Article by Robbie Fleming
Wicked’s Bowen Yang and Bottoms’ Rachel Sennott took center stage today to announce this year’s Academy Award nominations.
I’ve been following the Oscars since 2010, and it’s become a tradition of mine to share my thoughts on the nominations each year and my picks for the winners.
I’m thrilled to see the Academy recognizing more horror this year, with A Different Man, Nosferatu, and The Substance receiving nominations. Notably, The Substance has become the first horror film since Get Out to earn a Best Picture nomination—an achievement worth celebrating!
The biggest surprise of the ceremony was James Mangold landing a nomination for Best Director. None of the award commentators I follow on YouTube even mentioned him as a contender, making this an unexpected delight.
As for snubs, while I noticed the absence of Denzel Washington (Gladiator II) and Danielle Deadwyler (The Piano Lesson), the omission that hit hardest was Challengers missing out on both Best Original Screenplay and Best Score. I had high hopes for its recognition in these categories, and it’s a letdown to see it overlooked.
Another snub that annoyed me was Kneecap missing out on Best International Film for Ireland. This film deserved to be celebrated, and its omission feels like a missed opportunity.
I’m also baffled by the inclusion of Flow in the Best International Film category. While I love the movie, its absence of dialogue makes its placement here puzzling. It’s a great film, no doubt, but I’m struggling to understand how it fits this specific category.
On a brighter note, Monica Barbaro’s nomination for her brilliant performance as Joan Baez in A Complete Unknown softened the blow of Deadwyler’s snub.
The standout category this year, in my opinion, is Best Hair & Make-Up, as all five nominees are incredibly deserving of recognition.
While I’m pleased that Sebastian Stan earned a nomination, it’s frustrating that it was for The Apprentice and not A Different Man, where his performance was truly superior. That said, I understand why the Academy chose The Apprentice.
Now that I’ve shared my general thoughts, here are the nominations and my predictions for the main categories. I’ve excluded Best Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Short, Best Live Action Short, and Best Animated Short Film, as I haven’t seen them.
Let's get into the nominees:
Best Visual Effects
Alien: Romulus – Eric Barba, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser, Daniel Macarin and Shane Mahan
Better Man – Luke Millar, David Clayton, Keith Herft and Peter Stubbs
Dune: Part Two – Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe and Gerd Nefzer
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes – Erik Winquist, Stephen Unterfranz, Paul Story and Rodney Burke
Wicked – Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, David Shirk and Paul Corbould
My Prediction for Best Visual Effects winner: Dune: Part Two
Best Film Editing
Anora – Sean Baker
The Brutalist – David Jancso
Conclave – Nick Emerson
Emilia Pérez – Juliette Welfling
Wicked – Myron Kerstein
My Prediction for Best Film Editing winner: Sean Baker – Anora
Best Costume Design
A Complete Unknown – Arianne Phillips
Conclave – Lisy Christl
Gladiator II – Janty Yates and Dave Crossman
Nosferatu – Linda Muir
Wicked – Paul Tazewell
My Prediction for Best Costume Design winner: Paul Tazewell – Wicked
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
A Different Man – Mike Marino, David Presto and Crystal Jurado
Emilia Pérez – Julia Floch Carbonel, Emmanuel Janvier and Jean-Christophe Spadaccini
Nosferatu – David White, Traci Loader and Suzanne Stokes-Munton
The Substance – Pierre-Oliver Persin, Stéphanie Guillon and Marilyne Scarselli
Wicked – Frances Hannon, Laura Blount and Sarah Nuth
My Prediction for Best Hair & Make-Up winner: The Substance – Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon, and Marilyne Scarselli
Best Production Design
The Brutalist – Production Design: Judy Becker; Set Decoration: Patricia Cuccia
Conclave – Production Design: Suzie Davies; Set Decoration: Cynthia Sleiter
Dune: Part Two – Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau
Nosferatu – Production Design: Craig Lathrop; Set Decoration: Beatrice Brentnerová
Wicked – Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales
My Prediction for Best Production Design winner: Wicked – Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales
Best Sound
A Complete Unknown – Tod A. Maitland, Donald Sylvester, Ted Caplan, Paul Massey and David Giammarco
Dune: Part Two – Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett and Doug Hemphill
Emilia Pérez – Erwan Kerzanet, Aymeric Devoldère, Maxence Dussère, Cyril Holtz and Niels Barletta
Wicked – Simon Hayes, Nancy Nugent Title, Jack Dolman, Andy Nelson and John Marquis
The Wild Robot – Randy Thom, Brian Chumney, Gary A. Rizzo and Leff Lefferts
My Prediction for Best Sound winner: Dune: Part Two – Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett, and Doug Hemphill
Best Documentary (Short Film)
Death by Numbers – Kim A. Snyder and Janique L. Robillard
I Am Ready, Warden – Smriti Mundhra and Maya Gnyp
Incident – Bill Morrison and Jamie Kalven
Instruments of a Beating Heart – Ema Ryan Yamazaki and Eric Nyari
The Only Girl in the Orchestra – Molly O'Brien and Lisa Remington
My Prediction for Best Documentary (short film): Unsure
Best Documentary (Feature Film)
Black Box Diaries – Shiori Itō, Eric Nyari and Hanna Aqvilin
No Other Land – Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal and Yuval Abraham
Porcelain War – Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev, Aniela Sidorska and Paula Dupre' Pesmen
