The 97th Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, March 2nd. Like every year, there was much discourse about which films were and were not chosen. Rather than focusing on the so-called “snubs,” though, this article will review the nominations that left people waiting to hear “and the award goes to…”

Oscars Embrace Horror in 2025

The Academy has made themselves notorious for turning a blind eye to horror films–but this year was different. Two major hits of 2024, Nosferatu and The Substance, were nominated for 4 and 5 awards, respectively. The Substance walked away with some of the most prestigious nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress. Demi Moore delivers an outstanding performance as Elisabeth, an aerobics instructor who is desperate to get back her celebrity status. Nosferatu is Robert Eggers’ reimagining of the 1922 silent film. The gothic horror was hailed for its unprecedented artistry, earning nominations for Costuming, Makeup Cinematography, and Production Design.

I’m Still Here Makes Waves

In 2020, Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite made history as the first non-English film to ever win the quintessential Best Picture award. Since then, its recognition has changed the way foreign pictures are seen in American film culture, influencing the Academy as well. This year, it was announced that the nominees for Best Picture included Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here, a Brazilian film based on the true story of Rubens Paiva, who was murdered during Brazil’s military dictatorship. It has received an outpour of support from Brazilian fans across social media, especially after Fernanda Torres received a Golden Globe for her performance as Eunice Paiva. Torres was also nominated for an Oscar, and would be the first Brazilian to ever win in the Best Actress category. The accolades I’m Still Here have received are a step in the right direction for acknowledging and representing diversity in film.

Best Actress Lineup

Best Actress is arguably the most competitive category of this season, as all five women could be making history with their win. For the first time since 1978, all five Lead Actress nominees star in films that were also selected for Best Picture (Anora, Emilia Pérez, I’m Still Here, The Substance & Wicked). Mikey Madison, a 25-year-old actress, received a nomination for her striking performance as “Ani” in Anora, putting her in a small group of women who were nominated under the age of 30–the average age of a Best Actress winner is between 35 and 37. Similarly, a win for Cynthia Erivo (38) would make her the youngest to ever earn an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar & Tony.) Lastly, although the film (Emilia Pérez) has received much backlash and been at the face of recent media controversy, Karla Sofía Gascón would be the first transgender person to ever receive an Academy Award for performance.

Final Words

“Snubs” aside, I was pleasantly surprised by many of this year's Academy Award nominations and happy to see so many talented artists get their flowers. I am eager to see how the ceremony plays out in March–especially Best Actress and Best Picture!