
In the wake of devastating wildfires in Los Angeles that struck at the heart of the movie industry, nominations to the 97th Academy Awards are going forward Thursday morning after a pair of delays.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences will announce the nominations Thursday at 8.30 am ET via a wide array of platforms, the academy's social network sites, ABC's Good Morning America, as well as on Disney+ and Hulu. Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott will read the nominees.
The Oscar nominations had originally been planned for January 17. But after wildfires on January 7 began burning through the Pacific Palisades, Altadena and other areas around Los Angeles, leaving behind historic levels of destruction, the academy extended its voting window and twice postponed the nominations announcement.
With so many in the film industry reeling from the fires, some called on the academy to cancel the Oscars altogether. Academy leaders have argued the March 2 ceremony must go ahead, for their economic impact on Los Angeles and as a symbol of resilience for the industry. Organiders have vowed this year's awards will "celebrate the work that unites us as a global film community and acknowledge those who fought so bravely against the wildfires."
"We will reflect on the recent events while highlighting the strength, creativity, and optimism that defines Los Angeles and our industry," Bill Kramer, academy chief executive, and Janet Yang, president, said in an email to members Wednesday.
But much of the usual frothiness Hollywood's award season has been severely curtailed due to the fires, which continue to burn. The film academy canceled its annual nominees luncheon. Other events have been postponed or downsized. On Wednesday, Kramer and Yang said original song nominees won't be performed this year. Conan O'Brien, whose Pacific Palisades home was spared by the fires, is hosting.
Here are some of the things to look for Thursday:
Usually by this time, one or two movies have emerged as the clear favourites for best picture. Not so this year. Four films have been nominated for the top award from the Producers Guild, the Directors Guild and the Screen Actors Guild, Anora, Conclave, Emilia Pérez and A Complete Unknown.
They are likely to be joined Thursday by Golden Globe-winner The Brutalist, the musical blockbuster Wicked and the sci-fi sequel Dune: Part Two. In the category's 10 films, that leaves slots expected for A Real Pain and The Substance. The last spot could go to the prison drama Sing Sing, the journalism drama September 5 or the POV-shot Nickel Boys.
Of them all, Netflix's contender Emilia Pérez could land the most nominations of all, and possibly, set a new high mark for non-English language films.
As is often the case, best actress is extremely competitive. Most prognosticators expect nominations for Demi Moore (The Substance), Cynthia Erivo (Wicked), Mikey Madison (Anora) and Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez). Who gets the fifth slot could go to Fernanda Torres (I'm Still Here), Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths) or Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl). And that still leaves out Nicole Kidman (Babygirl) and Angelina Jolie (Maria).
Gascón, the star of Jacques Audiard's Emilia Pérez, is poised to become the first openly transgender actor nominated for an Oscar. Gascón, who plays both a male drug lord in the film and the woman she becomes, has spoken both passionately and sanguinely about the possibility of making Oscar history at a time with trans rights are imperiled.
"If it does happen, I would be so grateful," Gascón said last fall. "It would be a beautiful thing. But if it doesn't, whatever. I'd go back to my old life. I'll do my grocery shopping. I'll play with cats. I'll see my family. Maybe I'll do other jobs and people will like those jobs."
One of 2024's most audacious films, The Apprentice, dramatised the formative years of President Donald Trump' s emergence in New York real estate under the tutelage of attorney Roy Cohn. Both Sebastian Stan (who plays Trump) and Jeremy Strong (Cohn) are borderline contenders for best actor and best supporting actor, respectively. Trump has called those involved with the film "human scum."
For most of Oscar history, the best director category has been all male. That's changed somewhat in recent years, with wins by Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog) and Chloé Zhao (Nomadland). But this year may see another all-male group of Audiard (Emilia Pérez), Sean Baker (Anora), Edward Berger (Conclave), Brady Corbet (The Brutalist) and James Mangold (A Complete Unknown).
The two most likely female contenders are Payal Kapadia (All We Imagine as Light) and Coralie Fargeat (The Substance). Also in the mix are a pair of big-budget filmmakers in Jon M. Chu (Wicked) and Denis Villeneuve (Dune: Part Two).