OSCARS
02/21/2025
Clément Ducol and Camille have a chance to join this list for their work on Emilia Pérez.
02/21/2025
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The 97th Academy Awards are still more than a week away, but the nominations are in and the coveted best picture award is up for grabs. With a jam-packed lineup of nominees, it’s hard to pick a clear favorite in this year’s Oscar race.
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Emilia Pérez leads the pack with the most nominations of the night with 13, setting a record for a non-English movie. Tied for second, is A24’s The Brutalist and Wicked with 11 nods; A Complete Unknown and Conclave came in third with eight mentions each. Other best picture nominees include the blockbuster sci-fi, Dune: Part Two; the Neon darling, Anora; the international hit, I’m Still Here; the indie gem, Nickel Boys; and the viral horror, The Substance.
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It’s a long list of films, and unless you’re a pro Letterboxd reviewer, you probably haven’t seen every best picture nominee yet. Luckily, now you can without leaving the comfort of your own home. Almost every film has made their way online to streaming and video on-demand services to buy or rent.
If you’re feeling the Oscar buzz, check out our guide to watching every best picture nominee online below.
Where to Stream Every Best Picture Nominee
A Complete Unknown
Starring alongside Edward Norton, Elle Fanning and Monica Barbaro, Timothée Chalamet completely transforms into the iconic Bob Dylan in James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown. The biopic paints a beautiful portrait of 1960 New York City as Dylan transforms the Greenwich Village folk scene forever.
Oscar nominations: Best picture (Fred Berger, James Mangold and Alex Heineman, producers), best directing (James Mangold), best actor (Timothée Chalamet), best supporting actor (Edward Norton), best supporting actress (Monica Barbaro), best writing (Mangold, Jay Cocks), best costume design (Arianne Phillips), best sound (Tod A. Maitland, Donald Sylvester, Ted Caplan, Paul Massey and David Giammarco)
Where to Stream: Available Feb. 24; pre-order at Apple TV, Prime Video
The Brutalist
Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce and Joe Alwyn star in this incredible story about a visionary architect who escapes postwar Europe to rebuild his life, career, and marriage in America.
Oscar nominations: Best picture (Nick Gordon, Brian Young, Andrew Morrison, D.J. Gugenheim and Brady Corbet, producers), best directing (Brady Corbet), best actor (Adrien Brody), best supporting actor (Guy Pearce), best supporting actress (Felicity Jones), best writing (Corbet, Mona Fastvold), best cinematography (Lol Crawley), best editing (David Jancso), best original score (Daniel Blumberg), best production design (production design: Judy Becker, set decoration: Patricia Cuccia)
Where to Stream: Buy or rent on Apple TV, Prime Video
Conclave
Ralphn Fiennes shines as Cardinal Lawrence in this Vatican mystery thriller. While participating in the selection of a new pope, many deep secrets are brought to light that could shake the very foundation of the Roman Catholic Church.
Oscar nominations: Best picture (Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell and Michael A. Jackman, producers), best actor (Ralph Fiennes), best supporting actress (Isabella Rossellini), best writing (Peter Straughan), best costume design (Lisy Christl), best editing (Nick Emerson), best original score (Volker Bertelmann), best production design (production design: Suzie Davies; set decoration: Cynthia Sleiter)
Where to Stream: Stream on Peacock
Wicked
The record-breaking musical stars everyone’s favorite celebrity duo, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. The Jon M. Chu’s Wizard of Oz-inspired fantasy, based on the hit Broadway musical, also includes Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum.
Oscar nominations: Best picture (Marc Platt, Producer), best actress (Cynthia Erivo), best supporting actress (Ariana Grande), best costume design (Paul Tazewell), best editing (Myron Kerstein), best makeup and hairstyling (Frances Hannon, Laura Blount and Sarah Nuth), best original score (John Powell and Stephen Schwartz), best production design (production design: Nathan Crowley; set decoration: Lee Sandales, best sound (Simon Hayes, Nancy Nugent Title, Jack Dolman, Andy Nelson and John Marquis), best visual effects (Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, David Shirk and Paul Corbould)
Where to Stream: Coming to Peacock on March 21, buy or rent on Apple TV, Prime Video
Anora
Breakout star Mikey Madison steals the show in the Sean Baker-directed film about a young woman who gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and marries the son of an oligarch. However, his family will go to great lengths to get the marriage annulled.
Oscar nominations: Best picture (Alex Coco, Samantha Quan and Sean Baker, producers), best directing (Sean Baker), best actress (Mikey Madison), best supporting actor (Yura Borisov), best writing (Sean Baker), best editing (Sean Baker)
Where to Stream: Coming to Hulu on March 21. Buy or rent on Apple TV, Prime Video
Dune: Part Two
Denis Villeneuve’s epic sci-fi sequel is a grand spectacle with an even greater cast. Starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, as well as newcomers, Austin Butler and Florence Pugh, this film is meant to be seen on the largest screen possible.
