must have been determined eligible for a Producers Guild of America award for the picture or have successfully appealed the Producers Guild of America’s refusal of such eligibility. In some cases, that process is still ongoing.

Still without US distribution, ‘No Other Land’ is an Oscar nominee

“No Other Land” has made it to the Oscars, despite the documentary’s lack of U.S. distribution.

Made by a Palestinian-Israeli collective, the film depicts daily life in a village under Israeli occupation.

It’s been hailed as one of the year’s most powerful documentaries, winning prizes at international film festivals. It’s also stoked controversy, prompted death threats for its makers and — despite the acclaim — remains without an American distributor.

▶ Read more about the film and its quest

The show won’t go on for Pamela Anderson

Despite momentum from her Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe nominations, Pamela Anderson missed out on an Oscar nomination for “The Last Showgirl.”

2 previous Oscar winners miss out in best actress

They’ve been here before, but many expected them to return again.

Nicole Kidman did not receive a best actress nomination for “Babygirl” and Angelina Jolie was similarly absent for “Maria.”

‘Challengers’ and Luca Guadagnino will not serve

Despite having two awards buzz movies in the tennis threesome ride “Challengers” and Daniel Craig-starred “Queer,” Luca Guadagnino’s 2024 films were shut out from Oscar nominations.

“Challengers” had garnered acting nominations for Zendaya in other contests and its score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross had won a Golden Globe.

The 2025 Oscars best picture nominees

The nominees for best picture are: “Anora”; “The Brutalist”; “A Complete Unknown”; “Conclave”; “Dune: Part Two”; “Emilia Pérez”; “I’m Still Here.”; “Nickel Boys”; “The Substance”; “Wicked.”

More nominees are...

The nominees for best actor are: Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist”; Timothée Chalamet, “A Complete Unknown”; Colman Domingo, “Sing Sing”; Ralph Fiennes, “Conclave”; Sebastian Stan, “The Apprentice.”

The nominees for best actress are: Demi Moore, “The Substance”; Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked”; Mikey Madison, “Anora”; Karla Sofía Gascón, “Emilia Pérez”; Fernanda Torres, “I’m Still Here”

The nominees for original song are: “El Mal” from “Emilia Perez”; “The Journey” from “The Six Triple Eight”; “Like a Bird” from “Sing Sing”; “Mi Camino” from “Emilia Pérez”; “Never Too Late” from “Elton John: Never Too Late.”

The nominees for best animated film are: “Flow”; “Inside Out 2”; “Memoir of a Snail”; “Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl”; “The Wild Robot.”

And the first nominees are...

The film academy began announcing nominees at 8:30 a.m. EST. Here's a look at some of the early nominees:

The nominees for best supporting actor are: Yura Borisov, “Anora”; Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain”; Edward Norton, “A Complete Unknown”; Guy Pearce, “The Brutalist”; Jeremy Strong, “The Apprentice.”

The nominees for Best Supporting Actress are: Monica Barbaro, “A Complete Unknown”; Felicity Jones, “The Brutalist”; Ariana Grande, “Wicked”; Isabella Rossellini, “Conclave”; Zoe Saldaña, “Emilia Pérez.”

The nominees for original screenplay are: “Anora”; “The Brutalist”; “A Real Pain”; “September 5”; “The Substance.”

President Trump vows to help ‘troubled’ Hollywood

President Donald Trump wants to make Hollywood “bigger, better and stronger” and has cast Mel Gibson, Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone as stars of what he is calling his “Special Ambassadors to a great but very troubled place, Hollywood, California.”

Trump announced on his social media site last week that the three actors would be his eyes and ears to the moviemaking town.

“It will again be, like The United States of America itself, The Golden Age of Hollywood!” he wrote on Truth Social.

“I’m old enough to have touched some years of the Golden Age of Hollywood, and I’ve seen its slow deterioration since. Today, we are in pretty bad shape,” Voight said. “Very few films are made here now, but we are fortunate to have an incoming President, who wants to restore Hollywood to its former glory, and with his help, I feel we can get done.”

