Oscars Buzz is back – it’s that time of year when Hollywood’s best and brightest hold their breath!
With the 97th Academy Awards just around the corner, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has officially revealed the shortlists for 10 key categories. Released after the December 9-13 voting period, these lists offer a sneak peek at the Frontrunners and Dark Horses vying for Hollywood’s most coveted golden statue.
From categories like Best Documentary Feature to Original Song, International Feature Film to Visual Effects, the competition is fierce this year. Blockbuster like Dune: Part Two and Evil racks up several mentions, while Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Perez is shaping up to be a prominent contender. Adding a twist to the price is The subjectan under-the-radar hit that has quietly built a following this season.
The road to the Oscars is being mapped out and it’s time to mark your calendars. Voting for nominations officially begins on January 8, 2025, giving Academy members four days to make their choices before the window closes on January 12, 2025. After this crucial phase, all eyes will be on the big reveal. On Friday, January 17, 2025, the nominations for the 97th Academy Awards will be announced, setting the stage for Hollywood’s most glamorous night.
With the spotlight nominees shortlisted, it’s time to start speculating: which films will hold a spot on January 17, and which one might surprise us all? So grab your popcorn and start placing your bets – Oscars season is heating up, and the excitement has only just begun.
Here’s a look at the shortlisted contenders for the following ten categories:
BEST Documentary
- “The Bibi Files”
- “Black Box Diaries”
- “Dahomey”
- “Daughters”
- “Eno”
- “Frida”
- “Hollywood Gate”
- “No other country”
- “Porcelain War”
- “Queenship”
- “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin”
- “Soundtrack to a Coup d’etat”
- “Sugar cane”
- “Union”
- “Will & Harper”
BEST Documentary short film
- “Chasing Roo”
- “Death by Numbers”
- “Eternal Father”
- “I’m ready, Warden”
- “Incident”
- “Instrument of a beating heart”
- “Keeper”
- “Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World”
- “Once Upon a Time in Ukraine”
- “The Only Girl in the Orchestra”
- “Planet Walker”
- “Quilters”
- “Seat 31: Zooey Zephyr”
- “A swimming lesson”
- “Until He’s Back”
Best International Feature Film
- Brazil, “I’m Still Here”
- Canada, “Universal Language”
- Czech Republic, “Waves”
- Denmark, “The Girl with the Needle”
- France, “Emilia Pérez”
- Germany, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”
- Iceland, “Touch”
- Ireland, “Kneecap”
- Italy, “Vermiglio”
- Latvia, “flow”
- Norway, “Armand”
- Palestine, “From Ground Zero”
- Senegal, “Dahomey”
- Thailand, “How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies”
- United Kingdom, “Santosh”
BEST Makeup and hairstyle
- “The Apprentice”
- “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”
- “Another Man”
- “Dune: Part Two”
- “Emilia Perez”
- “Mary”
- “Nosferatu”
- “The Subject”
- “Waltzing with Brando”
- “Evil”
BEST Music (Original Score)
- “Alien: Romulus”
- “Baby girl”
- “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”
- “Blink twice”
- “Blitz”
- “The Brutalist”
- “Challenger”
- “Conclave”
- “Emilia Perez”
- “The Fire Within”
- “Gladiator II”
- “Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1”
- “Inside Out 2”
- “Nosferatu”
- “The room next door”
- “Sing Sing”
- “The Six Triple Eight”
- “Evil”
- “The Wild Robot”
- “Young Woman and the Sea”
BEST Music (original vocals)
- “Forbidden Road” from “Better Man”
- “Winter Coat” from “Blitz”
- “Compress/Repress” from “Challengers”
- “Never Too Late” from “Elton John: Never Too Late”
- “The Evil” from “Emilia Pérez”
- “My Way” from “Emilia Pérez”
- “Sick in the Head” from “Kneecap”
- “Beyond” from “Moana 2”
- “Tell Me It’s You” from “Mufasa: The Lion King”
- “Piece by Piece” from “Piece by Piece”
- “Like a Bird” from “Sing Sing”
- “The Journey” from “The Six Triple Eight”
- “Out of Oklahoma” from “Twisters”
- “Kiss the Sky” from “The Wild Robot”
- “Harper and Will Go West” from “Will & Harper”
Best Animated Short Film
- “Goodbye my world”
- “A Bear Named Wojtek”
- “Beautiful Men”
- “Bottle George”
- “A crab in the pool”
- “In the shade of the cypress”
- “Magic Candies”
- “Maybe Elephants”
- “Me”
- “Origami”
- “Percebes”
- “21”
- “Walk to wonder”
- “The Wild-Tempered Clavier”
- “Yuck!”
Best Live Action Short Film
- “Anuja”
- “Clodagh”
- “The Combat”
- “Crust”
- “Dovecote”
- “Edge of Space”
- “The Ice Cream Man”
- “I’m not a robot”
- “The Last Ranger”
- “A Link”
- “The Man Who Couldn’t Be Silenced”
- “The Masterpiece”
- “An orange from Jaffa”
- “Paris 70”
- “Room taken”
Best sound
- “Alien: Romulus”
- “Blitz”
- “A complete unknown”
- “Deadpool & Wolverine”
- “Dune: Part Two”
- “Emilia Perez”
- “Gladiator II”
- “Joker: folia for two”
- “Evil”
- “The Wild Robot”
BEST Visual effects
- “Alien: Romulus”
- “Better Man”
- “Civil war”
- “Deadpool & Wolverine”
- “Dune: Part Two”
- “Gladiator II”
- “Ape Kingdom”
- “Mufasa: The Lion King”
- “Twisters”
- “Evil”
Mark your calendars because Oscars Grand Night 2025 takes place on Sunday, March 2, 2025, live from the iconic Dolby Theater at Ovation Hollywood. The ceremony will air on ABC, stream live on Hulu for the first time, and air in over 200 territories worldwide. Stay tuned for more updates!