Oscar nominations: Best picture (Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Tanya Lapointe and Denis Villeneuve, producers), best cinematography (Greig Fraser), best production design (production design: Patrice Vermette, set decoration: Shane Vieau), best sound (Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett and Doug Hemphill), best visual effects (Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe and Gerd Nefzer)
Where to Stream: Stream on Hulu + Max bundle
Emilia Pérez
The Jacques Audiard directed musical, starring Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, and Karla Sofía Gascón, centers around a Mexican lawyer who’s offered an unusual job to help a notorious cartel boss retire and transition into living as a woman.
Oscar nominations: Best picture (Pascal Caucheteux and Jacques Audiard, producers), best directing (Audiard), best actress (Karla Sofía Gascón), best supporting actress (Zoe Saldaña), best writing (Audiard, in collaboration with Thomas Bidegain, Léa Mysius and Nicolas Livecchi), best cinematography (Paul Guilhaume), best editing (Juliette Welfling), best makeup and hairstyling (Julia Floch Carbonel, Emmanuel Janvier and Jean-Christophe Spadaccini), best music (Clément Ducol and Camille), best original song (“El Mal” with music by Ducol and Camille; lyric by Ducol, Camille and Audiard), best original song (“Mi Camino” with music and lyric by Camille and Ducol), best international feature film (France), best sound (Erwan Kerzanet, Aymeric Devoldère, Maxence Dussère, Cyril Holtz and Niels Barletta)
Where to Stream: Stream on Netflix
I’m Still Here
Fernanda Torres stars as a mother of five who learns the truth behind the disappearance of her husband, former PTB deputy Rubens Paiva, while trying to keep her family together.
Oscar nominations: Best picture (Maria Carlota Bruno and Rodrigo Teixeira, producers), best actress (Fernanda Torres), best international film feature (Brazil)
Where to Stream: Pre-order at Apple TV, Prime Video
Nickel Boys
Starring Brandon Wilson, Ethan Herisse and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor Curtis, Nickel Boys centers around two black boys who strike up a friendship to navigate a punishing reformatory school in the Jim Crow South.
Oscar nominations: Best picture (Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Joslyn Barnes, producers), best writing (Ross and Barnes)
Where to Stream: Buy or rent on Apple TV, Prime Video
The Substance
Demi Moore gives a career defining performance as a fading actress who injects herself with a mysterious serum that promises a younger, better version of herself, but things go horribly wrong.
Oscar nominations: Best picture (Coralie Fargeat, Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, producers), best directing (Fargeat), best actress (Demi Moore), best writing (Fargeat), best makeup and hairstyling (Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon and Marilyne Scarselli)
Where to Stream: Stream on Mubi; buy or rent on Apple TV, Prime Video
02/19/2025
Timothée Chalametcould become the youngest best actor winner at the March 2 ceremony.
02/19/2025
Selena Gomez, one of the stars of Emilia Pérez; second-generation comedy star Ben Stiller; and Joe Alwyn, one of the stars of The Brutalist (though probably still best-known by many as Taylor Swift’s ex) have been added to the list of presenters for the 2025 Oscars. The show will air live on ABC and stream live on Hulu on Sunday, March 2, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.
Other newly announced presenters are Sterling K. Brown, Willem Dafoe, Ana de Armas, Lily-Rose Depp, Goldie Hawn, Connie Nielsen and Oprah Winfrey.
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Previously announced presenters are Halle Berry, Penélope Cruz, Elle Fanning, Whoopi Goldberg, Scarlett Johansson, John Lithgow, Amy Poehler, June Squibb and Bowen Yang – as well as last year’s four acting winners: Cillian Murphy, Emma Stone, Robert Downey Jr. and Da’Vine Joy Randolph.
Hawn, Berry, Goldberg and Cruz are also past Oscar winners. In 2001, for her role in Monster’s Ball, Berry became the first Black actress to win best actress. These other stars won for best supporting actress – Hawn for Cactus Flower in 1970, Goldberg for Ghost in 1991 and Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona in 2009.
In 2011, Winfrey received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
Alwyn has had numerous film credits leading up to The Brutalist. He also appeared in The Favourite (2018), Boy Erased (2018), Mary Queen of Scots (2018) and Harriet (2019), among others.
Nick Offerman will serve as the announcer for this year’s Oscar telecast. Conan O’Brien will host for the first time.
The 97th Oscars will be held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will air live on ABC and stream live on Hulu. The official live red-carpet show will air at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.
Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan are executive producers of the 2025 Oscars. Kapoor is also showrunner. He was also one of three executive producers for the Grammy Awards on Feb. 2, along with Ben Winston and Jesse Collins.
