With the 2025 Oscar nominations having just been announced, the excitement is tangible across the entertainment industry. This year’s lineup features a diverse collection of films and performances, featuring both experienced and fresh new talent. As the countdown to the big night begins, both fans and critics are filled with speculations about who will take home the coveted golden statues.
The 2025 Oscar nominations, hosted by Conan O’Brien on Sunday, March 2, highlight 23 categories with key categories including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay (both original and adapted), also known as the “Big Five.”
Best Picture
The nominees for Best Picture include “Anora,” “The Brutalist,” “A Complete Unknown”, “Conclave”, “Dune: Part Two” and “Emilia Pérez.”
Best Director
The nominees for Best Director include Sean Baker for “Anora,” Brady Corbet for “The Brutalist,” James Mangold for “A Complete Unknown,” Jacques Audiard for “Emilia Pérez” and Coralie Fargeat for “The Substance.”
Best Actor
The nominees for Best Actor include Adrien Brody in “The Brutalist,” Timothée Chalamet in “A Complete Unknown,” Colman Domingo in “Sing Sing,” Ralph Fiennes in “Conclave” and Sebastian Stan in “The Apprentice.”
Best Actress
The nominees for Best Actress include Cynthia Erivo in “Wicked,” Karla Sofía Gascón in “Emilia Pérez,” Mikey Madison in “Anora,” Demi Moore in “The Substance” and Fernanda Torres in “I’m Still Here.”
Best Screenplay (Adapted)
The nominees for Best Screenplay include “A Complete Unknown” by Jay Cocks & James Mangold, “Conclave” by Peter Straughan, “Emilia Pérez” by Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain and Nicolas Livecchi, “Nickel Boys” by RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes and “Sing Sing” by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin & John “Divine G” Whitfield.
Best Screenplay (Original)
“Anora” written by Sean Baker, “The Brutalist” written by Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold, “A Real Pain” written by Jesse Eisenberg, “September 5” written by Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum; Co-Written by Alex David and “The Substance” written by Coralie Fargeat.
Fellow Porter Press member and sophomore at Lockport Township High School, Ally Kanosky is very knowledgeable about film and has viewed nearly every nominated film. Here are her predictions:
Ally believes that the Best Picture winner will be “Emilia Perez” due to its “groundbreaking number of nominations.” She also believes that the winner of Best Actress will likely go to Demi Moore as a result of “the amount of work that went into her performance,” considering that she acts in prosthetics for most of the film. Ally is in a predicament for her prediction of Best Actor as she first believed that Adrien Brody was going to take the win; however, a recent scandal involving AI use in “The Brutalist” has changed her perspective, and is currently leaning towards Timothée Chalamet.
Whether favorites will take home the gold or surprises will emerge, the 2025 Oscars promise a memorable celebration of cinematic excellence.
