As a film enthusiast who has spent countless hours immersed in the silver screen, I must say that this year’s Oscar race is shaping up to be an exciting one! The nominees reflect a diverse range of stories and talent, which is truly heartening to see.
Even though the Academy Awards scheduled for March 2, 2025, seem quite distant given we haven’t yet celebrated the holidays or welcomed the new year, movie enthusiasts are already feeling the excitement surrounding the upcoming event. Potential contenders have started to surface from the Cannes Film Festival, with “Anora” and “Emilia Pérez” being tipped as early favorites. Additionally, “The Brutalist” and “Conclave,” which gained attention at the Venice Film Festival, are also being viewed as likely nominees. Furthermore, “September 5” and “A Completed Unknown” have also been mentioned among the possible candidates.
Without a doubt, the production I’m eagerly anticipating is my personal favorite, Jon M. Chu’s version of the beloved musical, Wicked. This film seems poised to make a strong showing, potentially competing across numerous categories such as Best Picture. It’s quite remarkable considering that it’s been 50 years since a musical last won in this category, with Chicago taking the prize back in 2003. Another late contender worth noting is Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II. Both of these productions could potentially appear across several categories.
It would certainly be great to see Wicked break some records. Horror fans also deserve some love; Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance certainly has a chance to pick up some awards and even potentially a nod for Best Picture (a pipe dream from a horror fan, perhaps), yet even in the other categories, it may see stiff competition. This has also been a great year for animated features, with The Wild Robot and Inside Out 2 crafting heartwarming stories of self-discovery. We will examine and re-examine the 2025 Oscar contenders with our early predictions and updates as more information becomes available.
BEST PICTURE
Current Frontrunner: ‘Wicked’
| RANK | FILM | STUDIO | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wicked (Part One) | Universal | — |
| 2 | Anora | Neon | — |
| 3 | The Brutalist | A24 | — |
| 4 | Emilia Perez | Netflix | — |
| 5 | Conclave | Focus Features | — |
| 6 | Dune: Part Two | Warner Bros. | — |
| 7 | Gladiator II | Paramount Pictures | — |
| 8 | September 5 | Paramount Pictures | — |
| 9 | A Real Pain | Searchlight Pictures | — |
| 10 | Blitz | Apple TV | — |
BEST DIRECTOR
Current Frontrunner: Edward Berger for ‘Conclave’
| RANK | FILM | DIRECTOR | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conclave | Edward Berger | — |
| 2 | Anora | Sean Baker | — |
| 3 | The Brutalist | Brady Corbet | — |
| 4 | Emilia Pérez | Jacques Audiard | — |
| 5 | Dune: Part Two | Denis Villeneuve | — |
BEST ACTRESS
Current Frontrunner: Demi Moore for ‘The Substance’
| RANK | FILM | ACTRESS | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Substance | Demi Moore | — |
| 2 | Anora | Mikey Madison | — |
| 3 | Emilia Pérez | Karla Sofía Gascón | — |
| 4 | Maria | Angelina Jolie | — |
| 5 | Blitz | Saoirse Ronan | — |
BEST ACTOR
Current Frontrunner: Colman Domingo for ‘Sing Sing’
| RANK | FILM | ACTOR | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sing Sing | Colman Domingo | — |
| 2 | Conclave | Ralph Fiennes | — |
| 3 | The Brutalist | Adrien Brody | — |
| 4 | A Complete Unknown | Timothée Chalamet | — |
| 5 | Queer | Daniel Craig | — |
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Current Frontrunner: Zoe Saldaña for ‘Emilia Pérez’
| RANK | FILM | ACTRESS | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emilia Pérez | Zoe Saldaña | — |
| 2 | Conclave | Isabella Rossellini | — |
| 3 | The Brutalist | Felicity Jones | — |
| 4 | Nickel Boys | Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor | — |
| 5 | The Piano Lesson | Danielle Deadwyler | — |
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Current Frontrunner: Guy Pearce for ‘The Brutalist’
| RANK | FILM | ACTOR | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Brutalist | Guy Pearce | — |
| 2 | Conclave | Stanley Tucci | — |
| 3 | A Real Pain | Kieran Culkin | — |
| 4 | Gladiator II | Denzel Washington | — |
| 5 | A Different Man | Adam Pearson | — |
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Current Frontrunner: ‘The Wild Robot’
| RANK | FILM | Director | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Wild Robot | Chris Sanders | — |
| 2 | Flow | Gints Zilbalodis | — |
| 3 | Memoir of a Snail | Adam Elliot | — |
| 4 | Inside Out 2 | Kelsey Mann | — |
| 5 | Look Back | Kiyotaka Oshiyama | — |
Quick Takes
Instead, let’s delve deeper into a few of the other expected categories and our guess as to which contender might take the lead.
- Best Cinematography — Greig Fraser for Dune Part II
- Best Costume Design — Paul Tazewell for Wicked
- Best Original Screenplay — Sean Baker for Anora
- Best Adapted Screenplay — The Piano Lesson adapted from the play by August Wilson
- Best Original Score — Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for Challengers
- Best Original Song — Six Triple Eight by Diane Warren from The Journey
- Best Documentary Feature — No Other Land
- Best International Feature Film — Emilia Pérez
- Best Makeup and Hairstyling — Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
- Best Visual Effects — Gladiator II
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2024-12-08 05:34