When looking back on his husband Sir Elton John‘s storied career in the music industry, David Furnish points out that there is a lot to be proud of. Yet, when thinking about that legacy in connection to the future, Furnish settles on one aspect of John’s career that makes him proudest: the pair’s work with the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
Dedicated to ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic for good, the organization — which was founded by the singer in 1992 — makes headlines every year with their glitzy, star-studded Academy Awards Viewing Party. Over the course of 33 years, the annual benefit, held on Oscars night, has helped raise over $100 million for the organization’s fight against the virus.
“Things go in and out of fashion and change with the times,” Furnish explains. “But every year, to see that everybody keeps stepping up? That just blows our minds.”
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The 2025 iteration of the event promises to be just as much of a spectacle — along with being co-hosted by John, Furnish, and actors Jean Smart, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka, the viewing party is also set to feature an exclusive performance from pop phenomenon Chappell Roan. (Tickets to the party are still available on the organization’s website.)
“We’re always passionate about bringing in great, new, rising talent where we can,” Furnish says of the “Pink Pony Club” singer, before pausing and correcting himself with a laugh. “Well, she’s already risen pretty quickly, and I’d say she’s arrived.”
Below, Furnish speaks with Billboard ahead of the annual fundraiser about his admiration for Roan, the evolution of the gala and why the fight against HIV & AIDS related stigma is far from over.
This year is the 33rd Oscars viewing party that Elton has thrown — in the time that you’ve been involved, how have you seen this party evolve into what it is today?
It’s been an extraordinarily gratifying and rewarding experience. I mean, the fact that we continue to host the premiere fundraising event on Oscar night, that we have that tentpole for our organization… not only does it give us a superb fundraising opportunity to raise much-needed funds, but it also is a tremendous profile opportunity to, one one of the biggest entertainment nights of the year, get the support that we do from the people that come to the party.
One of the most important things in the fight against HIV and AIDS is that we are not finished yet. We’ve seen tremendous progress and tremendous success with the medications, and a lot of people are under the impression that this disease is essentially cured. But consistency is the most important thing in this fight. We have an end in sight, we have our eye focused on the finish line, and we have all of the science and medication that we need to basically end AIDS for good. But we have to be consistent, we have to keep going.
I always say to Elton, “We always have tremendous attendance, we always have a great auction, you’d think after doing it for so many years it might kind of taper off.” But I kind of turn cartwheels as I come out the door every year, because I think, “Oh my god, this is as big or bigger than it’s ever been.” Every year, it continues to get such an extraordinary level of support from the sponsors, from the ticket buyers, from the auction donors, from the performers, from the people who help co-host.
Speaking of performers, you guys got an excellent one this year. You and Elton have been close with Chappell Roan over the last few months — what made you decide to bring her in as the performer this year?
Oh, loads of reasons! First and foremost, she is an unbelievably brilliant performer. We went to see her at the Brixton Academy in London — her command of the stage, her band, her way of delivering her songs, her connection with the audience, her voice, her performance, her visual, everything about her is just like, “Wow.”
She’s also had a fantastic year! She’s really risen so quickly, and has been received so enthusiastically, with great song after great song. I mean, look at that best new artist Grammy this year! But I’m sure that she’s had a lot of requests for her time, and she’s at that stage when you have to keep investing in yourself to grow — and the fact that she so identifies with our cause, and relates so much with our journey and our mission of making sure we put our arms around everybody and that no one gets left behind, is amazing.
It’s that magical combination of the most brilliant artist, at such an extraordinary moment in their career, who is also so connected with this issue. We are just counting our lucky stars. It’s so great that she was available, and so happy to do it, and so joyful about understanding what it really means and wanting to make the best contribution.
We’re at a cultural moment where the stigma-combatting work organizations like yours do is more vital than ever. Can you describe what the EJAF is doing to actively fight against anti-LGBTQ+ and AIDS-related stigma on a daily basis?
Yeah, we want to share the positive messaging that you live a full, happy, healthy life with HIV. When properly treated, you don’t pass the virus on to anyone else, it is nothing to be afraid of and it is nothing to be ashamed of. The programs we’re able to take the money [from this event] and invest in all go a very long way.
It’s about communication, education, breaking down stigma, outreach within key communities and key populations — making sure people have access to testing and know their HIV status, and then once they know their HIV status, having access to the right treatment to deal with the virus headfirst. If they don’t test positive, then it’s about being able to use the latest advancements in science to protect themselves from contracting HIV. If people test positive, then we make sure they have the appropriate counseling and support so that they can live positively and proudly with HIV.
It’s a disease that took hold and thrived in the shadows and corridors of shame. In the It’s a Sin TV series in Britain, Callum Howells’ character says, “I feel so dirty.” There was so much shame associated with it, and we’ve gone so far beyond that now, and we need to continue to reach out and find the key groups that are affected so we can make sure that none of that messaging continues to linger or stick around. We want to make people feel empowered and supported.
This is a celebration on top of a celebration, because Elton is nominated for best original song at this year’s ceremony alongside Brandi Carlile for “Never Too Late.” What does that mean to the two of you, to have Elton at this stage of his career still receiving these major nods?