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat – Johan Grimonprez, Daan Milius and Rémi Grellety
Sugarcane – Nominees To Be Determined
My Prediction for Best Documentary (feature film): Unsure
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Best Original Score
The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg
Conclave – Volker Bertelmann
Emilia Pérez – Clément Ducol and Camille
Wicked – John Powell and Stephen Schwartz
The Wild Robot – Kris Bowers
My Prediction for Best Original Score winner: Conclave – Volker Bertelmann
Best Original Song
"El Mal" from Emilia Pérez – Music by Clément Ducol and Camille, lyrics by Clément Ducol,
Camille and Jacques Audiard
"The Journey" from The Six Triple Eight – Music and lyrics by Diane Warren
"Like A Bird" from Sing Sing – Music and lyrics by Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada
"Mi Camino" from Emilia Pérez – Music and lyrics by Camille and Clément Ducol
"Never Too Late" from Elton John: Never Too Late – Music and lyrics by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt and Bernie Taupin
My Prediction for Best Original Song winner: “Like A Bird” from Sing Sing
Best Adapted Screenplay
A Complete Unknown – James Mangold and Jay Cocks; based on the novel Dylan Goes Electric! by Elijah Wald
Conclave – Peter Straughan; based on the novel Conclave by Robert Harris
Emilia Pérez – Jacques Audiard; based on the opera libretto Emilia Pérez by Jacques
Audiard
Nickel Boys – RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes; based on the novel The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
Sing Sing – Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley, story by Greg Kwedar, Clint Bentley, Clarence Maclin, and John "Divine G" Whitfield; based on the "The Sing Sing Follies" by John H. Richardson
My Prediction for Best Adapted Screenplay winner: Conclave – Peter Straughan (based on the novel by Robert Harris)
Best Original Screenplay
Anora – Sean Baker
The Brutalist – Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold
A Real Pain – Jesse Eisenberg
September 5 – Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum, and Alex David
The Substance – Coralie Fargeat
My Prediction for Best Original Screenplay winner: Anora – Sean Baker
Best Animated Feature
Flow – Gints Zilbalodis and Matīss Kaža
Inside Out 2 – Kelsey Mann and Mark Nielsen
Memoir of a Snail – Adam Elliot and Liz Kearney
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl – Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham and Richard Beek
The Wild Robot – Chris Sanders and Jeff Hermann
My Prediction for Best Animated Film winner: Flow
Best International Feature Film
Emilia Pérez (France) in Spanish – directed by Jacques Audiard
Flow (Latvia) with no dialogue – directed by Gints Zilbalodis
The Girl with the Needle (Denmark) in Danish – directed by Magnus von Horn
I'm Still Here (Brazil) in Portuguese – directed by Walter Salles
The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Germany) in Persian – directed by Mohammad Rasoulof
My Prediction for Best International Film winner: Emilia Pérez (France)
Best Live Action Short Film
A Lien – Sam Cutler-Kreutz and David Cutler-Kreutz
Anuja – Adam J. Graves and Suchitra Mattai
I'm Not A Robot – Victoria Warmerdam and Trent
The Last Ranger – Cindy Lee and Darwin Shaw
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent – Nebojša Slijepčević and Danijel Pek
My Prediction for Best Live Action Short Film: Unsure
Best Animated Short Film
Beautiful Men – Nicolas Keppens and Brecht Van Elslande
In the Shadow of the Cypress – Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi
Magic Candies – Daisuke Nishio and Takashi Washio
Wander to Wonder – Nina Gantz and Stienette Bosklopper
Yuck! – Loïc Espuche and Juliette Marquet
My Prediction for Best Animated Short Film: Unsure
Best Supporting Actor
Yura Borisov – Anora
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong – The Apprentice
My Prediction for Best Supporting Actor winner: Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Best Supporting Actress
Ariana Grande – Wicked
Monica Barbaro – A Complete Unknown
Felicity Jones – The Brutalist
Isabella Rossellini – Conclave
Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez
My Prediction for Best Supporting Actress winner: Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez
Best Actor
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
Sebastian Stan – The Apprentice
My Prediction for Best Actor winner: Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Best Actress
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance
Fernanda Torres – I'm Still Here
My Prediction for Best Actress winner: Demi Moore – The Substance
Best Cinematography
Lol Crawley – The Brutalist
Greig Fraser – Dune: Part Two
Paul Guilhaume – Emilia Pérez
Ed Lachman – Maria
Jarin Blaschke – Nosferatu
My Prediction for Best Cinematography winner: Lol Crawley – The Brutalist
Best Director
Sean Baker – Anora
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
James Mangold – A Complete Unknown
Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
My Prediction for Best Director winner: Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
And finally, the nominees for best Picture are:
Best Picture
Anora
The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
I'm Still Here
Nickel Boys
The Substance
Wicked
My Prediction for Best Picture winner: Anora
The ceremony will take place on March 2, 2025, hosted by former Simpsons writer and TV presenter Conan O’Brien. For those in the UK, the event will be broadcast on ITV that evening. I’m excited to see what the ceremony has in store now that the nominations have been announced.
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