The ABCs of the 2025 Oscars, from ‘Anora’ to Zoe Salda?a
This year's crop of Oscars contenders is the most alphabet-friendly of all time. Not only are Anora, The Brutalist, and Conclave leading the charge as the trio of Best Picture frontrunners, but some of the other contenders vying for that top prize include Dune: Part Two, Emilia Pérez, and Fernanda Torres' I'm Still Here. Gold Derby has been handicapping the Academy Awards races all season long, and it's finally airing this Sunday on ABC (fittingly enough, the alphabet network) and streaming on Hulu.
Who's nominated and who was snubbed? Who's hosting and who's presenting? And is Zoe Salda?a really going to win? Here are the ABCs of the 2025 Oscars:
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A is for Anora
Sean Baker's risqué independent film, about a Brooklyn sex worker (Mikey Madison) whose life is upended when she meets the son of a Russian oligarch, claimed three key precursors in recent weeks at the Producers Guild, Directors Guild, and Writers Guild. The only prior contender that won all three of those specific prizes and failed to take the Best Picture Oscar was Brokeback Mountain (2005), which infamously lost to Crash. In other words, Anora is sitting pretty in the driver's seat ... much like Anora and Igor at the end of the movie.
A24/Focus Features
B is for The Brutalist
Brady Corbet's period piece, which focuses on a Holocaust survivor (Adrien Brody) who hopes to achieve the American Dream, nabbed 10 Oscar nominations and is out front for three of them: Best Actor, Best Cinematography, and Best Score. Despite starting out the season on a high note with wins at the Golden Globes (picture and director) and BAFTA (director), it couldn't quite clinch any of the other major precursors. It's since fallen down to third place in the Gold Derby odds, behind Anora and Conclave.
C is for Conclave
Following its back-to-back victories at the BAFTAs (Best Film) and Screen Actors Guild Awards (Best Cast), Conclave is now in our runner-up position to win the top Oscar. Edward Berger's fictional tale, which chronicles the scandals within the Vatican following the pope's death, notably has broad support overall, receiving a lot of first-, second-, and third-place votes from Academy members, per Gold Derby's secret Oscar ballots.
D is for Dune: Part Two
Denis Villeneuve's epic sequel to his 2021 movie, based on Frank Herbert's 1965 novel, only received five Oscar nominations, compared to 10 bids for the original film three years ago. Despite the drop in Academy love, it's still predicted to have a good night, being out front in both Best Sound and Best Visual Effects, according to Gold Derby. Sandworms for the win!
E is for Emilia Pérez
Netflix's Spanish-language France musical made history at the Academy Awards by receiving 13 nominations including Best Picture, the most ever for an international feature. Two of its strongest categories are Best Supporting Actress (for Zoe Salda?a) and Best Song (for "El Mal"). As for the Best International Film category, which was once thought to be a lock for Emilia Pérez, its recent scandals involving lead actress Karla Sofía Gascón have made it quite vulnerable to Brazil's entry, I'm Still Here. Speaking of which ...
CBS
F is for Fernanda Torres
Torres experienced an Oscar boost following her win at the Golden Globes for I'm Still Here, Walter Salles' Brazilian political thriller. She dedicated her win to her mother, Fernanda Montenegro, who costars in this movie and earned a Best Actress Oscar bid for Central Station (1998). However, Torres hasn't been seen on the campaign trail since, as she was snubbed at the other award shows leading up to the Oscars. If she were to upset both Demi Moore (The Substance) and Mikey Madison (Anora) to claim Best Actress, it would easily be one of the biggest surprises of the year.
G is for the Gold Derby odds
Gold Derby is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year as the ultimate awards show authority, tracking the biggest, most competitive races in entertainment with predictions, analysis, and news. Our official Oscar odds combine the rankings of experts, editors, and users. More than 10,000 people have already made their picks in the 23 categories. If you haven't chimed in yet with your own Oscar predictions, what are you waiting for?
H is for Hulu
ABC has broadcast the Academy Awards every year since 1976 (when it officially took over from NBC), and is under contract through 2028. But this year, Hulu has been added as the first-ever Oscars streaming partner. The program begins sharply at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on Sunday, March 2. Don't be late!
I is for "I Am Ready, Warden"
If you don't recognize that title, you're probably not caught up on the three short-film categories that can make or break your Oscar predictions. "I Am Ready, Warden," a doc depicting death row, leads our predictions for Best Documentary Short. "Beautiful Men," a tale of three bald brothers who need hair transplants, is out front in Best Animated Short. And "The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent," about an ethnic cleansing operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is the odds-on favorite for Best Live Action Short. Remember, the Academy's entire membership of 10,000 people is allowed to vote for the winners in all 23 categories, including the shorts, which is why contenders that have entered the cultural zeitgeist or that have the most aspirational titles often win.