We’re just so thrilled. There’s so many amazing things connected with nomination — it’s not just Elton, but also Brandi and Andrew Watt and Bernie Taupin, and they are like extended family for Elton and me. The fact that the song became the closing point for the documentary I directed with R.J. Cutler, and even the overall messaging of saying that it’s never too late to change your life and find hope, that there can always be a positive outcome and a happy ending if you work for it; the Oscar represents all of that, to us. Also, oh my god, it’s an Oscar nomination! It’s such an amazing honor, and Elton is incredibly proud.
He and Bernie got the Oscar [for The Lion King‘s “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?”] as the first major award they’d won as songwriters — they’d never won a Grammy at that point. This time around, for Brandi and Andrew to be a part of the process of creating the song, Elton is so excited for them, as well as for himself and Bernie. Yeah, I mean, we’re all just very thrilled.
And what an excellent prelude to Elton and Brandi’s album coming out later this year, too.
Yeah! It’s a wonderful album. Brandi started the process on this song before the album started, because I screened the documentary for her the summer before everybody went into the studio to start on the album. I knew Brandi was a huge fan and understood Elton’s history so well, so I wanted her to see the film. She was so profoundly moved by it, that she wrote this lyric before she went into the studio and started working on it. It’s been an amazing journey.
Halle Berry, Penélope Cruz, Elle Fanning, Whoopi Goldberg, Scarlett Johansson, John Lithgow, Amy Poehler, June Squibb and Bowen Yang are set to present at the 2025 Oscars on Sunday, March 2, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.
Berry, Goldberg and Cruz are past Oscar winners. In 2001, for her role in Monster’s Ball, Berry became the first Black actress to win best actress. She is still the only Black actress to achieve that feat, though Cynthia Erivo, nominated this year for Wicked, could join her. In 1991, for her role in Ghost, Goldberg became only the second Black actress – and the first in 51 years – to win best supporting actress. Zoe Saldaña, nominated this year for Emilia Pérez, could become the 11th Black actress (she is Black and Afro-Latina) to win in that category.
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Cruz won best supporting actress in 2009 for Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
Poehler and Yang both rose to fame on Saturday Night Live, which is enjoying an especially high profile as it celebrates its 50th season. Poehler co-hosted the Golden Globe Awards four times with fellow SNL vet Tina Fey.
Squibb, a best supporting actress nominee in 2014 for Nebraska, is red-hot at age 95, with roles in three 2024 films: Thelma (for which she also served as executive producer), Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead and the animated Inside Out 2.
Last year’s Oscar winners in the four acting categories – Cillian Murphy, Emma Stone, Robert Downey Jr. and Da’Vine Joy Randolph – were announced as presenters last week.
Hosted by Conan O’Brien, the 97th Oscars will be held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will air live on ABC and stream live on Hulu. The official live red-carpet show will air at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.
Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan are executive producers of the 2025 Oscars. Kapoor is also showrunner. He was also one of three executive producers for the Grammy Awards on Feb. 2, along with Ben Winston and Jesse Collins.
“El Mal” from Emilia Pérez won best original song at the 30th annual Critics Choice Awards, which were held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif., on Friday (Feb. 7).
The song, co-written by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard, the film’s writer, director and co-producer, also won the Golden Globe Award in that category on Jan. 5.
With these two wins, “El Mal” appears to be the front-runner in the race for best original song at the Oscars. The other Oscar nominees in that category are “El Camino,” also from Emilia Pérez; “Never Too Late” from Elton John: Never Too Late; “The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight; and “Like a Bird” from Sing Song. The latter three songs were not nominated at the Critics Choice Awards.
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Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross’ acclaimed score for Challengers won the Critics Choice Award for best original score, just as it won at the Golden Globes. But it cannot win the Oscar as it wasn’t even nominated. It’s just the third film score to win both the Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award and not even be nominated at the Oscars. The first two were Howard Shore’s score for The Aviator at the 2005 ceremony and Justin Hurwitz’s score for First Man in 2019. (Shore, Hurwitz and Reznor & Ross had all won best original score at the Oscars with previous films, making these shut-outs hard to understand.)
The other best original score nominees at the Oscars are Volker Bertelmann for Conclave, Daniel Blumberg for The Brutalist, Kris Bowers for The Wild Robot and John Powell & Stephen Schwartz for Wicked.
Emilia Pérez also won best the Critics Choice Award for foreign language film. Zoe Saldaña, who sang “El Mal” in Emilia Pérez, (with an assist from Karla Sofia Gascón) won the award for best supporting actress.
Accepting the Critics Choice Award for best original song, Camille said “This gives us such a sense of belonging. It feels so grounding. You know this awards season sometimes is so hectic, so overwhelming. I feel like saying sometimes [sings] I’m just a bird.” Thank you so much to Jacques Audiard to allow the bird in me and us to write. Thanks to the Emilia Pérez team and to Zoe, of course, for being such a great artist.”
