The Oscars buzz is back — It’s that time of the 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 unveiled the shortlists for 10 key categories. These lists, released after the December 9–13 voting period, 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. Blockbusters like Dune: Part Two and Wicked are racking up multiple mentions, while Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez is shaping up to be a standout contender. Adding a twist to the awards race is The Substance, an under-the-radar hit that has quietly built a devoted following this season.
The road to the Oscars is mapped out, and it’s time to mark your calendars. The voting for nominations officially begins on January 8, 2025, giving Academy members four days to make their selections before the window closes on January 12, 2025. Following 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 shortlist spotlighting potential nominees, it’s time to start speculating: which films will snag a spot on January 17, and which 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 FEATURE FILM
- “The Bibi Files”
- “Black Box Diaries”
- “Dahomey”
- “Daughters”
- “Eno”
- “Frida”
- “Hollywoodgate”
- “No Other Land”
- “Porcelain War”
- “Queendom”
- “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin”
- “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat”
- “Sugarcane”
- “Union”
- “Will & Harper”
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM
- “Chasing Roo”
- “Death by Numbers”
- “Eternal Father”
- “I Am Ready, Warden”
- “Incident”
- “Instruments 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”
- “Planetwalker”
- “The Quilters”
- “Seat 31: Zooey Zephyr”
- “A Swim 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 HAIRSTYLING
- “The Apprentice”
- “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”
- “A Different Man”
- “Dune: Part Two”
- “Emilia Pérez”
- “Maria”
- “Nosferatu”
- “The Substance”
- “Waltzing with Brando”
- “Wicked”
BEST MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
- “Alien: Romulus”
- “Babygirl”
- “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”
- “Blink Twice”
- “Blitz”
- “The Brutalist”
- “Challengers”
- “Conclave”
- “Emilia Pérez”
- “The Fire Inside”
- “Gladiator II”
- “Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1”
- “Inside Out 2”
- “Nosferatu”
- “The Room Next Door”
- “Sing Sing”
- “The Six Triple Eight”
- “Wicked”
- “The Wild Robot”
- “Young Woman and the Sea”
BEST MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
- “Forbidden Road” from “Better Man”
- “Winter Coat” from “Blitz”
- “Compress/Repress” from “Challengers”
- “Never Too Late” from “Elton John: Never Too Late”
- “El Mal” from “Emilia Pérez”
- “Mi Camino” 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
- “Au Revoir Mon Monde”
- “A Bear Named Wojtek”
- “Beautiful Men”
- “Bottle George”
- “A Crab in the Pool”
- “In the Shadow of the Cypress”
- “Magic Candies”
- “Maybe Elephants”
- “Me”
- “Origami”
- “Percebes”
- “The 21”
- “Wander to Wonder”
- “The Wild-Tempered Clavier”
- “Yuck!”
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
- “Anuja”
- “Clodagh”
- “The Compatriot”
- “Crust”
- “Dovecote”
- “Edge of Space”
- “The Ice Cream Man”
- “I’m Not a Robot”
- “The Last Ranger”
- “A Lien”
- “The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent”
- “The Masterpiece”
- “An Orange from Jaffa”
- “Paris 70”
- “Room Taken”
BEST SOUND
- “Alien: Romulus”
- “Blitz”
- “A Complete Unknown”
- “Deadpool & Wolverine”
- “Dune: Part Two”
- “Emilia Pérez”
- “Gladiator II”
- “Joker: Folie à Deux”
- “Wicked”
- “The Wild Robot”
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
- “Alien: Romulus”
- “Better Man”
- “Civil War”
- “Deadpool & Wolverine”
- “Dune: Part Two”
- “Gladiator II”
- “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”
- “Mufasa: The Lion King”
- “Twisters”
- “Wicked”
Mark your calendars because the grand night of the Oscars 2025 takes place on Sunday, March 2, 2025, live from the iconic Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. The ceremony will air on ABC, stream live on Hulu for the first time, and be broadcast in over 200 territories worldwide. Stay tuned for more updates!