Aliens, apes, witches, 
contend for effects Oscar

The winners for the 97th Academy Awards will be announced this Sunday (2 March 2025), with several science fiction and fantasy films competing in the visual effects category. Nominees include Alien: Romulus, Dune: Part Two, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and Wicked, alongside Better Man, the sole movie outside these genres in the category.

The 2024 award went to Godzilla Minus One, in a pool of nominees that included The Creator, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, and Napoleon.

Notably, this year, the musical fantasy Wicked has received 10 nominations, making it the second-most nominated film. The historical drama The Brutalist also received 10 nominations. The musical crime film Emilia Pérez has received the most nominations, with 13 in total.

Best picture

This year’s Best Picture race features a diverse lineup, including Dune: Part Two, Wicked, Emilia Pérez, The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Anora, I’m Still Here, Nickel Boys, and The Substance. The nominees span multiple genres, from historical dramas and biopics to psychological horror and socially driven narratives.

The Brutalist, for example, explores ambition and sacrifice through the lens of an architect rebuilding his life, while A Complete Unknown offers a fresh take on Bob Dylan’s early years. Conclave digs into political manoeuvring within the Vatican, while Anora focuses on a young woman caught in unexpected circumstances. Nickel Boys and I’m Still Here bring real-world injustices to the forefront, while The Substance stands out as the lineup’s sole horror entry.

Best actor, actress, and director

Adrien Brody (The Brutalist), Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown), Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), Ralph Fiennes (Conclave), and Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice) are vying for Best Actor. In the supporting category, Yura Borisov (Anora), Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain), Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown), Guy Pearce (The Brutalist), and Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice) are among the contenders.

Cynthia Erivo (Wicked), Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez), Mikey Madison (Anora), Demi Moore (The Substance), and Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here) lead the Best Actress category. For the supporting actress, Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown), Ariana Grande (Wicked), Felicity Jones (The Brutalist), Isabella Rossellini (Conclave), and Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez) are among the nominees.

The Best Director category includes Sean Baker (Anora), Brady Corbet (The Brutalist), James Mangold (A Complete Unknown), Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez), and Coralie Fargeat (The Substance).

Notable nominees

Several other notable films have secured key nominations across various categories. Conclave, in addition to its Best Picture nomination, is nominated for its cinematography and production design, capturing the secrecy and grandeur of the Vatican. Sing Sing, which follows a prison theatre program, is nominated in acting categories and in Best Adapted Screenplay. A Real Pain, a drama directed by and starring Jesse Eisenberg, features in the Best Original Screenplay category.

In animation, The Wild Robot joins Inside Out 2 and Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl in the Best Animated Feature category, bringing a mix of CGI and stop-motion techniques to the competition. 

The International Feature Film race includes The Girl with the Needle from Denmark and The Seed of the Sacred Fig from Germany, both earning recognition for their storytelling. 

On the technical side, Nosferatu is among the nominees for cinematography and makeup, while A Different Man is acknowledged for its prosthetic work in makeup and hairstyling.

Where to watch

The 97th Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien, takes place this Sunday (2 March 2025) at  23:00 GMT at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. See how to watch here.

* View all the 2025 Oscar nominations and categories here.