It’s the most wonderful season of all: awards season!
The academy dropped their Oscar nominations for the 97th Academy Awards last Thursday, Jan. 23. From notable shutouts, to Academy firsts, this season was just as controversial as ever.
The biggest take away was “Emilia Pérez,” with a whopping 13 nominations making it the most nominated non-English language film ever. It was also one nomination away from being tied with the most nominated films in Oscar history. “All About Eve” in 1951, “Titanic” in 1998 and “La La Land” in 2017 all lead with 14 nominations.
“Emilia Pérez” has also broken records with its lead actress, Karla Sofia Gascón, being the first openly trans woman nominated for an Academy Award in an acting category.
However, when faced with criticism from trans youth for her role in the film, Gascón said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, “Let me tell you: being LGBT doesn’t make you less of an idiot.”
This comes as people have displayed outrage over the academy completely snubbing 2024’s other major trans story, “I Saw The TV Glow.” This didn’t come as a surprise to director Jane Schoenbrun, though, who took to X to say, “Yeah I mean that makes sense.”
Other notable shut outs include “Queer” and “Challengers,” both directed by Luca Guadagnino. Both films feature very prominent queer storylines, with “Queer’s” forbidden gay romance between Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey, and “Challengers’” bisexual undertones between Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor.
While Luca’s film “Call Me By Your Name” was nominated for Best Picture in 2018, his films seemingly have failed to resonate with Academy voters since. His 2022 film, “Bones and All,” received very little to no buzz either.
However, Luca’s golden boy, Timothee Chalamet, is once again making waves with a Lead Actor nomination for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown.” This is Chalamet’s first lead actor nomination since working with Luca on “Call Me By Your Name,” making him the youngest person since James Dean to receive multiple lead actor nominations, according to film historian Mark Harris.
If Chalamet were to win, he would be tied for the youngest person ever to win Best Lead Actor.
Adrien Brody, was also nominated this year for his performance as visionary architect László Tóth in “The Brutalist.” However, “The Brutalist” is currently under fire for its use of AI in post-production. AI was used to enhance the vowels of the actors’ Hungarian accents, according to the film’s editor Dávid Jancsó.
AI was also used in “Emilia Pérez” to expand Gascón’s vocal range, as revealed by the re-recording sound mixer Cyril Holtz at the Cannes Film Festival last year.
Other notable leading actor nominations include Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump in “The Apprentice” and Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Thomas in “Conclave.” Both roles have caused outrage among America’s far-right for their depictions of Donald Trump and the Catholic Church, respectively.
Last but not least, Colman Domingo as Divine G in “Sing Sing” has the chance to be the first openly gay man to win as lead actor. Domingo missed the chance last year for his performance in George C. Wolfe’s “Rustin” as the titular character of Rustin.
There are many uncertainties going into the ceremony on Mar. 2. However, it’s certain that someone will be upset.