Ducol, Camille’s romantic partner and collaborator, spoke warmly about Los Angeles in accepting the award. “We’ve been making L.A. our home over the past few months with our family and fell in love with the city and its people. We were so warmly welcomed by the community here and made lasting friendships. Of course, we were heartbroken by the fires and destruction. Now I know why I dreamed of becoming a firefighter when I was young.”
Last year’s Critics Choice Award winners in the music categories were Ludwig Göransson’s Oppenheimer for best original score (which went on to win the Oscar) and “I’m Just Ken” from Barbie for best original song (which was Oscar-nominated, but lost to fellow Barbie song “What Was I Made For?”
Chelsea Handler hosted the Critics Choice Awards for the third year in a row. The show was originally set for Sunday, Jan. 12, but was postponed to Sunday, Jan. 26, and then postponed again, because of wind-whipped wildfires in Los Angeles that began on Jan. 7. The three-hour show, which included awards for both film and television, aired at 7 p.m. ET/PT on E!. The show will also be available to stream the next day on Peacock.
Final-round Oscar voting extends from Feb. 11-18. The 97th Oscars, hosted for the first time by Conan O’Brien, will be held on Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The show will air live coast-to-coast at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ABC and streamed live on Hulu for the first time.
Here are the Critics Choice Award nominees in the two music categories, with winners marked:
Best Song
“Beautiful That Way” – The Last Showgirl – Music by: Andrew WyattLyrics by: Andrew Wyatt, Miley Cyrus, Lykke Li“Compress/Repress” – Challengers – Music by: Trent Reznor, Atticus RossLyrics by: Trent Reznor, Luca GuadagninoWINNER: “El Mal” – Emilia Pérez – Music by: Clément Ducol, CamilleLyrics by: Clément Ducol, Camille, Jacques Audiard“Harper and Will Go West” – Will & Harper – Sean Douglas, Kristen Wiig
“Kiss the Sky” – The Wild Robot – Music & Lyrics by: Delacey, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael Pollack, Ali Tamposi“Mi Camino” – Emilia Pérez – Music & Lyrics by: Clément Ducol, Camille
Best Score
Volker Bertelmann – Conclave
Daniel Blumberg – The Brutalist
Kris Bowers – The Wild Robot
Clément Ducol & Camille – Emilia Pérez
WINNER: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Challengers
Hans Zimmer – Dune: Part Two
Music played an outsize role in the nominations for the 97th annual Academy Awards, which were announced Jan. 23 (six days later than originally planned due to the Los Angeles wildfires). Emilia Pérez and Wicked are among the 10 films nominated for best picture — the first time that two musicals have been nominated in that category in the same year since the 1969 ceremony, when Oliver! and Funny Girl both vied for the award. Emilia Pérez received 13 nods (more than any other film this year), while Wicked amassed 10. This is the first time in 60 years that two musicals received 10 or more nominations in the same year. At the 1965 ceremony, Mary Poppins had 13 nods and My Fair Lady had 12.
Plus, three actors from the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown — Timothée Chalamet (who plays Dylan), Edward Norton (Pete Seeger) and Monica Barbaro (Joan Baez) — were nominated for acting honors. It’s the first time in Oscar history that three actors from a music biopic have been nominated.
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The Oscar telecast is set for March 2. Here’s a closer look at the two music categories.
Best Original Song
Diane Warren is nominated for the eighth year in a row, which ties her with Sammy Cahn for the longest continuous streak of nominations in this category’s 91-year history. Cahn was nominated eight years running from 1955 to 1962. Clément Ducol and Camille are nominated for best original score for Emilia Pérez and have two songs in the running for best original song. They’re the first composers to land three nods in music categories in one year since Justin Hurwitz achieved the same feat with La La Land eight years ago.
“El Mal”Emilia Pérez (Netflix)Music by Clément Ducol and Camille; lyric by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard
Zoe Saldaña takes the lead on this big production number in the film, with an assist from Karla Sofía Gascón. Both are nominated for their performances — Saldaña for best supporting actress and Gascón for best actress.
Audiard, who is nominated for directing Emilia Pérez and for co-writing the lyrics to this song, is only the third person in Oscar history to be nominated in both the directing and original song categories and the first to be so honored in the same year. Leo McCarey and Spike Jonze received their nominations in separate years.
Ducol and Camille are vying to become the sixth romantic couple to win in this category following Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager, Jack Nitzsche and Buffy Sainte-Marie, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, and Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez.
This is the fifth year in a row that one or more non-English-language songs has been nominated in this category. This streak started in 2021 with “Io Sì (Seen)” from The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se) and continued with “Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto, “Naatu Naatu” from RRR (which won), “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” from Killers of the Flower Moon and now two songs from Emilia Pérez.