Michael Buckner/Variety
J is for "The Journey"
Will Diane Warren's long, Oscar-less journey finally end? That's the question on everyone's mind as the 97th Academy Awards swiftly approaches. The esteemed songwriter has amassed 16 nominations so far, including this year for "The Journey" from The Six Triple Eight. Warren took home an honorary Oscar in 2023, but she still has yet to win a competitive contest. Her co-nominees this year are "El Mal" and "Mi Camino," both from Emilia Pérez, "Like a Bird" from Sing Sing, and "Never Too Late" from Elton John: Never Too Late.
K is for Karla Sofía Gascón
Let's start with the positive. Gascón made Oscar history by being the first openly transgender person ever nominated in Best Actress, for Emilia Pérez. But soon after the nominations were announced, her former offensive social posts resurfaced -- disgusting comments about George Floyd, Muslims, and diversity at the Oscars -- which caused the campaign to crumble. "I sincerely apologize to everyone who has been hurt along the way," she said before taking a vow of silence in early February. Gascón skipped all of the precursor awards shows, however she is planning on attending this weekend's Oscars. What will she say?
L is for Latvia
The small European country celebrated its first-ever nomination in Best International Film this year for Flow. Latvia's silent animated movie, which follows the journey of a small black cat who survives a catastrophic flood, is also nominated in Best Animated Film. Flow is now the second animated picture to receive bids for both Best Animated Film and Best International Film after the similar-sounding Flee (2021) from Denmark.
M is for Moore vs. Madison
The most exciting acting race of the year is Best Actress, and it seems to be down to just two contenders: Golden Globe/Critics Choice/SAG winner Demi Moore for The Substance, and BAFTA champion Mikey Madison for Anora. (Or might wild card Fernanda Torres for I'm Still Here shock everyone instead?) Whatever ends up happening in this category, rest assured that there will be passionate fans on both side of the aisle -- those who are ecstatic that their favorite won, and those who cry puddles because their leading lady failed to cross the finish line.
N is for Nickel Boys
The two-time Oscar nominee (Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay) recently proved triumphant at the Writers Guild Awards for director RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes. Notably, Nickel Boys is the only film nominated for Best Picture this year that's about the Black experience, as it's based on Colson Whitehead's 2019 novel about an abusive reform school in 1960s Florida. Others like Sing Sing, The Piano Lesson, and The Six Triple Eight were snubbed in the top category.
Disney
O is for Conan O'Brien
O'Brien and his infamous pompadour have hosted the Emmy Awards twice (in 2002 and 2006), but this is his first time emceeing the biggest awards show in the world. Of course, he's mostly known for being the ringleader of his own quirky talk show, which took on several iterations through the years, including Late Night (1993-2009), The Tonight Show (2009-10), Conan (2010-21), and now Conan O’Brien Must Go (2024-present). Here's hoping he does the string dance at the Oscars.
P is for Presenters
Oprah Winfrey, the 2012 Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award recipient, leads this year's group of Oscar presenters. She'll be joined by last year's four acting champions — Emma Stone (Poor Things), Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer), Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers), and Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer) -- plus Dave Bautista, Harrison Ford, Gal Gadot, Andrew Garfield, Samuel L. Jackson, Margaret Qualley, Alba Rohrwacher, Zoe Salda?a, Rachel Zegler, Joe Alwyn, Sterling K. Brown, Willem Dafoe, Ana de Armas, Lily-Rose Depp, Selena Gomez, Goldie Hawn, Connie Nielsen, Ben Stiller, Halle Berry, Penélope Cruz, Elle Fanning, Whoopi Goldberg, Scarlett Johansson, John Lithgow, Amy Poehler, June Squibb, and Bowen Yang. In addition, Nick Offerman has been tapped as the announcer.
Q is for Quincy Jones
After an emotional tribute at the 2025 Grammys, expect honorary Oscar recipient Jones to receive another "in memoriam" mention at the Academy Awards. Among the Oscar winners and nominees who will have their lives celebrated are Teri Garr, Louis Gossett Jr., James Earl Jones, Jon Landau, David Lynch, Joan Plowright, Gena Rowlands, Albert S. Ruddy, David Seidler, Richard M. Sherman, Maggie Smith, and Robert Towne, and honorary recipients Roger Corman and Donald Sutherland.
