***Netflix / Apple TV+ / Warner Bros. / Searchlight Pictures***

As the fall film festival season approaches, the early buzz for the 2025 Oscars is already building. Industry insiders and fans alike are eagerly anticipating the start of awards season, with Telluride and Venice Film Festivals set to kick off the cinematic celebration. This year promises a thrilling mix of mainstream blockbusters, highly anticipated sequels, and captivating indie projects vying for the top honors.

Leading the Oscar race this year is Emilia Pérez, directed by Jacques Audiard and produced by Netflix. The film has garnered significant attention for its unconventional narrative and Audiard’s distinctive style. This musical is predicted to be Netflix’s strongest contender yet for Best Picture, a category the streaming giant has come close to winning with Roma (2018) and The Power of the Dog (2021). Despite Audiard’s impressive career, he has yet to receive an Oscar nomination, adding to the film’s potential momentum.

Another major player in the race is A Complete Unknown, a Bob Dylan biopic directed by James Mangold and produced by Searchlight Pictures. Starring Timothée Chalamet as Dylan and Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, the film has been strategically set for a Christmas release, bypassing the festival circuit to create a late-breaking contender, much like Million Dollar Baby (2004). However, it faces stiff competition from high-profile sequels like Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II, Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux, and Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two.

This year’s Oscar race is also expected to see several unexpected twists in actor placements. Among those to watch are Denzel Washington (Gladiator II), Lady Gaga (Joker: Folie à Deux), and Danielle Deadwyler (The Piano Lesson). The ensemble casts of Emilia Pérez and His Three Daughters are also likely to make waves. Additionally, potential surprise acquisitions, such as Pamela Anderson’s The Last Showgirl or Tim Fehlbaum’s September 5, could shake up the race.

With such a diverse and competitive lineup, the 2025 awards season is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in recent memory. As the festival premieres begin, the race will undoubtedly heat up, setting the stage for a memorable year in cinema.

***Screenshot courtesy Sony Pictures CLASSICS***

Top 5 Projected Nomination Leaders (Films):

1. Emilia Pérez (12 nominations)

2. A Complete Unknown (11 nominations)

3. Gladiator II (9 nominations)

4. Dune: Part Two and Joker: Folie à Deux (7 nominations each)

5. Blitz (6 nominations)

Top 3 Projected Nomination Leaders (Studios):

1. Netflix (20 nominations)

2. Warner Bros. (16 nominations)

3. Searchlight Pictures (12 nominations)

Best Picture:

“Anora” (Neon)
- Producers: Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan
“Blitz” (Apple Original Films)
- Producers: Steve McQueen, Arnon Milchan, Yariv Milchan, Eric Fellner, Tim Bevan, Michael Schaefer
“A Complete Unknown” (Searchlight Pictures)
- Producers: Fred Berger, Bob Bookman, Nina Byrne, Timothée Chalamet, Alan Gasmer, Alex Heineman, Peter Jaysen, James Mangold, Jeff Rosen
“Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.)
- Producers: Cale Boyter, Tanya Lapointe, Mary Parent, Denis Villeneuve
“Emilia Pérez” (Netflix)
- Producers: Jacques Audiard, Pascal Caucheteux, Valérie Schermann, Anthony Vacarello
“Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures)
- Producers: Lucy Fisher, David Franzoni, Michael Pruss, Ridley Scott, Douglas Wick
“Joker: Folie à Deux” (Warner Bros.)
- Producers: Todd Phillips, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Joseph Garner
“Nickel Boys” (Amazon MGM Studios/Orion)
- Producers: Joslyn Barnes, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, David Levine
“The Piano Lesson” (Netflix)
- Producers: Todd Black, Denzel Washington
“The Room Next Door” (Sony Pictures Classics)
- Producers: Agustín Almodóvar, Esther García

Best Director

• Jacques Audiard, “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix)*

• James Mangold, “A Complete Unknown” (Searchlight Pictures)

• Steve McQueen, “Blitz” (Apple Original Films)

• Todd Phillips, “Joker: Folie à Deux” (Warner Bros.)

• Ridley Scott, “Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures)

Best Actor

• Timothée Chalamet, “A Complete Unknown” (Searchlight Pictures)

• Colman Domingo, “Sing Sing” (A24)

• Ralph Fiennes, “Conclave” (Focus Features)

• Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker: Folie à Deux” (Warner Bros.)

• Denzel Washington, “Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures)

Best Actress

• Karla Sofía Gascón, “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix)

• Marianne Jean-Baptiste, “Hard Truths” (Bleecker Street)

• Mikey Madison, “Anora” (Neon)

• Julianne Moore, “The Room Next Door” (Sony Pictures Classics)

• Saoirse Ronan, “The Outrun” (Sony Pictures Classics)*

***Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection***

Best Supporting Actor

• Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain” (Searchlight Pictures)

• Samuel L. Jackson, “The Piano Lesson” (Netflix)*

• Clarence Maclin, “Sing Sing” (A24)

• Edward Norton, “A Complete Unknown” (Searchlight Pictures)

• Stanley Tucci, “Conclave” (Focus Features)

Best Supporting Actress

• Monica Barbaro, “A Complete Unknown” (Searchlight Pictures)

• Danielle Deadwyler, “The Piano Lesson” (Netflix)

• Lady Gaga, “Joker: Folie à Deux” (Warner Bros.)

