The Oscar nominations on Thursday were marked by their very international tone, the unusual weight of musical films and new faces among the directors.
The French film “Emilia Perez” topped the nominations with 13 mentions, setting a new record for a non-English-speaking feature film. Another French title, “The Substance”, is among the candidates in five categories, while the Brazilian film “I’m still here” appears in three categories.
Among the performers, Russian actor Yura Borisov (“Anora”), Brazilian Fernanda Torres (“I’m still here”) and actress of Italian origin Isabella Rossellini (“Conclave”) were named.
The Latvian animated film “Flow” is also in the party, while in the animated short film category, all five candidates are non-American.
Between them, “Emilia Perez”, “Wicked”, adaptation of the musical of the same name, and “A Complete Stranger”, adapted from the life of singer Bob Dylan, won 31 nominations.
The three feature films present the musical theme in different ways, “A Perfect Stranger” in the classic “biopic” style, “Wicked” in the Broadway vein and “Emilia Perez” in a more offbeat spirit.
Among the nominated performers is pop superstar Ariana Grande, who plays Glinda in “Wicked” and is competing for best supporting actress.
Note that all the named actors sing themselves in these three films, or even play the instrument, like Timothée Chalamet and Monica Barbaro in “A Perfect Stranger”.
-None of the five nominees for the Oscar for best director had yet been invited to this list. Many are nevertheless experienced, in particular James Mangold (61 years old) and Jacques Audiard (72 years old), Brady Corbet being, at 36 years old, the youngest in the promotion.
Observers described the absence of Denis Villeneuve (“Dune: Part Two”), already nominated in 2017 for “First Contact”, as a surprise.
Against the backdrop of Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have made choices, some of which have political resonance.
Among them, the nomination of transgender actress Karla Sofia Gascon (“Emilia Perez”) in the category of best actress in a leading role.
On Monday, the new American head of state issued a decree ordering his government to “recognize” the existence of only “two sexes, male and female”, which are “not modifiable”.
The class of 2025 also includes Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong, nominated for their lead and supporting roles respectively in “The Apprentice,” a film that sheds harsh light on the rise of Donald Trump in the 1980s.
The American president tried, in vain, to prevent the release of the film in the United States, calling it “pure defamation”.
Many of the films awarded last year at Cannes feature prominently in the list of nominees, including the Palme d’Or “Anora” (6 nominations), the Jury Prize “Emilia Perez” (13) and “The Substance” (5), whose director Coralie Fargeat received the prize for best screenplay on the Croisette.