“The Journey”The Six Triple Eight (Netflix)Music and lyric by Diane Warren
This inspirational ballad gives Warren her 16th Oscar nomination for best original song — a total equaled by only three other songwriters. Sammy Cahn leads with 26 nods, followed by Johnny Mercer with 18 and Paul Francis Webster, also with 16. (This makes Warren the most-nominated woman in this category, topping the late lyricist Marilyn Bergman, who received 15.)
Making Warren’s tally all the more impressive is that she has rarely been part of an Oscar-magnet film that racked up multiple nominations. “The Journey” is her 11th nominated song from a film that received no other nominations besides hers.
“The Journey” is the 12th of Warren’s best original song contenders that she wrote herself. Only Randy Newman has been nominated with as many songs that he wrote himself. He has been the sole writer of all 13 of his best original song nominees to date.
H.E.R. sings “The Journey” over the end credits to the Tyler Perry film The Six Triple Eight, which stars Kerry Washington. H.E.R. and Warren squared off in this category four years ago, when the R&B star’s “Fight for You” from Judas and the Black Messiah beat Warren’s “Io Sì (Seen)” from The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se).
“Like a Bird”Sing Sing (A24)Music and lyric by Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada
This soulful, midtempo ballad echoes the style of the late folk-rock musician Richie Havens. These are the first Oscar nominations for Alexander and Quesada, who wrote and performed “Like a Bird.”
Quesada has received seven Grammy nominations (but no wins as yet) as a member of Black Pumas. The psychedelic soul band has been nominated in three of the top general-field categories — album and record of the year and best new artist. Quesada previously received two Grammy nods as a member of the Latin funk orchestra Grupo Fantasma, winning best Latin rock, alternative or urban album in 2011 for El Existential.
Alexander is a Texas-based musician, songwriter and guitarist. His nod makes this the eighth year in a row that one or more Black songwriters has been nominated in this category. This represents the longest streak of nominations by Black songwriters in the category’s history.
This was one of three nominations for Greg Kwedar’s film Sing Sing, along with best actor for Colman Domingo and best adapted screenplay. Bryce Dessner of The National scored Sing Sing. He was shortlisted for best original score but not nominated.
“Mi Camino”Emilia Pérez (Netflix)Music and lyric by Camille and Clément Ducol
Selena Gomez sings this sensuous ballad in a sexy scene with co-star Édgar Ramírez. Camille and Ducol had composed several songs for Gomez’s character before the star was cast. Once she was, director Jacques Audiard told the composers he needed another song for the character. They watched the 2022 documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, which explored the singer’s mental health struggles and inspired them to write “Mi Camino.”
“We didn’t have the opportunity to meet her in person [before writing the song] but did meet her through her documentary,” Ducol told The Los Angeles Times. “Her sensitivity was so engaging and so strong that the song was created very quickly. We wrote it in the space of a few hours. For some songs, like ‘El Mal,’ we had dozens of different versions. ‘Mi Camino’ just came to the surface.”
Ducol and Camille have two of the five nominees in this category. This marks the first time that a songwriter or team of songwriters has had two nominated songs in the same year since 2017, when Justin Hurwitz and the EGOT-winning team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul had two nominated songs from La La Land.
“Never Too Late”Elton John: Never Too Late (Disney+)Music and lyric by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt and Bernie Taupin
This is John’s fifth nomination in this category and Taupin’s second. They won five years ago for “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from Rocketman. John first won in this category in 1995 with “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from The Lion King, which he co-wrote with Tim Rice. If John wins this year, he’ll become just the 10th songwriter in Oscar history — and only the second non-American (following Rice) — to win three or more times in this category. (Fun fact: John has never gone home without an Oscar in the years he has been nominated.)
This is the first Oscar nod for both Carlile and Watt. Watt also earned a nod for song of the year at this year’s Grammys for co-writing the Bruno Mars-Lady Gaga ballad “Die With a Smile.”
John and Carlile perform “Never Too Late” in Elton John: Never Too Late, which was co-directed by R. J. Cutler and John’s husband, David Furnish. During production, Carlile saw an early cut of the film and wrote the first set of lyrics before sending to John to compose. Watt and Taupin later pitched in. This is vying to become the second song from a documentary to win in this category following Melissa Etheridge’s “I Need to Wake Up” from An Inconvenient Truth (2007).
From left: Brandi Carlile, Zoe Saldaña in Emilia Pérez and Kerry Washington in The Six Triple Eight.
Illustration by Nate Kitch
Best Original Score
This category continues to be populated by composers from all over the world. Of this year’s nominees, only Stephen Schwartz and Kris Bowers are Americans. In the last 20 years, the only Americans to win in this category are Michael Giacchino (Up), Trent Reznor (The Social Network, Soul), Justin Hurwitz (La La Land) and Jon Batiste (Soul).
