French films “Emilia Perez” and “The Substance” lead the nominations at the Golden Globes 2025. Will they seduce Hollywood and pave the way for the Oscars? Zoom on a vintage year for French cinema beyond borders…
Hollywood is opening its doors wide to French cinema in this 2025 awards season. After dazzling on the Croisette, the French films “Emilia Perez” by Jacques Audiard and “The Substance” by Coralie Fargeat are favorites of the Golden Globes on Sunday, with respectively 10 and 5 nominations. A well-deserved recognition for these two audacious and unique works, which mark an exceptional vintage for the French 7th art internationally.
“Emilia Perez”: the musical odyssey that conquered Netflix
Receiving a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival last May, “Emilia Perez” tells the fascinating story of the gender transition of a Mexican drug trafficker. A true story carried by the breathtaking performance of Karla Sofía Gascón in the title role. The film competes in all major categories: best comedy, best director, best actress, best screenplay…
Netflix, which promotes and distributes the feature film worldwide, is banking heavily on this critical and commercial success. The streaming platform hopes to win its first Oscars thanks to this vibrant and moving musical, already considered “the sensation of the year” by the specialized press.
A revelation named Karla Sofía Gascón
If Mexican transgender star Karla Sofía Gascón is the favorite in the best actress category for a comedy, she will nevertheless have to deal with competition from Cynthia Erivo. The British singer and actress is “spectacular” as a witch in “Wicked,” a holiday hit adapted from a cult Broadway musical.
Karla Sofía Gascón remains a newcomer to Hollywood, as does Mikey Madison, the interpreter of “Anora”.
Pete Hammond, Deadline columnist
“The Substance”: the horrific outsider by Coralie Fargeat
Another notable French film, “The Substance” attacks the cult of youth in Hollywood. In this macabre fable, Demi Moore plays an aging star addicted to a miracle serum with monstrous side effects. Nominated in 5 categories including best comedy and best actress, Coralie Fargeat’s feature film could create a surprise.
According to Pete Hammond of Deadline, this horrific tale “will resonate in Hollywood” by bluntly posing the question of the dictates of eternal youth. A hot topic on which Demi Moore, herself a victim of ageism, sheds chilling light.
Transformation of the Golden Globes: room for diversity
This 82nd edition of the Golden Globes marks a renewal, after the corruption and racism scandal revealed in 2021 regarding members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). The jury has since largely reformed, expanded and diversified.
Result: the competition promises to be more open and international than ever, in both the dramatic and comic categories. Independent cinema and foreign works are doing well, like the Canadian film “The Brutalist” (7 nominations) or the Brazilian “I’m still here” with the formidable Fernanda Torres.
An Oscar race that promises to be fierce for actresses
The Golden Globes are of crucial importance this year, with just three days before voting closes for the Oscar nominations. The competition rages among actresses, with masterful performances in all genres:
- Angelina Jolie, unrecognizable as Maria Callas in “Maria”
- Kate Winslet, striking as a war reporter in “Lee Miller”
- Pamela Anderson, moving as a fallen dancer in “The Last Showgirl”
- Nicole Kidman, disturbing woman of power in “Babygirl”
- Demi Moore, chilling as an aging star in “The Substance”
The best actress category is so crowded that some people who surely would have won in another year won’t even be nominated.
Pete Hammond, Deadline columnist
Verdict Sunday evening in Los Angeles, with an 82nd Golden Globes ceremony which already promises to be historic for French cinema. Enough to fuel all hopes for the rest of the awards season, until the Oscars next March. The beginning of a new era for our artists and our international films?
