Oscars 2025 Shortlists Unveiled: ‘Emilia Pérez’ and ‘Wicked’ Nab the Most Spots

As the industry readies for the holiday break between Christmas and New Year’s, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is sharing its final big announcement for the year.

The Academy revealed on Tuesday the 10 shortlists for the 97th Oscars, with frontrunners named for categories including Best International Feature Film, Best Documentary Feature and Short Subject, Best Original Song, Original Score, Makeup and Hairstyling, Visual Effects, Sound, and more. Voting took place last week for participating branches specific to their categories.

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“Emilia Pérez,” representing France in the International Feature Film race, earned six spots across these lists, including two for Original Song, for “El Mal” and “Mi Camino.” The Jacques Audiard Netflix musical also received nods for Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Score, and Sound — as well as International Feature, which was all but a given. “Wicked,” one of its Best Picture competitors, has four in the crafts races, for Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Score, Sound, and Visual Effects. “Dune: Part Two” is close behind with three placements in the crafts categories, for Makeup and Hairstyling, Sound, and Visual Effects. “The Wild Robot” also had three (Original Score, Original Song “Kiss the Sky,” and Sound), and “Blitz” scored three as well (Score, Original Song “Winter Coat,” and Sound).

These contenders will advance through to the next round of Oscars voting for the official nominations, announcing on Friday, January 17. Oscar nominations voting begins on January 8 and closes January 12.

See the shortlists as announced on December 17 below.

The 97th Academy Awards air live on ABC on Sunday, March 2 at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST, streaming live on Hulu parallel to the telecast for the first time.

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM

Fifteen films will advance in the Documentary Feature Film category for the 97th Academy Awards. One hundred sixty-nine films were eligible in the category.  Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“The Bibi Files”
“Black Box Diaries”
“Dahomey”
“Daughters”
“Eno”
“Frida”
“Hollywoodgate”
“No Other Land”
“Porcelain War”
“Queendom”
“The Remarkable Life of Ibelin”
“Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat”
“Sugarcane”
“Union”
“Will & Harper”

DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM

Fifteen films will advance in the Documentary Short Film category for the 97th Academy Awards. One hundred four films qualified in the category.  Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“Chasing Roo”
“Death by Numbers”
“Eternal Father”
“I Am Ready, Warden”
“Incident”
“Instruments of a Beating Heart”
“Keeper”
“Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World”
“Once Upon a Time in Ukraine”
“The Only Girl in the Orchestra”
“Planetwalker”
“The Quilters”
“Seat 31: Zooey Zephyr”
“A Swim Lesson”
“Until He’s Back”

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

Fifteen films will advance to the next round of voting in the International Feature Film category for the 97th Academy Awards.  Films from 85 countries and regions were eligible in the category.

Academy members from all branches were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must have met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.

In the nominations round, Academy members from all branches are invited to opt in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:

Brazil, “I’m Still Here”
Canada, “Universal Language”
Czech Republic, “Waves”
Denmark, “The Girl with the Needle”
France, “Emilia Pérez”
Germany, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”
Iceland, “Touch”
Ireland, “Kneecap”
Italy, “Vermiglio”
Latvia, “Flow”
Norway, “Armand”
Palestine, “From Ground Zero”
Senegal, “Dahomey”
Thailand, “How to Make Millions before Grandma Dies”
United Kingdom, “Santosh”

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

Ten films will advance in the Makeup and Hairstyling category for the 97th Academy Awards.  All members of the Academy’s Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch will be invited to view excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, January 11, 2025. Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar? consideration.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“The Apprentice”
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”
“A Different Man”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Maria”
“Nosferatu”
“The Substance”
“Waltzing with Brando”
“Wicked”

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)

Twenty scores will advance in the Original Score category for the 97th Academy Awards.  One hundred forty-five scores were eligible in the category.  Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The scores, listed in alphabetical order by film title, are:

“Alien: Romulus”
“Babygirl”
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”
“Blink Twice”
“Blitz”
“The Brutalist”
“Challengers”
“Conclave”
“Emilia Pérez”
“The Fire Inside”
“Gladiator II”
“Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1”
“Inside Out 2”
“Nosferatu”
“The Room Next Door”
“Sing Sing”
“The Six Triple Eight”
“Wicked”
“The Wild Robot”
“Young Woman and the Sea”

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)

Fifteen songs will advance in the Original Song category for the 97th Academy Awards.  Eighty-nine songs were eligible in the category.  Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The original songs, along with the motion picture in which each song is featured, are listed below in alphabetical order by film title:

“Forbidden Road” from “Better Man”
“Winter Coat” from “Blitz”
“Compress/Repress” from “Challengers”
“Never Too Late” from “Elton John: Never Too Late”
“El Mal” from “Emilia Pérez”
“Mi Camino” from “Emilia Pérez”
“Sick In The Head” from “Kneecap”
“Beyond” from “Moana 2”
“Tell Me It’s You” from “Mufasa: The Lion King”
“Piece By Piece” from “Piece by Piece”
“Like A Bird” from “Sing Sing”
“The Journey” from “The Six Triple Eight”
“Out Of Oklahoma” from “Twisters”
“Kiss The Sky” from “The Wild Robot”
“Harper And Will Go West” from “Will & Harper”

ANIMATED SHORT FILM

Fifteen films will advance in the Animated Short Film category for the 97th Academy Awards.  Eighty-eight films qualified in the category.  Academy members from the Animation Branch and Short Films Branch were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must have met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.

In the nominations round, Academy members from the Animation Branch and Short Films Branch are invited to opt in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“Au Revoir Mon Monde”
“A Bear Named Wojtek”
“Beautiful Men”
“Bottle George”
“A Crab in the Pool”
“In the Shadow of the Cypress”
“Magic Candies”
“Maybe Elephants”
“Me”
“Origami”
“Percebes”
“The 21”
“Wander to Wonder”
“The Wild-Tempered Clavier”
“Yuck!”

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

Fifteen films will advance in the Live Action Short Film category for the 97th Academy Awards.  One hundred eighty films qualified in the category.  Academy members from all branches were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must have met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.

In the nominations round, Academy members from all branches are invited to opt in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“Anuja”
“Clodagh”
“The Compatriot”
“Crust”
“Dovecote”
“Edge of Space”
“The Ice Cream Man”
“I’m Not a Robot”
“The Last Ranger”
“A Lien”
“The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent”
“The Masterpiece”
“An Orange from Jaffa”
“Paris 70”
“Room Taken”

SOUND

Ten films will advance in the Sound category for the 97th Academy Awards.  All eligible members of the Sound Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.  Academy members will be invited to view excerpts from each of the shortlisted films beginning Thursday, January 9, 2025, in the San Francisco Bay area, followed by London, Los Angeles and New York on Saturday, January 11, 2025.  Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“Alien: Romulus”
“Blitz”
“A Complete Unknown”
“Deadpool & Wolverine”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Gladiator II”
“Joker: Folie à Deux”
“Wicked”
“The Wild Robot”

VISUAL EFFECTS

Ten films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 97th Academy Awards.  The Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the shortlist.  All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, January 11, 2025.  Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“Alien: Romulus”
“Better Man”
“Civil War”
“Deadpool & Wolverine”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Gladiator II”
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”
“Mufasa: The Lion King”
“Twisters”
“Wicked”

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