The 2025 Oscar Nominations: Triumphs, Controversies, and Shocking Snubs

By Rishini Weeraratne

The 2025 Academy Award nominations have been announced, setting the stage for a season filled with celebration, debate, and surprise. Leading the pack is Emilia Pérez, a musical crime drama that has garnered an impressive thirteen nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and acting nods for its stellar cast.  The 2025 Oscar nominations were announced on January 23, 2025, after being delayed twice due to the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. The ceremony, hosted by Conan O’Brien, is scheduled for March 2, 2025, and will air on ABC and stream on Hulu.

Top Contenders

Emilia Pérez leads with thirteen nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director (Jacques Audiard), Best Actress (Karla Sofía Gascón), and Best Supporting Actress (Zoe Saldaña). This makes it the most-nominated non-English language film in Oscar history, surpassing Roma and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

The Brutalist and Wicked each received ten nominations. The Brutalist, a post-WWII epic, earned nods for Best Picture, Best Director (Brady Corbet), and acting nominations for Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, and Guy Pearce. Wicked, the Broadway adaptation, secured nominations for Best Picture, Best Actress (Cynthia Erivo), and Best Supporting Actress (Ariana Grande).

Other notable Best Picture nominees include A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Dune: Part Two, Anora, Nickel Boys, I’m Still Here, and The Substance.

Historic Nominations

Karla Sofía Gascón made history as the first openly transgender artist nominated for Best Actress for their role in Emilia Pérez.

Fernanda Torres became the second Brazilian actress ever nominated for Best Actress, following her mother Fernanda Montenegro’s nomination in 1999 for Central Station. She was recognized for her role in ‘I’m Still Here.’

Demi Moore received her first Oscar nomination for Best Actress in The Substance, a body horror film that critiques Hollywood’s treatment of aging women.

Surprises

Sebastian Stan earned a Best Actor nomination for The Apprentice, where he portrays a young Donald Trump. This was unexpected, as he missed out on a SAG nomination.

Isabella Rossellini received her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress in Conclave, despite having only seven minutes of screen time.

Nickel Boys and I’m Still Here were surprise inclusions in the Best Picture category, displacing expected contenders like A Real Pain and September 5.

Snubs

Selena Gomez was notably absent from the Best Supporting Actress category for Emilia Pérez, despite the film’s 13 nominations.

Daniel Craig was overlooked for Best Actor for his role in Queer, despite critical acclaim and multiple precursor nominations.

Nicole Kidman (Babygirl), Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl), and Angelina Jolie (Maria) were all snubbed in the Best Actress category.

Best Director

Coralie Fargeat (The Substance) is the only female nominee in this category, competing against Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez), Brady Corbet (The Brutalist), Sean Baker (Anora), and James Mangold (A Complete Unknown).

Best Actress

• Cynthia Erivo: Nominated for her role in Wicked. 
• Karla Sofía Gascón: Nominated for her role in Emilia Pérez. 
• Mikey Madison: Nominated for her role in Anora. 
• Demi Moore: Nominated for her role in The Substance. 
• Fernanda Torres: Nominated for her role in I’m Still Here. 

Best Actor

Adrien Brody (The Brutalist), Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown), Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), Ralph Fiennes (Conclave), and Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice) are the nominees. Stan’s inclusion was a mild surprise.

Best Supporting Actor

Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain) is the frontrunner, competing against Guy Pearce (The Brutalist), Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown), Yura Borisov (Anora), and Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice).

Best Supporting Actress

• Monica Barbaro: Nominated for her role in A Complete Unknown. 
• Ariana Grande: Nominated for her role in Wicked. 
• Felicity Jones: Nominated for her role in The Brutalist. 
• Isabella Rossellini: Nominated for her role in Conclave. 
• Zoe Saldaña: Nominated for her role in Emilia Pérez. 

Best Animated Feature

Nominees include Inside Out 2, The Wild Robot, Flow, Memoir of a Snail, and Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. Notably, Moana 2 was snubbed.

Controversies and Challenges

The nominations were delayed twice due to the Los Angeles wildfires, which caused significant devastation and disrupted the awards season schedule. The Academy donated $1 million to wildfire relief efforts and cancelled the annual nominees luncheon. The inclusion of Emilia Pérez and The Brutalist sparked debates about representation, with some arguing that transgender performers and AI-assisted dialect work in The Brutalist challenge traditional norms in Hollywood.

In a landmark moment for the Academy, Spanish actress Karla Sofía Gascón has become the first openly transgender performer to be nominated for an acting Oscar. Her portrayal of Emilia, a Mexican cartel boss who fakes her death to transition, has been lauded for its depth and authenticity. However, Gascón’s nomination has not been without controversy. They have faced a barrage of insults and threats on social media, with critics arguing that their inclusion in the Best Actress category takes away opportunities from biological female actors. 

Popular podcast host, Megyn Kelly addressed the controversy on her podcast, expressing concerns about the potential implications of Gascón’s nomination. Kelly, who is known for her outspoken views on gender and culture, argued that while she respects Gascón’s talent, the decision to nominate a transgender woman in the Best Actress category raises serious questions about the future of female representation in Hollywood. This decision raises questions about the definition of gender-specific categories and the future of female representation in Hollywood. She further added, the Best Actress category has historically been a space where biological women are celebrated for their work, and if the Academy start opening this up to anyone who identifies as a woman, it could diminish the achievements of biological women in the industry.

Kelly’s comments have sparked a broader debate about whether the Academy is diluting the value of gender-specific categories and undermining the opportunities traditionally afforded to women. For many, the Oscars have been an important space to celebrate the achievements of biological women who have fought for recognition in a male-dominated industry. Critics argue that by including transgender women in these categories, there could be an erosion of spaces dedicated specifically to women’s accomplishments. One of the key points raised by critics is that if the Academy is committed to inclusivity and recognizing transgender performers, it should do so in a way that does not encroach upon categories that have historically been reserved for biological women. To address this concern, many have suggested the creation of a third, gender-neutral category, one that would allow transgender and non-binary performers to compete without displacing or overshadowing another. This would ensure that both biological women, and transgender individuals, have their own dedicated spaces within the Academy, and it would honour the contributions of both groups without one diminishing the other’s achievements. A gender-neutral category would be a clear recognition of the evolving nature of identity while maintaining the sanctity of traditional categories, allowing the awards to celebrate the specific achievements of biological women, whose representation in Hollywood has been hard-won.

It would also provide a fair and equal platform for transgender individuals, ensuring that they are recognized for their unique contributions without taking away from the accomplishments of others.

As the countdown to the Oscars begins, all eyes will be on the ceremony to see how these discussions influence the outcomes and what they signal for the future of th