Movie lovers, start popping the popcorn. The 97th Annual Academy Awards are coming up Sunday, March 2.
And there’s no bigger prize on Hollywood’s biggest night than the coveted Oscar for Best Picture. As it has been since 2009, when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences doubled the number of nominees in the coveted category, there are ten nominees. This year’s hopefuls include two biopics, four movies based on books, two musicals, a rare horror/comedy film, and two original works.
Here’s a look at the ten films nominated this year.
‘Anora’
Billed as a comedy, a romance and a drama, “Anora” follows a sex worker whose fling with the young, immature son of a Russian billionaire leads to marriage to keep him in the country. When his parents find out, they come to America to end the marriage. 25-year-old Mikey Madison scored an Oscar nod for Best Actress in a Lead Role for her turn as the title character.
Other nominations : Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Yura Borisov), Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing
‘The Brutalist’
The Brutalist is an epic tale that clocks in at three-and-a-half hours long. It stars Adrien Brody, who earned his second Best Actor nomination for his portrayal of Laszlo Toth, a Hungarian-born Jewish immigrant who comes to the U.S. after surviving the Holocaust and World War II. The architect struggles until his work catches the eye of a wealthy industrialist.
Other nominations : Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Guy Pearce), Best Supporting Actress (Felicity Jones), Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design
‘A Complete Unknown’
“A Complete Unknown” stars Timothée Chalamet as singer Bob Dylan, charting rise to stardom through his now-legendary performance of “Like A Rolling Stone” at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. Chalamet’s nod for Best Actor makes him the youngest two-time Best Actor nominee since James Dean.
Other nominations : Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Edward Norton), Best Supporting Actress (Monica Barbaro), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Best Sound
‘Conclave’
“Conclave” tells the story of priests from around the world gathering in Vatican City to pick the next pope. Ralph Fiennes, who is nominated for Best Actor in a Lead Role, plays The Dean of the College of Cardinals, Thomas Cardinal Lawrence, a priest tasked with running the gathering of the College of Cardinals to select a new pope. Once the cardinals are sequestered inside the Vatican, Lawrence begins investigating secrets and scandals involving top candidates as they are revealed.
Other nominations : Best Supporting Actress (Isabella Rossellini), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Original Score
‘Dune : Part Two’
“Dune: Part Two” is the second Best Picture nominee to feature Best Actor nominee Timothée Chalamet. The revenge tale is the sequel to 2021’s “Dune.” It stars Chalamet as Paul Atreides, who unites with the Fremen while on a warpath against the conspirators who destroyed his family.
Other nominations : Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects
‘Emilia Pérez’
“Emilia Pérez” tells the story of a Mexican cartel kingpin who hires a lawyer to make them disappear by transitioning into a woman. Karla Sofía Gascón earned an Best Actress in a Lead Role Oscar nomination in the title role. Zoe Saldana is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of the lawyer, Rita.
Other nominations : Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best International Feature Film, Best Original Score (Camille and Clément Ducol), Best Original Song (“El Mal,” “Mi Camino”), Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Makeup and Hairstyling
‘I’m Still Here’
“I’m Still Here” stars Fernanda Torres as Eunice Paiva, an activist coping with the disappearance of her husband, the dissident politician Rubens Paiva, during Brazil’s military dictatorship in the early 1970s. Torres earned a Best Actress in a Lead Role nomination for her portrayal. The film is based on the memoir by one of their children, Marcelo.
Other nomination : Best International Feature Film
‘Nickel Boys’
“Nickel Boys” is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead that tells the true story of the Dozier School for Boys. The institution operated for 111 years in Florida and was later discovered to be highly abusive. The movie follows Elwood (Ethan Herisse) as he’s sent to the reform school in 1960s Florida. There, he strikes up a friendship with Turner (Brandon Wilson), whose cynicism stands in direct contrast to Elwood’s idealism.
Other nomination : Best Adapted Screenplay
‘The Substance’
“The Substance” is billed as a horror/comedy. The film earned star Demi Moore her first-ever Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Lead Role. Moore plays Elisabeth Sparkle, an actress fired from her job upon turning 50. To turn back the clock, Sparkle takes a black-market drug designed to create a younger, hotter version of herself.
Other nominations : Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Makeup and Hairstyling
‘Wicked’
“Wicked” is the screen adaptation of the hit Broadway show by the same name. It spins the classic “The Wizard of Oz” with a whole different perspective on what happened before Dorothy ever arrived on the scene with her little dog, Toto. “Wicked” tells the story of Elphaba and Glinda, two unlikely friends who discover all is not as it seems in the Emerald City. The movie earned both Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande Oscar nods for Best Actress in a Lead Role and Best Supporting Actress respectively.
Other nominations: Best Original Score (Stephen Schwartz, John Powell), Best Production Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects
Who Will Win? Experts Weigh In
“Vanity Fair” predicts “Anora” will take the top prize, writing that it’s “a crowd-pleasing film that’s both thrilling and heartbreaking, giving viewers exactly what they want out of a movie.” But the magazine’s experts leave room for doubt, saying ‘Conclave’ may also come out on top. The experts say the Best Picture race is “one of the tightest races we’ve seen in years.”
And “The Hollywood Reporter” agrees that “Anora” will win. But the publication argues “The Brutalist” should win, explaining “At a time when the promises and betrayals of the American dream are on many people’s minds, this is a movie with much to say in our present moment.”
And “USA Today” makes it unanimous, saying yes, it’s a “safe bet” “Anora” will win. But as for which film should win, writers say they’re secretly hoping for a “Substance” shocker.
How to Watch the 97th Academy Awards
This year’s Oscars are hosted by Conan O’Brien. The show will air live on ABC and stream live on Hulu on Sunday, March 2, at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT, with the official live red carpet show airing at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.