R is for A Real Pain
This independent film about two cousins (Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin) who reunite in Poland to honor their late grandmother underperformed at the Oscars with just two nominations: Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor. However, it's in the unique position of possibly winning both of them. Eisenberg, who wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the project, recently took home the screenplay award at BAFTA. And Culkin, who plays the wise-cracking cousin Benji, is undefeated in the supporting actor race so far in terms of the precursor awards.
S is for Snubs
Sadly, not every deserving awards contender can make the cut at the Oscars. Here are just some of the snubs that had pundits scratching their heads in confusion this year: Sing Sing and A Real Pain in Best Picture; Edward Berger (Conclave) in Best Director; Daniel Craig (Queer) in Best Actor, Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths) and Angelina Jolie (Maria) in Best Actress; Denzel Washington (Gladiator II) and Clarence Maclin (Sing Sing) in Best Supporting Actor; and Jamie Lee Curtis (The Last Showgirl) and Margaret Qualley (The Substance) in Best Supporting Actress.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
T is for Timothée Chalamet
"The truth is, I'm in pursuit of greatness," Chalamet declared last weekend after winning the SAG Award for playing Bob Dylan in the eight-time Oscar nominee A Complete Unknown. "I know people don't usually talk like that, but I want to be one of the greats." All season long, he's been the presumptive Best Actor runner-up to Adrien Brody (The Brutalist), who prevailed at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice, and SAG Awards. However, with this newfound steam under Chalamet's belt, it's possible he can now stage A Complete upset at the Oscars.
U is for UAP Polich Tallix
UAP Polich Tallix is the company responsible for manufacturing the iconic Oscar statuette. It stands at 13 1/2 inches tall and weighs 8 1/2 pounds. A whopping 3,140 of these coveted trophies have been doled out over the past 96 years. The Oscar was originally designed by Cedric Gibbons, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's chief art director, and it depicts a knight holding a crusader's sword standing on a reel of film with five spokes signifying the original branches of the Academy: actors, directors, producers, technicians, and writers.
V is for Volker Bertelmann
You may not know his name. But you know his music. The German composer won an Oscar two years ago for scoring All Quiet on the Western Front (2022), and he's nominated again this year for Conclave, his third bid total after Lion (2016). On television, Bertelmann has scored everything from Dune: Prophecy to The Day of the Jackal to Black Mirror: Beyond the Sea. His fellow Best Score Oscar nominees this time around are Daniel Blumberg (The Brutalist), Clément Ducol & Camille (Emilia Pérez), John Powell & Stephen Schwartz (Wicked), and Kris Bowers (The Wild Robot).
Universal Pictures
W is for Wicked
You'll hear the word Wicked a lot on Sunday night. Besides being nominated in 10 different categories (picture, actress for Cynthia Erivo, supporting actress for Ariana Grande, costume design, film editing, makeup & hairstyling, production design, score, sound, and visual effects), the big-budget adaptation of the popular Broadway musical is also hoping to defy gravity with a "showstopping" live performance on the Oscars stage by Erivo and Grande.
X is for XCVII
Roman numerals nerds, this one's for you! This year marks the 97th annual Academy Awards, which translates to XCVII in the ancient numbering system. (But since this isn't the Super Bowl, we'll just stick with 97 from here on out.) The first ceremony ever took place on May 16, 1929, and the 100th edition is set for early 2028. In the lead-up to that highly anticipated event, the Motion Picture Academy recently enacted a global outreach campaign, Academy100, that will help drive the future of the film industry.
Y is for Yura Borisov
The Russian actor is one of the biggest breakthroughs of the 2024 film season. His supporting role as Igor in Anora netted him nominations at every major precursor: Oscars, BAFTAs, Critics Choice, Golden Globes, and SAG Awards. "The center of Igor is Anora," Borisov recently told Gold Derby. "The moment he shows up, he tries to understand what’s going on. He understood she was in a bad situation and had some really big problems. And so he tried to help here. And so for me, the center is Mikey. I was trying to help Mikey, right? So I was thinking about her, not anything else."
Z is for Zoe Salda?a
Moviegoers loved her in the Avatar, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Star Trek film franchises, but now, for the first time in her career, Salda?a is an Oscar nominee. In Emilia Pérez, Jacques Audiard's film adaptation of his crime opera, she plays Rita Mora Castro, a scrappy lawyer who helps cartel kingpin Manitas transition into the stunning Emilia (both played by Gascón). Heading into the Oscars, Salda?a is considered an overwhelming lock to win Best Supporting Actress after claiming victory at every single televised precursor.
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