
Emilia Pérez, the story of a drug kingpin who transitions into a crusading woman, leads with 13 nominations at the 97th annual Academy Awards, including for star Karla Sofía Gascón, the first openly trans woman to be nominated for Best Actress. The film also received the most nominations ever for a non-English language film.
The Brutalist and Wicked earned 10 nominations each. All three films are up for Best Picture, along with Anora, A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Dune: Part Two, I’m Still Here, Nickel Boys and The Substance.
The awards were announced Thursday by Saturday Night Live star Bowen Yang — part of the Wicked cast — and Rachel Sennott, one of the stars of last year’s Saturday Night. The announcement came after messages of support to the many Angelenos struggling through the city’s horrific fires.
Emilia Pérez Makes History

Pérez, a musical dramedy, overcame criticism of its portrayals of Mexico and its trans protagonist. Just a day before the Oscar nominations, it was snubbed by the GLAAD Media Awards. The LGBTQ+ advocacy group had previously called the film “”a step backward for trans representation.”
Gascón, who once worried her acting career would end with her transition, has maintained a sense of humor throughout awards season, telling MovieMaker last year that audiences should judge the film for themselves: “I actually want the public to see it because I cannot tell people what to feel or what to think. I think it’s creating a precedent in the history of cinema because Emilia Pérez transcends the screen.”
Though she was widely reported as the first trans leading acting nominee, the New York Times noted that Elliot Page was nominated for the 2007 film Juno before publicly coming out as trans in 2020.
This year’s Oscars didn’t shy away from politics or culture wars: The Apprentice, about the early relationship between Donald Trump and scheming attorney Roy Cohn, earned nominations for Sebastian Stan as Trump and Jeremy Strong as Cohn. During the election, the Trump campaign dismissed the film as “garbage” and “pure fiction.”
The Oscar nominations also reflected star-making performances in Anora, the subject of our fall cover story: Mikey Madison was nominated for Best Actress for her role in the joyfully demented Cinderella story, and Yuri Borisov, a Russian actor previously unknown in the United States, is nominated for best supporting actor. Sean Baker was nominated for Best Director and for his original screenplay, as well as for editing.
The Complete List of Oscar Nominees for the 97th Annual Academy Awards
Actor in a Supporting Role
Yura Borisov, Anora
Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce, The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice
Costume Design
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Gladiator II
Nosferatu
Wicked
Makeup and Hairstyling
A Different Man
Emilia Pérez
Nosferatu
The Substance
Wicked
Music (Original Score)
The Brutalist
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Wicked
The Wild Robot
Live-Action Short Film
A Lien
Anuja
I’m Not a Robot
The Last Ranger
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent
Animated Short Film
Beautiful Men
In the Shadow of the Cypress
Magic Candies
Wander to Wonder
Yuck!
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Nickel Boys
Sing Sing
Writing (Original Screenplay)
Anora
The Brutalist
A Real Pain
September 5
The Substance
Actress in a Supporting Role
Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown
Ariana Grande, Wicked
Felicity Jones, The Brutalist
Isabella Rossellini, Conclave
Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez
Music (Original Song)
“Never Too Late” from Elton John: Never Too Late
“El Mal” from Emilia Pérez
“Mi Camino” from Emilia Pérez
“Like A Bird” from Sing Sing
“The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight
Documentary Feature Film
Black Box Diaries
No Other Land
Porcelain War
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Sugarcane
Documentary Short Film
Death by Numbers
I Am Ready, Warden
Incident
Instruments of a Beating Heart
The Only Girl in the Orchestra
International Feature Film
Brazil, I’m Still Here
Denmark, The Girl With the Needle
France, Emilia Pérez
Germany, The Seed of the Sacred Fig
Latvia, Flow
Animated Feature Film
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot
Production Design
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nosferatu
Wicked
Sound
A Complete Unknown
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
Wicked
The Wild Robot
Visual Effects
Alien: Romulus
Better Man
Dune: Part Two
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Wicked
Actor in a Leading Role
Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice
Actress in a Leading Role
Cynthia Erivo, Wicked
Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez
Mikey Madison, Anora
Demi Moore, The Substance
Fernanda Torres, I’m Still Here
Directing
Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez
Sean Baker, Anora
Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
Coralie Fargeat, The Substance
James Mangold, A Complete Unknown
Best Picture
Anora
The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
I’m Still Here
Nickel Boys
The Substance
Wicked
Cinematography
The Brutalist
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
Maria
Nosferatu
Film Editing
Anora
The Brutalist
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Wicked