• Zoe Saldaña, “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix)*

• Tilda Swinton, “The Room Next Door” (Sony Pictures Classics)

Best Original Screenplay

• “Anora” (Neon) - Sean Baker

• “Blitz” (Apple Original Films)* - Steve McQueen

• “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix) - Jacques Audiard

• “Hard Truths” (Bleecker Street) - Mike Leigh

• “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” (Neon) - Mohammad Rasoulof

Best Adapted Screenplay

“A Complete Unknown” (Searchlight Pictures)* - Jay Cocks, James Mangold (based on “Dylan Goes Electric!” by Elijah Wald)
“Nickel Boys” (Amazon MGM Studios/Orion) - RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes (based on “The Nickel Boys” by Colson Whitehead)
“The Piano Lesson” (Netflix) - Virgil Williams, Malcolm Washington (based on the play by August Wilson)
“The Room Next Door” (Sony Pictures Classics) - Pedro Almodóvar (based on “What Are You Going Through” by Sigrid Nunez)
“Sing Sing” (A24) - Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John “Divine G” Whitfield (based on “The Sing Sing Follies” by John H. Richardson and “Breakin’ the Mummy’s Code” by Brent Buell)

Best Animated Feature

• “Flow” (Janus Films/Sideshow) - Gints Zilbalodis, Matīss Kaža, Ron Dyens, Gregory Zalcman

• “Inside Out 2” (Pixar) - Kelsey Mann, Mark Nielsen

• “Memoir of a Snail” (IFC Films) - Adam Elliot, Liz Kearney

• “Piece by Piece” (Focus Features) - Morgan Neville, Caitrin Rogers, Pharrell Williams

• “The Wild Robot” (DreamWorks Animation)* - Chris Sanders, Jeff Hermann

Best Production Design

• “Blitz” (Apple Original Films) - Adam Stockhausen, Anna Pinnock

• “A Complete Unknown” (Searchlight Pictures) - François Audouy, Regina Graves

• “Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.)* - Patrice Vermette, Zsuzsanna Sipos

• “Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures) - Arthur Max, Elli Griff

• “Joker: Folie à Deux” (Warner Bros.) - Mark Friedberg, Karen O’Hara

Best Cinematography

• “The Brutalist” (No U.S. Distribution) - Lol Crawley

• “A Complete Unknown” (Searchlight Pictures) - Phedon Papamichael

• “Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.)* - Greig Fraser

• “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix) - Paul Guilhaume

• “Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures) - John Mathieson

Best Costume Design

• “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” (Warner Bros.) - Colleen Atwood

• “Blitz” (Apple Original Films) - Jacqueline Durran

• “A Complete Unknown” (Searchlight Pictures) - Arianne Phillips

• “Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.)* - Jacqueline West

• “Wicked” (Universal Pictures) - Paul Tazewell

Best Film Editing

• “Blitz” (Apple Original Films) - Peter Sciberras

• “A Complete Unknown” (Searchlight Pictures)

• “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix)* - Juliette Welfling

• “Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures) - Sam Restivo, Claire Simpson

• “Joker: Folie à Deux” (Warner Bros.) - Jeff Groth

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

• “Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.)

• “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix)

• “Joker: Folie à Deux” (Warner Bros.)

• “Saturday Night” (Sony Pictures)

• “The Substance” (Mubi)

Best Sound

• “The Bikeriders” (Focus Features)

• “A Complete Unknown” (Searchlight Pictures)

• “Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.)

• “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix)

• “Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures)

Best Visual Effects

“Better Man” (Paramount Pictures)
“Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.)
“Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures)
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” (20th Century Studios)
“Mufasa: The Lion King” (Walt Disney Pictures)

Best Original Score

'“Conclave” (Focus Features) - Volker Bertelmann
“Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures) - Harry Gregson-Williams
“The Piano Lesson” (Netflix) - Alexandre Desplat
“Saturday Night” (Sony Pictures) - Jon Batiste
“The Wild Robot” (DreamWorks Animation) - Kris Bowers

Best Original Song

“El Mal” from “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix)
“Mi Camino” from “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix)*
“Piece by Piece” from “Piece by Piece” (Focus Features)
“The Journey” from “The Six Triple Eight” (Netflix)
“Kiss the Sky” from “The Wild Robot” (DreamWorks Animation)

Best Documentary Feature

“Dahomey” (Mubi) - dir. Mati Diop
“Daughters” (Netflix) - dir. Angela Patton, Natalie Rae
“Sugarcane” (National Geographic Documentary Films) - dir. Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie
“Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” (Warner Bros.) - dirs. Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui
“Will & Harper” (Netflix) - dir. Josh Greenbaum

Best International Feature

“All We Imagine as Light” from India (Janus Films/Sideshow) - dir. Payal Kapadia
“Emilia Pérez” from France (Netflix)* - dir. Jacques Audiard
“Flow” from Latvia (Janus Films/Sideshow) - dir. Gints Zilbalodis
“Kneecap” from Ireland (Sony Pictures Classics) - dir. Rich Peppiatt
“The Seed of a Sacred Fig” from Germany (Neon) - dir. Mohammad Rasoulof

as we look ahead to the 2025 Oscars, it’s clear that this awards season is shaping up to be one of the most competitive and unpredictable in recent years. With a diverse slate of films ranging from epic blockbusters to intimate character studies, the race for the top honors will be fiercely contested. Whether it’s the musical genius of Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez, the sweeping grandeur of Dune: Part Two, or the emotional depth of A Complete Unknown, each contender brings something unique to the table. As the film festivals continue and more screenings unfold, these early predictions will undoubtedly evolve, but one thing is certain: the journey to Oscar night will be one to watch closely.

Stay tuned as The Cinema Group keeps you updated with the latest news, analysis, and predictions throughout this thrilling awards season.

The 97th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 2, 2025. All movie listings, titles, distributors, and credited artisans are not final and are subject to change.

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