Academy Reveals Shortlists In 10 Oscar Categories; ‘Emilia Pérez,’ ‘Dune: Part Two,’ And ‘Wicked’ Land In Multiple Categories

Written By Film Culture

Courtesy of Universal / Everett Collection.

On Tuesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released the preliminary lists for 10 categories of the upcoming 97th Academy Awards. These categories include Documentary Feature Film, Documentary Short Film, International Feature Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Score, Original Song, Animated Short Film, Live-Action Short Film, Sound, and Visual Effects.

Notable films such as ‘Emilia Pérez,’ ‘The Apprentice,’ ‘Dune: Part Two,’ ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,’ ‘Nosferatu,’ ‘Wicked,’ and ‘Blitz’ have been highlighted across various categories.

The voting process for these awards will start at 9 am PT on January 8, concluding at 5 pm PT on January 12. The nominees will be announced on January 17, with final votes cast between February 11 and February 18.

Below are the shortlists and insights from the Academy on each category:

Documentary Feature Film

Fifteen films will advance in the Documentary Feature Film category for the 97th Academy Awards. One hundred sixty-nine films were eligible in the category. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

  • 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

Documentary Short Film

Fifteen films will advance in the Documentary Short Film category for the 97th Academy Awards. One hundred four films qualified in the category. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

  • 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

International Feature Film

Fifteen films will advance to the next round of voting in the International Feature Film category for the 97th Academy Awards. Films from 85 countries and regions were eligible in the category.

Academy members from all branches were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must have met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.

In the nominations round, Academy members from all branches are invited to opt in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:

  • 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

Makeup and Hairstyling

Ten films will advance in the Makeup and Hairstyling category for the 97th Academy Awards. All members of the Academy’s Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch will be invited to view excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, January 11, 2025. Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar® consideration.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

  • The Apprentice

  • Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

  • A Different Man

  • Dune: Part Two

  • Emilia Pérez

  • Maria

  • Nosferatu

  • The Substance

  • Waltzing With Brando

  • Wicked

Original Score

Twenty scores will advance in the Original Score category for the 97th Academy Awards. One hundred forty-five scores were eligible in the category. Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The scores, listed in alphabetical order by film title, are:

  • 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

Original Song

Fifteen songs will advance in the Original Song category for the 97th Academy Awards. Eighty-nine songs were eligible in the category. Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The original songs, along with the motion picture in which each song is featured, are listed below in alphabetical order by film title:

  • “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


Animated Short Film

Fifteen films will advance in the Animated Short Film category for the 97th Academy Awards. Eighty-eight films qualified in the category. Academy members from the Animation Branch and Short Films Branch were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must have met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.

In the nominations round, Academy members from the Animation Branch and Short Films Branch are invited to opt in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

  • 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!

Live-Action Short Film

Fifteen films will advance in the Live Action Short Film category for the 97th Academy Awards. One hundred eighty films qualified in the category. Academy members from all branches were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must have met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.

In the nominations round, Academy members from all branches are invited to opt in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

  • 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

Sound

Ten films will advance in the Sound category for the 97th Academy Awards. All eligible members of the Sound Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees. Academy members will be invited to view excerpts from each of the shortlisted films beginning Thursday, January 9, 2025, in the San Francisco Bay area, followed by London, Los Angeles and New York on Saturday, January 11, 2025. Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

  • Alien: Romulus

  • Blitz

  • A Complete Unknown

  • Deadpool & Wolverine

  • Dune: Part Two

  • Emilia Pérez

  • Gladiator II

  • Joker: Folie à Deux

  • Wicked

  • The Wild Robot

Visual Effects

Ten films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 97th Academy Awards. The Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the shortlist. All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, January 11, 2025. Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

  • 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

The 2025 Oscars ceremony, hosted by Conan O’Brien, is scheduled for March 2 and will be broadcast live on ABC, reaching over 200 countries globally. Raj Kapoor returns as the executive producer and showrunner, with Katy Mullan co-producing and Hamish Hamilton directing.

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