The BrutalistDaniel Blumberg (A24)
This was one of 10 nominations for Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, which stars Adrien Brody as a Hungarian Jewish architect who survives the Holocaust and builds a new life in America. Brody is nominated for best actor; Guy Pearce and Felicity Jones are up for supporting actor and actress, respectively. The film is also nominated for best picture, cinematography, directing, film editing, production design and original screenplay.
The film is dedicated to the memory of Scott Walker, who scored Corbet’s films The Childhood of a Leader and Vox Lux (the latter also featured music by Sia).
Blumberg, 35, is an English artist, musician, songwriter and composer. In May 2022, he won an Ivor Novello Award for best original film score for The World To Come.
The Brutalist soundtrack opens with an overture in three parts, as Blumberg and Corbet wanted the first 10 minutes of the film to have continuous music. In addition to composing all the music, Blumberg served as producer and recording engineer and played piano, harmonica, keyboards and synthesizer. Pianist John Tilbury is featured on the 11-minute track “Intermission,” while a Brody speech from the film is featured on the track “Monologue.”
ConclaveVolker Bertelmann (Focus Features)
This is the third nomination for the German composer, who performs and records under the name Hauschka. He was first nominated at the 2017 ceremony for Lion, which he scored in tandem with Dustin O’Halloran. He won two years ago for his score to All Quiet on the Western Front. If Bertelmann wins for Conclave, it would mark the quickest return to the podium in this category since Gustavo Santaolalla won back-to-back Oscars in 2006-07 for scoring Brokeback Mountain and Babel.
Conclave director Edward Berger also directed All Quiet on the Western Front. The director and composer are collaborating again on The Ballad of a Small Player, an upcoming psychological thriller drama starring Colin Farrell and Tilda Swinton.
This was one of eight nominations for Conclave. The film’s other nods are for actors Ralph Fiennes and Isabella Rossellini, best picture, costume design, film editing, production design and adapted screenplay. Berger was passed over for a nod for best director.
“The collaboration with Edward Berger is for me a big gift,” Bertelmann, 58, said in a statement, “and allows me to search and discover a lot of possibilities.”
Emilia PérezClément Ducol and Camille (Netflix)
Emilia Pérez is one of only four musicals in Oscar history to land as many as 13 nods. La La Land leads the pack with 14. Chicago and Mary Poppins matched Emilia Pérez’s total of 13.
Ducol and Camille, 43 and 46, respectively, are vying to become the second couple to win in a scoring category following lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman, who won in 1984 for their original song score for Yentl, on which they collaborated with Michel Legrand.
Ducol and Camille are also vying to become the first French composers to win in this category since Alexandre Desplat triumphed seven years ago for The Shape of Water. Five other French composers have won in scoring categories: Legrand, Maurice Jarre, Francis Lai, Georges Delerue and Ludovic Bource.
“We are overwhelmed by these nominations,” Ducol and Camille said in a joint statement. “Music and community is our life, and to be nominated in two music categories by our film music community surpasses anything we could have possibly imagined.”
Clockwise from left: Jonathan Bailey in Wicked, Clément Ducol and Camille, Bowers and Adrien Brody in The Brutalist.
Illustration by Nate Kitch
WickedJohn Powell and Stephen Schwartz (Universal)
This is Schwartz’s fourth nomination in a scoring category following three nods in the defunct best original musical or comedy score category for Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Prince of Egypt. (The film academy last presented that award in 1999.) Schwartz, 76, is a two-time winner for best original song, for “Colors of the Wind” from Pocahontas (which he co-wrote with Alan Menken) and “When You Believe” from The Prince of Egypt (which he wrote himself).
This is Powell’s second nod in this category following one for the 2010 film How To Train Your Dragon. The Englishman has also composed scores for films such as Face/Off, Drumline and Bolt.
This was one of 10 nominations for Wicked, which has become the top-grossing film ever adapted from a Broadway musical. A sequel, Wicked: For Good, is due in November. Jon M. Chu directed both films.
The Wicked soundtrack album entered the Billboard 200 at No. 2, the highest debut in history for a soundtrack based on a stage musical. Highlights include “Popular” (sung by Ariana Grande, a best supporting actress nominee for her role as Glinda) and “Defying Gravity” (sung by Cynthia Erivo, a best actress nominee for her role as Elphaba, with an assist from Grande).
The Wild RobotKris Bowers (Universal)
This is Bowers’ first scoring nomination. He has been nominated twice in documentary categories — as a director of A Concerto Is a Conversation and as a director-producer of The Last Repair Shop (both collaborations with Ben Proudfoot). The latter film won last year for documentary short film. Bowers, 35, is the first Black composer to be nominated for best original score in four years. At the 2021 ceremony, both Terence Blanchard (Da 5 Bloods) and Jon Batiste (Soul, a collaboration with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross) were nominated.
This was one of three nominations for Chris Sanders’ The Wild Robot, which is also competing for best animated feature and best sound. The Wild Robot is the first animated film to receive a nod for best original score since Encanto three years ago.