It’s unclear what exactly the three will be doing in this effort to bring productions back to the U.S.

▶ Read more about Trump’s envoys to Hollywood

Award show dates

Hollywood’s awards season all but came to a halt as the wildfires disrupted life and work in the Los Angeles area. There were near-daily updates from the Hollywood guilds and organizations that put on awards shows as the industry navigates the crisis and fallout.

But as of now, here’s the dates of major upcoming awards shows, from the Oscars to the Grammys.

1. Grammy Awards, Feb. 2

2. Critics Choice Award, Feb. 7

3. Producers and Directors Guild awards, Feb. 8

4. Writers Guild Awards, Feb. 15

5. BAFTAs, Feb. 16

6. Spirit Awards, Feb. 22

7. SAG Awards, Feb. 23

8. Academy Awards, March 2

▶ Read more about the award show date shuffle

In light of the devastating LA fires, what do the Oscars even mean?

The enormity of the destruction in Southern California quickly snuffed out all festivity in the movie industry’s high season of celebration.

The fires have struck at the very heart of a movie industry still trying to stabilize itself after years of pandemic, labor turmoil and technological upheaval. Not for the first time this decade, the Oscars are facing the question of: Should the show go on? And if it does, what do they mean now?

The Oscars remain as scheduled, but it’s certain that they will be transformed due to the wildfires, and that most of the red-carpet pomp that typically stretches between now and then will be curtailed if not altogether canceled. With so many left without a home by the fires, there’s scant appetite for the usual self-congratulatory parades of the season.

Focus has turned, instead, to what the Oscars might symbolize for a traumatized Los Angeles. The Oscars have never meant less, but, at the same time, they might be more important than ever as a beacon of perseverance for the reeling movie capital.

▶ Read more about how the fires have impacted award season

Who won at the Golden Globes?

Hosted earlier this month, two wildly audacious films — Brady Corbet’s 215-minute postwar epic “The Brutalist” and Jacques Audiard’s Spanish language, genre-shifting musical “Emilia Perez” — won top honors at the 82nd Golden Globes.

“The Brutalist” was crowned best film, drama, putting one of 2024’s most ambitious films on course to be a major contender at the Academy Awards. The film, shot in VistaVision and released with an intermission, also won best director for Corbet and best actor for Adrien Brody. In his acceptance speech, Corbet spoke about filmmakers needing approval on the final cut.

“Emilia Pérez” won best film, comedy or musical, elevating the Oscar chances of Netflix’s top contender. It also won best supporting actress for Zoe Saldaña, best song (“El Mal”) and best non-English language film. Audiard, the French director, made way for Karla Sofía Gascón, the film’s transgender star who plays a Mexican drug lord who undergoes gender-affirming surgery, to speak on behalf of the film.

When are the actual Academy Awards?

The marquee event and capper of Hollywood’s awards season will proceed as scheduled on March 2.

Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre, where the show takes place, was briefly imperiled by the Sunset Fire, though the blaze was quickly extinguished. The film academy did delay the Scientific and Technical Awards from Feb. 18 (a rescheduled date has not been announced) and canceled altogether its annual nominees luncheon, an untelevised mainstay of the social calendar known for its mingling and “class photo.”

The Oscars will be broadcast live on ABC, hosted by Conan O’Brien.

Who are the hosts for today’s announcement?

Actors Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott will host the announcement.

Along with being a cast member on “Saturday Night Live,” Yang held a supporting role in last year’s blockbuster “Wicked,” which is itself a nominee contender.

Sennott is the star and writer of 2023’s “Bottoms,” as well as the lead in 2020 indie-darling “Shiva Baby.”

How to watch the announcement

The nominations will be announced at 8:30 a.m. ET.

The show will be available to stream on Oscars.com, Oscars.org, as well as on the Academy’s social media platforms. It will also stream on ABC, Hulu and Disney+.