Amid the devastation caused by wildfires in Los Angeles, which have struck the heart of the film industry, Hollywood rallied behind Netflix’s narco-musical “Emilia Pérez” in Thursday’s Oscar nominations, reports AP.
Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez,” a Spanish-language, French-produced film, dominated the nominations with a total of 13, including Best Picture and Best Actress for Karla Sofía Gascón. Gascón’s nomination marks a historic first as the first openly trans actor ever to be nominated for an Oscar. The film also received nods for directing, original screenplay, two of its songs, and for Zoe Saldaña.
Despite Netflix’s prominence in Hollywood, it has yet to win Best Picture. Previous major contenders like “Mank,” “The Irishman,” and “Roma” racked up numerous nominations but left the ceremony with only a few awards.
“Emilia Pérez” could be Netflix’s best shot at securing this coveted prize. It has become the most nominated non-English language film in history, surpassing Netflix’s own “Roma,” which received 10 nominations. Only three films — “All About Eve,” “Titanic,” and “La La Land” — have garnered more nominations in Academy Awards history.
Another musical, “Wicked,” based on the hit Broadway show, also made an impressive showing with 10 nominations. Jon M. Chu’s lavish “Wizard of Oz” adaptation earned nods for Best Picture and acting nominations for stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
Brady Corbet’s postwar epic “The Brutalist,” distributed by A24, secured 10 nominations as well, including Best Picture, Best Director, and acting nominations for Adrien Brody, Guy Pearce, and Felicity Jones.
The 10 Best Picture nominees include: Anora, The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Dune: Part Two, Emilia Pérez, I’m Still Here, Nickel Boys, The Substance, and Wicked.
Last year, “Oppenheimer” dominated, but this year’s race is more open. The six most nominated films — Emilia Pérez, Wicked, The Brutalist, Anora (six nominations), Conclave (eight nominations), and A Complete Unknown (eight nominations) — largely lived up to expectations. However, there were surprises, such as the Brazilian political resistance film I’m Still Here, which also earned a Best Actress nomination for Fernanda Torres, and RaMell Ross’s “Nickel Boys,” a bold, first-person drama that had been overlooked in previous votes by guilds.
These films displaced a few potential Best Picture contenders, such as the prison drama Sing Sing, the journalism thriller September 5, and the heartfelt comedy A Real Pain. Despite missing out on Best Picture, these films earned nominations in other categories.
In one of 2024’s most audacious films, The Apprentice, Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong received surprising nominations. The film depicts the early years of Donald Trump’s rise in New York real estate under lawyer Roy Cohn. Trump has publicly denounced those involved with the film, calling them “human scum.”
The Best Actor nominees include Stan and Brody, along with Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown), Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), and Ralph Fiennes (Conclave). Notably absent was Daniel Craig, praised for his un-James Bond performance in Queer.
In the Best Actress category, Demi Moore appeared to have the edge for her powerful performance in The Substance, but also nominated were Moore, Gascón, Torres, Erivo, and Mikey Madison (Anora). This is one of the most competitive categories, with notable omissions such as Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths), Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl), Nicole Kidman (Babygirl), and Angelina Jolie (Maria).
Madison, a Los Angeles native, expressed her heartbreak over the wildfires’ devastation but celebrated Hollywood’s unity, saying, “Hollywood coming together and celebrating film right now is really beautiful.”
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In the directing category, The Substance’s Coralie Fargeat broke into the typically male-dominated field, joining Sean Baker (Anora), Corbet, Audiard, and James Mangold (A Complete Unknown). Many had anticipated Edward Berger’s nomination for directing Conclave, the papal thriller.
Kieran Culkin, a frontrunner for Supporting Actor for his performance in A Real Pain, led the category. Other nominees included Yura Borisov (Anora), Guy Pearce (The Brutalist), Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown), and Strong.
Supporting Actress nominations went to Grande, Saldaña, Jones, Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown), and Isabella Rossellini (Conclave).
Oscars Move Forward Amid Wildfires
The nominations, originally scheduled for January 17, were delayed twice after the wildfires that began on January 7 ravaged parts of Los Angeles. The Academy extended its voting window and rescheduled the announcement. As wildfires continued, the nominations were revealed by Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott.
In response to the destruction, some called for the cancellation of the Oscars, but Academy officials have argued that the March 2 ceremony must proceed as a vital economic force for Los Angeles and as a symbol of resilience for the industry. Organizers pledged to make this year’s ceremony a celebration of both the global film community and those who battled the fires.
“We will reflect on recent events while highlighting the strength, creativity, and optimism that defines Los Angeles and our industry,” wrote Bill Kramer, Academy CEO, and Janet Yang, Academy President, in an email to members.
Despite the ongoing crisis, the usual pomp of the awards season has been significantly reduced. The Academy cancelled its annual nominees luncheon and postponed or scaled down other events. Additionally, this year, nominees for Best Original Song will not perform during the ceremony. Conan O’Brien, whose home survived the fires, will host the event.
Blockbusters Miss Out
The nominations come after a tumultuous year for Hollywood, marked by strikes, widespread production delays, and the January fires. Despite a downturn for superhero films, the industry rallied behind a few major hits, including Wicked and three $1 billion grossers from Walt Disney Co. — Inside Out 2, Deadpool and Wolverine, and Moana 2.
However, none of these blockbusters received nominations on Thursday, except for Inside Out 2, which was among the Best Animated Film nominees alongside The Wild Robot, Flow, Memoir of a Snail, and Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. The most prominent films in the Oscar race were Wicked ($710.3 million worldwide) and Dune: Part Two ($714.6 million). Netflix does not disclose box office numbers, so the success of Emilia Pérez remains unclear.
The nominations reflect an unpredictable year for film, with films both widely seen and more obscure, released theatrically and via streaming platforms.
Unlike last year’s dominance by Oppenheimer, the 2024 Oscars offer no clear frontrunner for Best Picture. With five weeks remaining before the ceremony, at least four or five films — including The Brutalist, Emilia Pérez, Anora, Conclave, and Wicked — all have a legitimate shot at the top prize.