The Wild Robot soundtrack includes “Kiss the Sky,” which was co-written and performed by Maren Morris. It was shortlisted for best original song but wasn’t nominated.
This is Bowers’ first score for a fully animated film. His previous scoring assignments include the live-action dramas Green Book, The United States vs. Billie Holiday, Respect, King Richard, The Color Purple and Bob Marley: One Love.
This story appears in the Feb. 8, 2025, issue of Billboard.
The Songwriters Hall of Fame is hosting its ninth annual virtual “Conversation With Oscar-Nominated Songwriters,” which will be available to watch for free on the organization’s website for three weeks. The conversation, moderated by SHOF inductees Nile Rodgers (SHOF chairman) and Paul Williams (a member of the SHOF board of directors) will become available on […]
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences’ decision not to have performances of the nominated songs on the 97th annual Academy Awards on March 2, but to instead focus on the songwriters, has struck a sour note with Ashley Irwin, president of the Society of Composer & Lyricists.
Billboard has obtained a letter that Irwin wrote to the Academy’s board of governors and the producers of the Oscar telecast asking them to reconsider their decision.
“…This decision to exclude the song performances presents as just another example of the devaluation of music, and its creators,” Irwin wrote. “What should be an opportunity to elevate our craft, by an Academy tasked to represent the importance of music to a motion picture’s storytelling, will be lost. A performance shares the creation of a songwriter’s original work. To eliminate the nominee performances is to silence songwriters.
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Irwin also argued, “In a time when Los Angeles, the home of filmmaking, has lost entire communities and with so many people affected, music has the power to inspire and heal — a message reflected in the Oscar-nominated songs.”
The Academy announced its decision to present the best original song category on the Oscar telecast in a different way on Wednesday (Jan. 22), one day before the nominations were announced, presumably after it saw the list of nominees. The roster doesn’t include any songs that have become big hits, like last year’s winner, “What Was I Made For” from Barbie. Billie Eilish‘s recording of the song, which she co-wrote with her brother FINNEAS, had reached No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 months before the telecast.
This year’s nominees are “El Mal” from Emilia Pérez, “The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight, “Like a Bird” from Sing Sing, “Mi Camino” from Emilia Pérez and “Never Too Late” from Elton John: Never Too Late.
In a letter to Academy members on Jan. 22, Bill Kramer, Academy CEO, and Janet Yang, Academy president, said, “This year the Best Original Song category presentation will move away from live performances and will be focused on the songwriters. We will celebrate their artistry through personal reflections from the teams who bring these songs to life. All of this, and more, will uncover the stories and inspiration behind this year’s nominees.”
In their letter, Kramer and Yang also teased that music will play a role in the show in other ways. “There is so much more in store, including powerful musical moments that connect film’s rich history to its bold and inspiring future.”
Here’s Irwin’s letter, in full:
Dear AMPAS Governors and producers of the 97th Academy Awards,
I am the president of The Society of Composers & Lyricists (SCL), the premier organization for professional songwriters and composers working in film and other visual media. All the Oscar-nominated songwriters this year, as in most years, are members of the SCL. Our members, who number over 4,000 in more than 80 countries worldwide, including the majority of the Motion Picture Academy Music Branch, are disappointed over the decision to eliminate the Oscar-nominated song performances at the 97th Academy Awards. Songwriters and composers face many challenges in the current climate, including everything from diminished royalty payments by streaming services to the theft of their intellectual property to enrich “big tech” in the guise of training for AI. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and an award like the Oscar, has always served to amplify and honor the work of talented craftspeople, but this decision to exclude the song performances presents as just another example of the devaluation of music, and its creators. What should be an opportunity to elevate our craft, by an Academy tasked to represent the importance of music to a motion picture’s storytelling, will be lost. A performance shares the creation of a songwriter’s original work. To eliminate the nominee performances is to silence songwriters.
We understand there are reasons behind this decision, but it is my understanding that there was no discussion with the Music Branch. The songs and performances this year would represent a diverse range of artists, including past Oscar winners H.E.R. and Elton John along with Brandi Carlile, Clément Ducol & Camille, Adrian Quesada & Abraham Alexander, as well as 16-time Oscar-nominee Diane Warren. The promotion of these song performances will undoubtedly draw a larger viewing audience. But most importantly, in a time when Los Angeles, the home of filmmaking, has lost entire communities and with so many people affected, music has the power to inspire and heal – a message reflected in the Oscar-nominated songs. [Here Irwin quoted healing lyrics from four of the five nominated songs.]
With the quality of the talent assembled to produce The Oscars, there must be a way to accommodate even abbreviated renditions of the nominated songs during the show. I respectfully urge you to reconsider your decision and let the songs provide the hope and inspiration to the audience that they do in their respective films.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Ashley Irwin
President of the Society of Composer & Lyricists